Thanks for the very nice comments. The intent of most of my videos is to educate people about portable mills, and to inspire them to take on acquiring a log and having it milled into the best lumber it will yield. There are many benefits to milling you own lumber. Of course, it is significantly less expensive but, you can also find species that are not commonly sold in hardwood lumber stores, You also find grain patterns that would be a 'problem' for conventional sources. No, you can't order 100 boards just like it, these are natural and unique treasures. I don't produce commodity lumber, I craft character lumber. What industry sees as flaws, I consider facets. Furniture, not firewood; lumber, not landfill. It is a mindset, and meme, that uses American products, crafted by American craftspeople, for American homes.
I want to add my thanks for the commentary. Knowing the rationale for the cuts add to the educational aspect of your videos. In 1975 and 1976, my late father took my brother Mike and I to a 100 year old Walnut orchard that was being converted to a business park. We harvested many logs the old fashion way. Lots of work with the 1 man and 2 man bucksaws. Thank You for reviving those memories. With Best Regards, Pat
Hopefully you still have something made from that walnut. I often mill sentimental logs. Maybe not the greatest lumber, but if a relative planted the tree, or it was from your childhood home, nothing else can match it.
I enjoy the video of sawmilling but really appreciate the discussion of the how and why you're cutting in the order you are. Very helpful and interesting. Thanks!
Someone is just waiting to get their hands on those great looking walnut slabs to make a nice table. Walnut has to be one of the greatest woods that God ever created. Kudos. Great video.
It is easy to see that you love your job and have respect for the wood you are working on. I do sculptures in wood and love the way it feels and smells and the wood tells you what it wants to be. You become part of the wood. You really understand the wood you are working on and do an excellent job. Thank you.
Thanks for your compliments. Sawyers have different backgrounds; I wasn't a logger, or a commodity lumber producer ; my background was as a woodworker , working with urban wood. You learn to seek out the best you can get from every log. Milling 2x construction lumber wouldn't be near as rewarding.
When I saw that log on the forklift I thought, THAT'S GONNA BE A GREAT LOG. Your experience really shows, and we appreciate the educational aspect of this video. Well done!
I have watched videos where I couldn't figure out why something was done a certain way, and I have received questions like that from viewers. I try to explain what I am doing, hopefully it is more entertaining, or educational than listening to background music or the rumble of the sawmill engine.
It's the knowledge of how to cut the log that counts. I'm a woodworker that makes custom rifle stocks, usually of wallnut. At the end of the video, it was a treat to see the bookend planks, especially planks "G" and "H". I rarely get to see such excellent milling. Very nice! Thumbs up!!!
Tom, thanks for the compliments. I don't have much experience milling for gun stocks, most of my clients intend to make furniture. The world's largest maker of gun stocks (American Walnut) is about an hour north of here. They process about 4 million bf of gun stock material each year.
Wow! 4 million board feet for gun stocks? That has me beat by a mile. It's fitting that you mentioned furniture, Of course I can build furniture. But I like guns, I can almost hear my Grandpa yelling at me saying- "Why waste your work on something so small, no get over here and help me with this table" I knew an older man in California that had to cut down 6 large walnut trees and he asked me if I wanted any! I showed up the next day with 2 chainsaws and several steel wedges, axe's and a big broom to sweep away all the twigs and walnuts so we wouldn't trip on them. He was kinda older, I didn't want him to be injured, so I asked him if he could " teach" me how to down a tree, so I did all the climbing. Well, it took us 3 days work to do it. I got to choose the best grain boards. Over 500 bf rough cut on his mill and loaded on my old Ford flatbed with a small crane I usually used for engines. It was like gold to me. He insisted on me staying there in his home. The old man and I were made friends because of those trees. I did build him a 8'x4'x3" Dining table with the select bookend grain. And 6 large chairs out of "dark heart wood" When his time was short he asked for me. As he look out the front window he said- " Thank you for helping me with the trees ( knocking on that table) now I can see my land" "Your a good kid" (35 at the time) I'll never forget the "Dark heart wood" T.
