Secrets of Flat Sawmill Lumber

[@jcamo356]

Learned so much from your channel, even though I'm only building out buildings I still want straight Lumber.

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Thanks!

[@gregwaters944]

You are a wealth of information and always enjoy your videos.

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

I appreciate that!

[@doc3356]

As always, thanks for the great info. One thing about using a 50 horse tractor is that my stacks are that size. Little orange can't pick up much more, so I kind of backed into that one!!

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Great point!

[@andrewupson2987]

Very glad we don't have a problem with powder post beetles here.

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

They are nasty little beasties and ruin wood for a living.

[@marcwilliamson915]

Thank you thank you Robert for sharing your experience and wisdom. This is exactly what I needed to hear. Look forward to part 2 next week. Hartselle, AL.

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

More to come!

[@flatlinesup]

This is gold. Thank you for sharing your wisdom.

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Thanks!

[@scottfrederick8299]

Robert, another great and informative video. Thank you for all the teaching and great information that you share. My mill arrived 2 months ahead of schedule and I'm already behind the 8 ball. Hope to start sawing some of my own wood/logs for building materials next week. Once again thanks for sharing.

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Thanks! Milling is fun, don't get overwhelmed at first while you are leaning your mill.

[@stacyharmon5865]

Thank you for making these videos, and Thank you for sharing the hard earned knowledge! YOU truly are the wood yoda.

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Wow, thank you!

[@JerryTip]

Just started this video and I've been chomping at the wood for this one! Thank you thank you thank you, can't wait for part 2. You are the Man Robert and the bird knows it too.

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Glad it was helpful!

[@russwilkins1622]

Thanks Robert, very good information, i appreciate it very much.

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Thanks for watching.

[@2024PersonalChannels]

I can't wait to see your follow up video on constructing these... Anyway. I made one already and this idea has provided a solution for moving forward. This beats by far the process of hand setting larger dunnage for the cross members and then placing a sticker on each one of those. They're always ATTACHED! Beautiful.

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Thanks! It does simplify things. I'm glad it's working out.

[@d6c10k4]

All those points make good sense. I'd like to see your air drying setup too. Do you have weights to put on top of the stacks?

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Not actual weights, but yes, the weights of other stacks of wood, is critical.

[@SeansWoodBarn]

Was that Purple Heart in the background at 2:44?

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Yes, I was wondering if anybody would see it.

[@robertalexander6637]

Hi Robert I am a retired Builder in my seventies and live in the high country of Victoria Australia. I have a Norwood bandsamill and have similar setup with planers and jointers like you . I cut a lot of Pine Blackwood Redgum and Ash etc . I really like your chanel and as they say you are never to old to learn new tricks. Being retired I have time to try new things and I sharpen and set all my Bandsaw blades. How do you do yours . It would be interesting. Cheers Rob from down under to Australia.

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Hello Australia! I sharpen and set my bands using a CBN sharpener and dual tooth setter. I have a few tricks to make it faster and more accurate, I will make a video on it in the future. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@thekiltedsawyer]

Great video sir with great information. I am in ut where all logs available are standing dead Spruce, at 20% I find that I do leave a bit more saw dust on my boards, more than when I mill hard woods, witch is not as often. I can mill & plane the same day if I want. Have you done a video talking about the two different woods & hard & soft. I use my #2 fir building material for my skids/ pallets. Thank you sir again for sharing your time and experience very much appreciated

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

I will cover it, and it's good to hear from you!

[@robertpowell2735]

WOW if that’s not the most interesting and informative video you have made it is definitely a 9.999999 close. I couldn’t even imagine some of the issues you talked about WOW. I’ve never heard of those beetles before either. Love your videos and the info you so generously share. Fine job 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@randysmith9796]

Great video Robert were talking out almost every floor in a house we’re redoing because of powder post Beatles

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Dang, that is too bad. I have heard of other such instances, so you are not alone. Just make sure you get them all, because they can stay dormant in the nymphal stage in the wood for up to three years. They are the gift that keeps giving. I hate them.

[@deanpowell3991]

very helpful video great tips keep up the great work

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Thanks, will do!

[@TomSarelas]

As usual, superb, valuable insight. Thank you and God bless you & God bless America. TFS

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Your are welcome.

[@clerivanocardoso2308]

Every video u post is a learning lesson for me thank you

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

My pleasure.

[@TheZigZiggy]

Learned a lot .. thank you sir !! 👍

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Thanks!

[@MakerBoyOldBoy]

Every video is gold. The Professor provides a solution and the reasoning behind it long with the consequences for screwing it up. Thank you. I came back later to add some thoughts about your flatness demands. Part of my early life was construction from dirt to finish buildings and s lot of concrete work. Your slab looks to be working fine. I was wondering if you had trued the level of the slab to ensure lumber staying flat. In your case trueness is critical. Normally shooting grade before or after a slab poor is not critical. Hand screeting (leveling) and finishing is sufficient for normal use. To insure accuracy for flatness shooting a final grade might have helped guarantee flatness. Speculative st this point, but might be essential for the quality level you demand. Enough said. Your students care about your doings. Next log, please.

