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Author Topic: Seeking YouTube or related Woodmizer LT40 Super orientation help  (Read 9662 times)

Offline RiverForest

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New member here seeking relief from "Jeff".  Had it there, lurk only now.

In lurking around here, I believe I recognize a few users from the other forum.

We just bought a new LT40 Super from "Mill Master Marty", but he's not next door.  Believe me, I'd really welcome him here, knowledgeable beyond belief as he and his group are.  His dry humor is sneaky, and he's teaching it to Chelsea, too; I respond with very bad puns.

But he is 4 hours from here.

Wow, is there a lot to know and remember, even basics like readying the mill for transport or setting up from transport.  The manual covers things but does anyone have a recommendation on videos, etc?

We have had a Peterson WPF swing blade for a few months and their videos are really helpful.

As you might guess, I am still new to sawmills and milling but with 180 nicely wooded acres, I need to get going, first so we can build some things timber frame/post and beam/Timberlinx.  Patience from the more experienced on here is really appreciated and I will try to share on anything I might be able to help with.  I have a pretty thick skin about being corrected where learning is involved.

I noted that this venue's owner actually cuts wood instead of only cutting his loyal members off at the knees.  Sharing and being pleasant and helpful instead of condescending/threatening & patronizing is not really that hard.  Rant mode off, promise.

Interesting that the same forum format is used here.

Thanks in advance and looking forward to this forum.
J
Learning/listening mode works best coupled with a thick skin.  Share what you do know and what you learn when you can

Offline A.O.

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Re: Seeking YouTube or related Woodmizer LT40 Super orientation help
« Reply #1 on: January 29, 2018, 02:55:14 PM »
You can always google LT40 youtube videos..

180 wooded acres, nice... I only have 102 ;-)

Offline RiverForest

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Re: Seeking YouTube or related Woodmizer LT40 Super orientation help
« Reply #2 on: January 29, 2018, 03:23:56 PM »
Right, I'm hoping for someone to recommend their favs  :)

Marty did not answer the question when I asked if he knew of any, might be a WM policy thing.  They are after all a big company at the end of the day.
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Offline starmac

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Re: Seeking YouTube or related Woodmizer LT40 Super orientation help
« Reply #3 on: January 29, 2018, 04:12:34 PM »
My LT40 was far from new when I got it, and all I knew about a mill was I wanted one. I found the best way to learn myself was to just get after it. You will make some mistakes, but you will anyway, and it seems like you remember them once you make them your self better anyway. lol

One thing when readying the mill to move is to ALWAYS leave the rear leg just a few inches off the ground instead of raising it all the way up to start with, if you don't when you move the mill head back to take the weight off the front, she will tilt, ending with the head sailing down to the end of the mill fast enough to make you think it will not stop at the end of the mill. It will stop, but even knowing that it will still scare you, now at this point the tongue is 7 or 8 feet in the air and you don't just pull it back down, you have to get a jack on the back to get her down enough to move the head back forward. The good thing about this, is you only have to do it once to remember it.

Oh yea, even though I am new here too, welcome to the forum, things are kind of slow here, but hopefully picking up speed as it goes and more folks find it.

Offline drobertson

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Re: Seeking YouTube or related Woodmizer LT40 Super orientation help
« Reply #4 on: January 29, 2018, 06:12:17 PM »
howdy river, I had a super from 05' till last year, sold it due to medical restrictions, ask away any questions you have, I'll help where I can, you tube stuff can be helpful, but searching for a specific answer may be time consuming, so ask away, I will say I had the 51 cat, with the accuset 2 , if that helps any,     

Offline RiverForest

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Re: Seeking YouTube or related Woodmizer LT40 Super orientation help
« Reply #5 on: January 29, 2018, 07:37:07 PM »
Thanks, dr, I recall your situation from the FF, sorry you had to sell yours.  You have always been helpful as I recall.  I'll be in touch (rain is holding me down at the moment, just got the mill 10 days ago) and thanks!  Best of luck to you in the meantime, glad to help you if I can, too.
Learning/listening mode works best coupled with a thick skin.  Share what you do know and what you learn when you can