@@Buzbikebklyn1 Of course, some of my clients are just interested in marketing their logs for a profit; but most of them have a personal story that goes with the lumber we create. So many of the logs I mill have a specific memory associated with them. I try to track where the logs i buy come from so that the craftsperson who ends up with that wood has a history to go with the project they are making. Not all of the logs I get are good candidates for lumber but I'll do what I can to get them the material for a project. It doesn't have to be 'furniture', even a small box crafted by someone you care about becomes a keepsake.
You are a true craftsmen, your knowledge, thought and expertise that went into milling this tree. I'll never look at a beautiful wood door or piece of furniture without thinking about this. Thank you.
Thanks. Most of the logs I get present a bit of a challenge. I'll always get boards but I try to get the best ones I can, depending on how the client is planning to use them.
Tom nice job maximizing the beauty of the grain patterns and explaining what you were doing Great and timely .. The captions were really helpful ! I appreciate the educational aspect of this video !
I turn a lot of black walnut ( boxes, bowls, Christmas ornaments, etc.) and love it. It's gonna be beautiful no matter what you use it for! Take care, Dave
First time watching one of your videos and I really like the annotations where you explain why you are cutting the way you do. Very helpful for understanding the process. Thanks!
In case you read this, how much did it cost you and is there any real savings to be had over the long run if you buy it used (mildly used & treated with TLC)? I'd appreciate knowing and ballpark figures from sonmeone who knows is just fine. Thanks.
WOW that book match is art and u sir are an artist. Anyone can run a mill but the placement is the wisdom. I've always said burning walnut is a sin. thank you for your time.
I live I central Mn...about as far north as you’ll ever see black walnut....I know where there are huge acreage of super nice black walnut trees.... too bad I don’t own any of that land... but I did help cut 6 miles of snowmobile trails thru it.. we marked all the black walnut trees as to not cut any of them... one can dream though
I seldom mill logs from trees that were taken down for their timber value. Most of what I mill were taken down due to disease, construction, storm damage, or landscape hazards. Large standing walnuts, and other species, can be impressive in the forest but, like us, they all reach their peak of maturity and decline quickly afterwards. Even if you were only able to obtain a storm blow down from that woodland, it would have a lot of sentimental value to you.
Wood is the most amazing product of nature, There is nothing better than milling your own wood and building something people can enjoy for many years, it's the real American way. Thank god there are people keeping the wood working industry alive.
Thanks for commenting. I bought the mill hoping to be able to supply my woodworking needs after I had retired. Once the word got out, business kept coming in, growing rapidly each year. I don't have much time for woodworking but I really like what I can do to salvage the wood, and help out other woodworkers.
Those 8/4 boards will yield some beautiful book matched 4/4 boards when resawed after a period of resting. Enjoyed the video, very entertaining and educational.
Those sure are some beautiful boards, we are growing Black walnut, Black Cherry, Sweet Cherry, White and Red Oak, and English Walnut trees for the future.
awesome work..experience and old age..a good combination.. i work for a guitar builder in vienna austria..dont know if i could have done a better bookmatch myself..
Tom nice job maximizing the beauty of the grain patterns and explaining what you were doing. The captions were really helpful. The only thing that could have shortened the video length was to increase the play speed of the actual cut. Thank you. Bill
Back about 10 years ago, our neighbor did some tree thinning for us on our Ohio farm. It had been 60 years since it was last done. Many, many Oaks. And a large number of Black Walnuts. Nothing under 2' in diameter 2' above ground level was allowed to be cut. When the lumber company ( hardwood furniture use ) came, they paid the second highest ever per board foot in Ohio. But it did not go directly to the mill. Instead it went on display in a neighboring county at a technical college and at the National Forest office. In Ohio, Black Walnut was used for just about anything in buildings. Even our neighbor's chicken coop had an 8X8" 16' Black Walnut ridge beam. It grows like weeds in the bottom lands. And they are good eating too. But try getting the stain out of your hands.;-)
In my home town in southern Missouri, barns and sheds were built of oak. Around Kansas, we have old barns that were built of walnut and cottonwood. Locally sourced lumber wasn't a choice, it was the only option. If you needed a barn, and you had walnut trees, you'll build a walnut barn. Once in a while, a client will bring me timbers that had been salvaged from an old structure and it often walnut. Early on in my milling career, a client brought some old walnut timbers that had been salvaged from a 150 year old mule barn in Missouri. Those trees appeared to have been at least 100 years old when the trees were cut down to mill the barn. That was some old, tight-grained, walnut - now living on as an entry door for his son's home in Chicago.