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

You nailed it, this building was made specifically for our lumber needs, and the concrete slab is a perfectly flat work of art. I told several concrete guys what I wanted, and they all referred me to a the same guy who was the best of the best, as he only did difficult and interesting "specialty" slabs. So long story short, he made it so flat and smooth that in his words, "a horse fly would skid all the way to the other side if it tried to land." 11 trucks of concrete later, lots of steel, and he made it laser flat with no low or high spots, and slick as glass. Even to this day, with forklifts running over it, not a single crack or anything wrong.

[@MakerBoyOldBoy]

@@HobbyHardwoodAlabama Thanks for validating my concern. The pour probably had extra rebar for added strength. The fibers do help to a degree. The concrete surface is pourous and somewhat soft for industrial use. It might be good to ask your concrete buddies about which is the most durable catalytic resin coating to apply for longevity. You are a stickler for details. Fascinating. I would like to learn of results. You are far ahead of your competitors on so many levels.

[@rodteel5084]

Thankyou for your time it takes and the wealth of knowledge you share always enjoy your videos

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Thanks for watching!

[@FernRiverDesigns]

Awesome info per usual, Robert. I'm trying to devise a similar setup for live edge material to prevent myself from handling things too much. Biggest problem with live edge material is varying widths and lengths but I'm going to try to pin down a system similar to this in some way. You innately lose a lot of material handling efficiency when things aren't edged. Great video!

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

You are correct. Slabs are a total pain in the rear. If you can standardize on incremental lengths, and stack them on skids, then it does get much easier. Random length makes things very difficult.

[@jollywingo4271]

I’m new to sawmilling. Been in the tree business for 25 years. Jumped off into it with both feet with a Cooks 4449 sawmill. What’s the best way to get stickers. I can saw them I know, but you have to wait on them to dry before you use them I’m guessing. I’ve watched you saw them and also use tobacco drying sticks. Just curious what’s the best way to get started. Thank you for these videos! You’ve got great content and have helped me out a lot. You are One of the many reasons I pulled the trigger on a mill after 10 years of thinking about it. I should have thought more about the dang stickers I reckon😂🇺🇸👍

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

You are right, I've tried about every way to make quality stickers, because good stickers make good wood, and bad ones ruin it. You can cut your own, I did it for many years, and you can dry them quick in just a few days by simply laying them out on the hot summer asphalt and raking them around every now and then in a few days, they will be dry enough to use. Some will curl and twist and stuff but that is a quick way to do it. However, I just buy mine these days from a guy in Tennessee who makes the fluted stickers you see in most of my recent videos. They work great, are not cheap, but considering I may use them many dozen times, it works for us.

[@jimgilligan396]

Thank you

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Thanks!

[@bryanhenderson5926]

Thanks Robert. Doc

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Good to hear from you!

[@geraldrutherford5360]

Thanks for the info. Looking forward to seeing your next video on making them.

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

More to come!

[@kitb9948]

Another excellent video! Thanks Robert!

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Very welcome

[@codyjensen9166]

Great video boss👏🏼😁 very intelligent man

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Appreciate it!

[@joshuayamnitz5503]

Great info! Question for you: In your experience ,does the time of year a log is harvested affect the quality of lumber? Appreciate your videos!

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Yes, definately, especially in the internal stresses of the lumber, and not only that, but also the time of year when even the logs are milled makes a big difference. I was thinking of making a video on the subject, but it can get pretty detailed and in the weeds on this subject. Good question.

[@georgefeener8682]

I see how you win the title of the best hardwood in y The state every step needs to be done excellently

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Yes, lots of ways to do it wrong, and all the steps matter.

[@Z-Bart]

Good. No, great info Robert.

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Thanks for watching!

[@deniscarter6613]

Thanks Professor what's space between the runners on the pallet

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

16"

[@bigeburris7220]

Great video Robert - what size and spacing are the cross members for the skid? They appear to be 1/2 inch and spaced randomly...apologize if this in part 2 next week...just wanted to get started milling the pieces.

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

The runners on the pallets are the same as true 2x4" at 1.5" x 3.5". The Stickers are 3/4" thick. They are on 16" centers on an 8 foot pallet.

[@bigeburris7220]

@@HobbyHardwoodAlabama thanks Robert!!

[@TheMakersMarkTSF]

Mr. Milton, should there be any concern about nail (or fastener) stain transfer from the "skids" (sorry, I know you don't think that word is fancy enough,,,) to the new boards? if there is, how would we resolve that?

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Good question, but no, stain will only happen in the presence of moisture. Green wood off the mill should have a sticker separating it from the nails and bottom layer of the skid, and dried dead stacked won’t have any moisture to react with the metal.

[@WWDtmelcher]

Robert, great information! But I didn’t hear anything about stickering the wood after it comes off the mill and during air drying, and that you remove them after kiln drying and dead stacking. Are my assumptions correct?