Offline drobertson

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Re: Seeking YouTube or related Woodmizer LT40 Super orientation help
« Reply #6 on: January 29, 2018, 08:01:49 PM »
You bet, having one and having to wait is a real killer, almost as bad as having had one and now not having one and watching everyone sawing.  Even my wife a few times from watching the Maine cabin builders and  some of the other rehab shows she likes to watch has mentioned, "sorry babe we had to sell the mill" I just say "yea, I know"" it sucks,  just hollar if you cant get the answer(s) you are looking for, I might be able to help,

Offline starmac

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Re: Seeking YouTube or related Woodmizer LT40 Super orientation help
« Reply #7 on: January 30, 2018, 12:54:01 AM »
Riverforest, if I might ask, what are your plans for the mill, sawing your own logs for your own use, or are you looking at a commercial venture?

Another question, what kind of trees do you have on your place?

Offline RiverForest

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Re: Seeking YouTube or related Woodmizer LT40 Super orientation help
« Reply #8 on: January 30, 2018, 03:00:52 AM »
 Unless you're in a different time zone, you keep the bad hours I do.

 Will be doing some building ( timber frame of course, though perhaps not using all classic joinery), on a nice site overlooking the Rivanna River, and developing our wood resources, 180 acres, while we're doing that I hope. I'll be looking for cast off logs that would otherwise go to landfills (you'd be shocked at how often that happens around here), letting folks bring logs to us, some run out sawing.  We're even thinking of letting folks go into the woods and pick trees that they want, doing some custom felling/milling on that sort of very custom basis.

My friend NativeWolf (ff mbr), has walked the woods with me, spotting all the walnut trees, his favorites, and given me some advice, though a lot of it centers around typical commercial selling in bulk.   For some reason or another, I get nervous about that. I think it's the fact that we've seen too many bad logging jobs over the years.  A neighbor has about 20 acres on a corner of our land and came close to doing that recently, though the job was above average as to how little it tore up the land.  I just think he cut too many trees per acre, almost a clear-cut for the most part. I'm pretty sure money was his sole motivation,  and that he just happened to hire a logger who was a little better than most in that respect.

 Southside Logger (Jim), who operates in this general area, another ff mbr, is trying to find a time to come up and look at our forest regarding his flooring operation that he's getting going.

Our number one species is white oak, plus red Oak, sycamores, a few Pinetrees here and there in groups;  Many & varied species, but in some cases a bit stunted by not being properly managed. We have 80-90-year-old trees that are 12 inches DBH, or even less.  If you'd like to see our 2017 update of a 2006 cruise, for fun or profit, send me a private message and I'll send it to your email address, three pages.  Total value is close to $300,000,  stumpage, if we adjust for some things, including for land purchased after the cruise, etc.   I'm not sure what ratio that's based on, which is important since the harvesting cost ratio is a big factor in how much the owner clears.

I've heard everything from 40/60 to 70/30, with many factors to consider.   We may ask a logger to come in and buy and harvest some trees, while laying down some trees for our build that will take care of.   My wife bites her fingernails when she sees me with a chainsaw in my hand next to a standing tree.

The irony of that 2006 cruise is that guy missed all the walnut trees.   Did not even mention them as miscellaneous or pulpwood.   If I was listening carefully to NativeWolf & interpreting his commentary properly, I'd say we have many thousands of dollars worth of it, some to cut now, and some we should let grow after marking their positions.

 We have some lowgrounds along the river that would be ideal for planting Walnut, and maybe some northern red oak elsewhere on the land,  we don't want a monoculture, for sure.  I'm 66, so someone else will likely cut it, but there is value in growing crops for the long term, with attending risk of coarse.  Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway has never paid a dividend, but that's never stopped anyone from putting a value on it.

We're going to see how it goes as I learn to use the equipment better, and also I think I have a young man from our restaurant employee group who may want to learn the forestry game as a trade.   I will need some help myself to avoid the blind leading the blind syndrome, given my currently low level of experience.