The three biggest tree populations in our area were Oak, Walnut, and Poplar. So as you said, they used what was available. There were smaller populations of Hickory, Chestnut, and Cherry. Those got used if that is what was close at hand.
Look at all that amazing walnut, I'm a guitar builder in California and use that stuff a lot on my builds it's great stuff. You really know what you are doing there I would love to purchase some crotch walnut.
Every log I open is a new experience. Sure, sometimes my plans don't work out as well as expected - I'll get some nice lumber, just not the spectacular grain I was shooting for. But when you hit it just right, it can exceed expectations. I have about a dozen clients who have started out with the wood we milled and have built part-time or retirement business making wood products or custom furniture. It is very rewarding.
I have tried using a drywall knife but, for me, a brush (air is only when there are several of us working) does a more effective job of cleaning the surface. I'm not someone who splashes water on wood to highlight the grain.
@@tomthesawyervids Hey, 6 dozen one way, 72 the other, right? Lotta ways to skin a cat. Oh i frequently splash water when clients come around. People often do not have good imaginations... LoL... (although most woodworkers do!) I do this a lot too and I very much enjoyed watching your video because you know what the fuck you are doing! No brag, just the beef! :) It was a pleasure! And I learned things. Thanks! (oh, and I LOVE the play on Tom Sawyer! Very clever!!!)
Very good my man! I bet it will make beautiful table's. I've seen guys screw up some beautiful logs cause they didn't Know what they where doing, but you guys do! Very nice job my friend's!
out of all those combinations i prefered the I-J the best .... and i know they werent from the 3 hearts ... still the prettiest to me ... but loved watching as you cut her open and looked inside !!
If I get the logs soon after they are cut down, I seal the ends with log end sealer. If they are aged, I don't usually trim the ends, leaving that up to the buyer of the planks. Most square the ends off but if their project (table?) needs to be a certain length, they can choose which end to shorten.
Thanks, Kingcha. I am retired and, fortunately, I don't have to work but I enjoy milling so much that I'll keep doing it until it is longer fun, or until I can't physically do it. Most of my clients have never had a log milled and teaching them about the milling process, and seeing the looks on their faces when they see what we get, is very rewarding.
It is just the nature of trees that crotches are usually at the end of a log. When I get a log that has had a crotch in the middle of the log, I try to orient the log so that the figure is optimized. Of course, there is a limit to how wide any mill can cut and I have to mill logs considering the capacities of my particular mill. It is not unusual for me to refer clients to other sawyers if what they want from their log could not be done on my mill. Since my cuts are limited to 24" wide, book matching means that I can generate material for a 2 piece table top up to 48" wide... plus I really like symmetry.
I like to leave little dents on the fender of my car, Tom. Gives it a little more character. The uneven throttle we hear is the butterfly shaft in the carb; it is worn and causes uneven air flow. Would it be quicker in leveling the log to tape a level to the long steel rule and eye ball the cut rather than use a measure rule?