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Yes, those and more are all detailed steps that must be done, and I have so many folks asking about how we do it, which is performance driven to maximize flat wood, I decided I would cover the entire process in steps, and the first steps are good pallets.

[@SawdustandSweatNC]

The use of single faced pallets makes good horse sense for your operation.

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Thanks!

[@throngcleaver]

Great stuff, Robert! You're the best. I've completely stopped watching all other sawyers.

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Thanks!

[@JohnMcdowell-dn8ok]

Robert, have you ever cut up green hart wood? What was your experience with it?

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Do you mean the heartwood of green logs? Yes, quite a bit of it. Stress is important and stay away firm the juvenile core.

[@JohnMcdowell-dn8ok]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/oaGvh6WsqZuWjKcsi=KYgzU924TIesUiVI Here is a video of us at the marina pulling the logs

[@edwardkimbril1019]

any tips for sweet gum would you still cut out all the sap wood?

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Sweegtgum has a spiral grain structure so like to move a lot when it dries. How it is cut depends, some sweet gum has a red center, and makes extremely pretty heartwood lumber. So in that case, yes, cut off the sapwood. If you are making the lumber for boards, then taking all the sapwood will waste a lot of wood and all you can do is cut it as vertical grain, which is like high speed rift sawing, like used for flooring. That will help keep it from moving. If you are doing slabs and thick wood, cut it a little thicker and plan on taking more off with the facing planer to straighten it out. If using it for siding, cut it an nail it up green and use the nails to keep it straight when it dries.

[@A..n..d..y]

Would like to see your air drying racks if you get time.

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

There is a lot to it and it will make a couple videos in the future.

[@KathyAndrew]

I thought you had to spray your boards with solubor to keep the ppb out. Ash especially. Maybe just because of my location.

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Solubor and Boracare are very effective, but chemicals are not an option for me as a consumer business. So I have to use a series of non chemical techniques that add up to a high probability of success, but I did have failures early on that cost me a lot of money. Using logs in the correct state, proper air drying locations, proper pallets, heat sterilization, and a few more can eliminate PPB's and keep them out of your wood. PPB's are nasty, and they are a constant battle. I hate the little beasts.

[@gregm312]

lots of sense

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Thanks!

[@LogHewer]

Hardwood pallets for my cypress lumber and softwood pallets for my grade oak. Genius. I don't know why that never occurred to me. We had a bout with powder post beetles getting in some FAS white oak and I about cried. Thanks for the idea, brother.

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

I glad I could help!

[@liquidrockaquatics3900]

At the one minute mark, I was guessing you were talking about stacking and stickering, but I don’t own a mill and I don’t have any idea. I’m just commenting for the algorithm.

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

I really do appreciate that!

[@DonaldPlummer-k5i]

Do you know where the word engineer originated? It’s the last thing Custer said. New mill owner also.

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

I thought he said "Oops."

[@GibClark]

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Thanks!

[@billythomas7701]

Wait a minute, wait a minute, you said to let air dry at least 6 months before kiln dry??? Did i hear that right?

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Nope, you heard wrong. I reviewed the video and I said "Six weeks to a year", which is another secret process we use to lock in the color and remove stress from the wood fibers.

[@billythomas7701]

First want to say thank you for all the great videos! Next are there more videos on your air drying process? ​@@HobbyHardwoodAlabama

[@erickdanielsson6710]

Pays to be an Engineer.

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Sometimes it s a curse too. Good to hear from you!

[@The78bluedevils]

i can sit down for hrs just to collect an informal education from a skill work mill specialist.

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Thanks!

[@ronnielloyd4514]

If you don’t know what you are doing then stay out of the sawmill business.

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Yep.

[@mitchellriddell8092]

How many KD board feet a year do you produce ?

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

I won't give specifics, but considering we sell 53 species, with a few thousand of bdft of low demand species per year, and many, many thousands of board feet of some high demand species sold of per year like red and white oak, walnut, hard and soft maple, cherry, poplar, basswood, and several others in constant and high demand, it's more than most people would believe. Of course some species, such as exotics, we have to buy KD in the rough, and we occasionally buy other wood if we need a surge, but we still do the secondary processing to get them to our grade, and in one shot with the bird, you can see a typical shipment of three pallets we just received of purple heart, teak, ebony, etc. Case in point, we used to contract out just our planing to a pretty big local hardwood millwork outfit, and they eventually threw their hands in the air and just plain gave up with the owner saying that they couldn't keep up, and "We just buried them" and he couldn't believe how much lumber we produced year after year, with just our small crew. So the main thing is, the techniques I show for producing lumber are the ones we use to produce enough lumber to sell to people all over the country. However, also remember, production is not my goal, quality is. Good question, I may make a video on the subject.

[@johnmathis7872]

Your bottomless pallet does the top boards need to be a different species from what you are stacking?

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

No, but the runners should be.