 As you can see, we're considering a lot of directions.   Number one at the moment is to get started on the house, as soon as we have a final "box" design, at least. Then I can get Superior Wall in and get on to lots of trees, to cut and mill.

 If you're ever anywhere nearby, come over for the tour and making sawdust.   My personal favorite is mountains, but the topo on this land is at least reminiscent of where I grew up, in southwest Virginia and  there's the 4000 feet on the river.

How are things in Fairbanks?  Our kitchen manager spent about three or four years there in the US Air Force.   He was there over Christmas, and said it got up to above freezing I think at one point. OMG.

 Going to sleep now, I hope I didn't leave any bad typos or grammar in there.  💤💤💤💤
Learning/listening mode works best coupled with a thick skin.  Share what you do know and what you learn when you can

Online Ox

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Re: Seeking YouTube or related Woodmizer LT40 Super orientation help
« Reply #9 on: January 30, 2018, 09:29:48 AM »
Welcome, RiverForest, and breathe the free air!  Many of us here are refugees from that awful Forestry Forum.

There's plenty of knowledge and smart people here.

Read around some and you'll see about what this place is all about.  It's truth, transparency and freedom.  Beautiful.



K.I.S.S. - Keep It Simple Stupid
Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without
1989 GMC 3500 4x4 diesel dump and plow truck, 1964 Oliver 1600 Industrial with Parsons loader and backhoe, 1986 Zetor 5211, Cat's Claw sharpener, single tooth setter, homemade Linn Lumber 1900 style mill, old tools

Offline starmac

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Re: Seeking YouTube or related Woodmizer LT40 Super orientation help
« Reply #10 on: January 30, 2018, 01:34:46 PM »
Wow, it sounds like you have a nice corner of a nice part of the world. I wish we had a variety of different trees like you do.
My only experience with logging is up here, and it is totally different in every aspect to how I read about there. If I was in your shoes, I would think about taking on a young partner of sorts and do the logging yourself, sorta a small time low impact operation.

What we do here is about as high impact as it comes, in fact on many jobs after we are done we have to go back in and tear it up more, per the contract.

The weather has been fairly warm this year, too warm some of the time. We are having a cool spell right now, but it is suppose to start warming up today. It did get above freezing a day or two in December, which is never a good thing.

I do not have the experience most of these guys do, but it sounds like I get a pass of sorts, our spruce saws nice and it sure isn't hard to cut nice lumber or beams with the woodmizer at all. The first few logs I cut was just playing to see what it would do, I cut quite a bit so thin you could bend it in a circle and literally see through it and beams would be within 1/16 of an inch through out. It amazed me how nice, straight and uniform I could cut right off the bat after reading of all the woes folks cutting other species.

Offline furu

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Re: Seeking YouTube or related Woodmizer LT40 Super orientation help
« Reply #11 on: January 30, 2018, 01:43:42 PM »
Sounds like you have a nice place there.  With proper planning and some hard work you will get a lot of satisfaction out of your forest.
Integrity is not just doing the right thing.
Integrity is not just doing the right thing when no one is looking.
Integrity is doing the right thing when no one else will ever even know.

Offline RiverForest

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Re: Seeking YouTube or related Woodmizer LT40 Super orientation help
« Reply #12 on: January 31, 2018, 01:02:44 AM »
Starmac & Furu (and everyone else on this thread), thanks.

It is also my goal (and for all here, I hope) to steer as many wood folks to this board as I (we) can. 

Doesn't matter if you have a "Band" of brothers or a "Circle" of friends (in my case, I now qualify for both ;)), if you think trees and the things they can provide are cool, this seems like the place.

Disagree with me all you want--I will learn from the exchange (we all may learn)--but bullying/threatening me because I ask questions?  Give me a break.  That just does not seem like a problem here.

I'll try the thin veneer thing with the LT40 and see what happens.  The Peterson can do that I have found so the comparison should be fun, and that sort of product could be saleable to hobbyists and crafters, who knows.

With the 34 inch board width now, I could shave some thins from slabbed tree butts, hmmm.  I'll have to do the Econ math, too.