I’ve got 80 acres in south east Minnesota and have several hundred mature black walnut trees, they are in patches throughout the property , I’ve been tagging them ... I am seeing the wisdom of cutting them myself and buying my own mill
There are several learning curves to deal with; safely and efficiently harvesting your trees, milling and drying your lumber. You might choose one to start with, and get help with the other. You could harvest trees that are already down, or are less desirable, and then hire a portable mill to convert them in to lumber. When you feel comfortable with, or have the equipment to harvest, and the experience of being there while milling, stacking, drying, you'll be in a better position to determine which type of mill would be most suitable for your situation, equipment, etc.
at the end, when booking them, I see why you took the second cut -- they match better (and you needed to get the width smaller for the figure cuts). After rolling it over, the wedge shaped piece (3rd cut) off the smaller branch could have been larger (an inch maybe) -- I suggest this because a turner would love to work with that piece -- I trust you gave it away, rather than firewood -- or use it for a barn-door stopper, 7o7 (Lots of Love).
Unfortunately, by the time lumber is stacked, dried, and then used for a project, they forget to send photos (or they are shy). I did get a photo from the guy who bought the first pair of BM planks from this video. He bought then shortly after they were milled and took them to a kiln. He did send a couple of photos of the table he built. facebook.com/TomTheSawyerPortableSawmill/photos/a.399340950130524/1217608704970407/?type=3&theater
Thanks for the reply.... if I lived near you and wanted to drop by and buy a set of those bookmatched slabs how much would it cost pls...... just curious... I live in The Philippines and like to tinker with a bit of woodworking...
Thanks again. It is much beautiful than that amount I’d think... I watched a video before of a man making a giant bookmatched slab black walnut table... the leg frame work looked somewhat like a train trussed bridge. I asked how much he might sell it for if it were for sale... he said $25000...! I thought to buy a set of slabs from a sawyer might cost a few thousand at least... anyway, thanks again for replying! Have a blessed day!
I have been woodworking for over 40 years. I love figured woods, and have a bit of figured Walnut, plus lots of figured Maple. I'm sorry if I sound negative, but my problem now, is that there are actually too many people cutting slabs around here, and dimensional lumber is getting ridiculously expensive. Personally, I would like to see some of these owners of small portable mills invest in some equipment to turn these slabs into lumber. So many slabs are available in this area, and there are so many portable mills, that the local market is flooded with slabs. There are only so many guys wanting to build tables and bar tops. For more refined projects, I need lumber, not slabs. I don't care to pay extra for the "live edge" which from my point of view, is firewood for my shop stove.
Jim, I don't consider your comment to be negative, I am sympathetic to some of your concerns. I got the woodworking bug in Jr. High Wood shop, in 1964 (54 years ago), so I have also seen changes. Your comments referred to "around here' but didn't say where that was. I am in NE Kansas, we are in a hardwood forest area. Common dimension lumber species, like hemlock, pine, spruce, fir, etc. are not native to this area. In my area, small sawmills need to find a niche that works with their available log species, and local demand. Some are cranking out RR ties, pallet or flooring lumber but many of those went out of business during the recession. There is no advantage in competing head-to-head with Menards, Home Depot, and Lowes. I can't buy logs, mill and kiln dry 2x4s for $2.96!! I custom mill and, when I started, the primary request was for grade sawing, normally in sizes not commonly found at hardwood dealers. I follow client requests, if they want wide widths & live edges, I do what I can to meet those specifications. We also deal with urban lumber which normally will yield character lumber, not commodity lumber. Properly dried, competitively priced slabs do well here, as does figured, character lumber. I have not heard of any shortage of dimensional lumber in my area.
By "around here", I mean in Central Oregon. I envy your forests. One time, about 30 years ago, I traveled across the country, and when I saw the hardwood forests in the eastern half of the US, I was just floored by all the gorgeous hardwoods available. Here, Pine is the most common wood cut, with Western Red Cedar getting harder to come by, so more and more expensive. It even shocks me how much we are paying for Douglas Fir here now. Some western Maple is gorgeous, and I have a lot of figured Maple, but it's softer than the eastern stuff. I don't know where all the local small mills are getting all their Walnut, but there are a lot of slabs available here. Actually, I shouldn't complain about what the small mills are doing here, since I probably have more wood stashed than I can possibly work in this lifetime. But if I see a good deal on figured hardwood lumber, I buy it anyway. That just happens very seldom anymore. When I was young, I invested in a Sitka Spruce business, which took me to B.C., Canada for a couple years. So I have a great stash of Spruce as a result of that. I am finishing a large home now, and next year I will start building the one where we will finally retire. THEN, I finally get to PLAY at woodworking instead of working at it.