I do like the idea of our own logging, indeed I am working toward that, though almost all the foresters I know discourage it--may relate to a problem with out of the box thinking for some; forestry is a pretty conservative profession with entrenched methodology.

If We Cut It, They Will Come...?  Or is the idea only a Forest of Dreams?  I lean toward the former.

There are helpers around, too, partimers from UVA in C-ville for example, who cannot get much if any overtime at their state jobs, our Commonwealth being rather tight on that.  And you wanna hunt here on our game rich 247 riverfront acres?  A little pitching in can get you in.

I'm 66 and in good health but younger blood would be a plus, in fact more blood, period.  I look upon the forest as a resource, not unlike money in the bank, really.  I just wish we had started on the recommendations in our 2006 stewardship plan sooner!  Oh well, growing crops.

My number one hope for a great partner almost lost his life, and did lose much mobility in a bad motorcycle accident just W of Las Vegas in 2015.   Jay knows trees and felling, game (former game warden and avid responsible hunter) and construction (2 years working for a home builder), but he just had his ankle fused to quiet the constant pain he was in.  He's a trooper, though and has surprised me several times since the accident, and probably will again.

The low unemployment rate could slow us down, but then we would hope the rising tide lifts all our boats.

To run our own show I am in better shape that some might be starting out, as I have lots of equipment already (and the opposite of that in cash), with a few more things to buy and lots of wood in them thar hills.

We hope to build and move there, soon, well hoping soon anyway.  Construction seems never to honor a timetable....
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Online Ox

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Re: Seeking YouTube or related Woodmizer LT40 Super orientation help
« Reply #13 on: January 31, 2018, 09:13:59 AM »
I'm following your journey intently. 
K.I.S.S. - Keep It Simple Stupid
Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without
1989 GMC 3500 4x4 diesel dump and plow truck, 1964 Oliver 1600 Industrial with Parsons loader and backhoe, 1986 Zetor 5211, Cat's Claw sharpener, single tooth setter, homemade Linn Lumber 1900 style mill, old tools

Offline starmac

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Re: Seeking YouTube or related Woodmizer LT40 Super orientation help
« Reply #14 on: January 31, 2018, 01:04:35 PM »
I bet you have a plan stat to coming together pretty quick. As far as help goes your game and river access  just might be a nice ticket for some trading material lol.

It may also pay to trade some lumber or logs for a guy to build his own place, it doesn't take a lot of trees to build a house, but would be worth a lot to someone wanting to build their little place in the world, but so would a place to hunt and fish.

That thin veneer I cut, was just playing around and learning what my mill was capable of, it started cracking in just a couple of days as it dried and was useless for all intents and purposes. I did not attempt to properly dry it in any way either though, and it was spruce, other species may be different.

I did see pictures where a guy cut some cedar iirc, thin, maybe 3/8 of an inch and used it for rustic paneling in his horse barn, then wound up selling some when folks saw it, so who knows.

Offline drobertson

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Re: Seeking YouTube or related Woodmizer LT40 Super orientation help
« Reply #15 on: January 31, 2018, 04:48:50 PM »
River, I re-read your post a few up where you were talking about logging and the such.  It sounds like you did have a timber cruise with documentation. That's always helpful, and for the money having someone come and mark would be helpful too.  I recently, two years ago, had a retired forester go through my 120.  He charged 8 bucks an acre to catalog species, quanity and even den trees all the usual as to bd/ft per ac.with the stands divided up.   With this information I was able to work into a cost share program with MDC.  They paid for the survey, and used his recommendations for stands and the suggested course of actions.  My plan was strictly for timber stand improvement and wildlife habitat improvements.  The next plan was to mark timber for a timber sale, then have the bidding.  I have yet to get this far, I have had the pond dug, food plot cleared, and timber sold from this operation, and I milled some before I sold the mill. All this saying,  having a good plan and following it takes a little time, something many loggers don't want to deal with.  I'm fortunate to have some good friends in the TSI business, so I have gotten some great advice and what to do, and not to do.  Taking the crap out is the first thing I might suggest, then get another assessment with individual stands divided up.