I’m a turner, the first thing we are concerned about is the pith, and getting it out of the piece we are turning. As I watched you mill that log, the pith would be running the length of the slabs cut from the middle. Doesn’t this lead to cracking as the wood dries.
gull1969, none of this material was destined for turners, had it been I would have milled it differently. Every log has a pith, in some cases a sawyer may eliminate or contain the pith (FOHC/HC timbers). You may have noticed that I leveled the log in order to contain the pith as much as possible within a single plank (difficult when you are working with a crotch). That plank will contain the pith, and also the most perfectly quartersawn grain, and often the most figured grain in the log. The pith will often crack, more commonly in thinner planks like 6/4 or less. If it cracks you can consider it a flaw and rip it out of the plank, leaving two narrower boards. Or, you can deal with it as a character facet, fixing it in place with a bow tie dutchmen, or filling with epoxy. Recently I have had clients who are looking for a plank specifically with the pith. In addition to the striking grain, they separate the plank along the irregular pith, spread it apart a few inches, and fill the void with epoxy to create a river table.
You've got a good set up to take away the back breaking part of milling, a forklift, turntable that operates on the mill to turn the log..saves your back & body in the long run.
Robert. An episode with cancer (surgery, chemo, radiation - 12 years ago) left me with less gross strength (even though I am a big guy) so, when I started looking for a mill, hydraulic functions were high on my list. The Timberking B20 had most of the hydraulic options covered. It is rated for 5000 pound logs so I had to find something that could move a log that size, and I bought the piggyback forklift. Not only does it load logs on the mill, it unloads trailers, moves scrap bundles, and makes it so easy to re-organize the log yard, move a stack to get the one I want, plus move pallets of milled lumber. I really miss it when I am on a mobile job and there is no equipment.
Man , sorry to hear that , glad your still milling my friend, also like the fact that your guys took of each cut piece, instead of leaving it there like a few millers i've seen on you tube...whic makes it hard for the blade to cut through without feathering & dulling the blade out eventually.
If you are going to cancer 'veteran', being 12 years cancer free is a desirable option. I seldom mill by myself but, if I do (or if the off-bearers are busy), I can mill additional boards without too much trouble. The main issue is time, moving the head takes about 2 seconds per inch (a little slower up, a little quicker down), so if an 8/4 plank is left on the cant, it will take an extra 8 seconds, with 2 - an extra 16 seconds, and so forth. When milling by myself, I'll usually mill 2 or 3 before pulling them -saves wear (rotations/flexing) on the blade.
Blade life is desired & less flexing as well, the cleaner the cut the smoother the look & each of your pieces look superb, i'm glad you can make a decent income out of milling ...keep living life to the fullest Tom.
Thanks for the very nice comments. The intent of most of my videos is to educate people about portable mills, and to inspire them to take on acquiring a log and having it milled into the best lumber it will yield. There are many benefits to milling you own lumber. Of course, it is significantly less expensive but, you can also find species that are not commonly sold in hardwood lumber stores, You also find grain patterns that would be a 'problem' for conventional sources. No, you can't order 100 boards just like it, these are natural and unique treasures. I don't produce commodity lumber, I craft character lumber. What industry sees as flaws, I consider facets. Furniture, not firewood; lumber, not landfill. It is a mindset, and meme, that uses American products, crafted by American craftspeople, for American homes.
tomthesawyervids as
Well said
Wonderful job love it MORE MORE
Charles Lawler j
tomthesawyervid
I want to add my thanks for the commentary. Knowing the rationale for the cuts add to the educational aspect of your videos. In 1975 and 1976, my late father took my brother Mike and I to a 100 year old Walnut orchard that was being converted to a business park. We harvested many logs the old fashion way. Lots of work with the 1 man and 2 man bucksaws. Thank You for reviving those memories. With Best Regards, Pat
Hopefully you still have something made from that walnut. I often mill sentimental logs. Maybe not the greatest lumber, but if a relative planted the tree, or it was from your childhood home, nothing else can match it.
I enjoy the video of sawmilling but really appreciate the discussion of the how and why you're cutting in the order you are. Very helpful and interesting. Thanks!
Someone is just waiting to get their hands on those great looking walnut slabs to make a nice table. Walnut has to be one of the greatest woods that God ever created. Kudos. Great video.
It is easy to see that you love your job and have respect for the wood you are working on. I do sculptures in wood and love the way it feels and smells and the wood tells you what it wants to be. You become part of the wood.
You really understand the wood you are working on and do an excellent job. Thank you.
Thanks for your compliments. Sawyers have different backgrounds; I wasn't a logger, or a commodity lumber producer ; my background was as a woodworker , working with urban wood. You learn to seek out the best you can get from every log. Milling 2x construction lumber wouldn't be near as rewarding.
When I saw that log on the forklift I thought, THAT'S GONNA BE A GREAT LOG. Your experience really shows, and we appreciate the educational aspect of this video. Well done!
I have watched videos where I couldn't figure out why something was done a certain way, and I have received questions like that from viewers. I try to explain what I am doing, hopefully it is more entertaining, or educational than listening to background music or the rumble of the sawmill engine.
It's the knowledge of how to cut the log that counts.
I'm a woodworker that makes custom rifle stocks, usually of wallnut.
At the end of the video, it was a treat to see the bookend planks, especially planks "G" and "H".
I rarely get to see such excellent milling.
Very nice!
Thumbs up!!!
Tom, thanks for the compliments. I don't have much experience milling for gun stocks, most of my clients intend to make furniture. The world's largest maker of gun stocks (American Walnut) is about an hour north of here. They process about 4 million bf of gun stock material each year.
Wow! 4 million board feet for gun stocks?
That has me beat by a mile.
It's fitting that you mentioned furniture,
Of course I can build furniture.
But I like guns, I can almost hear my Grandpa yelling at me saying-
"Why waste your work on something so small, no get over here and help me with this table"
I knew an older man in California that had to cut down 6 large walnut trees and he asked me if I wanted any!
I showed up the next day with 2 chainsaws and several steel wedges, axe's and a big broom to sweep away all the twigs and walnuts so we wouldn't trip on them.
He was kinda older, I didn't want him to be injured, so I asked him if he could " teach" me how to down a tree, so I did all the climbing.
Well, it took us 3 days work to do it.
I got to choose the best grain boards.
Over 500 bf rough cut on his mill and loaded on my old Ford flatbed with a small crane I usually used for engines.
It was like gold to me.
He insisted on me staying there in his home.
The old man and I were made friends because of those trees.
I did build him a 8'x4'x3"
Dining table with the select bookend grain. And 6 large chairs out of
"dark heart wood"
When his time was short he asked for me.
As he look out the front window he said-
" Thank you for helping me with the trees ( knocking on that table) now I can see my land"
"Your a good kid"
(35 at the time)
I'll never forget the
"Dark heart wood"
T.
@@Buzbikebklyn1 Of course, some of my clients are just interested in marketing their logs for a profit; but most of them have a personal story that goes with the lumber we create. So many of the logs I mill have a specific memory associated with them. I try to track where the logs i buy come from so that the craftsperson who ends up with that wood has a history to go with the project they are making. Not all of the logs I get are good candidates for lumber but I'll do what I can to get them the material for a project. It doesn't have to be 'furniture', even a small box crafted by someone you care about becomes a keepsake.
You are a true craftsmen, your knowledge, thought and expertise that went into milling this tree. I'll never look at a beautiful wood door or piece of furniture without thinking about this. Thank you.
You guys are true artists. I would have no idea how to process that gorgeous piece of timber.
This is the most expert, visually pleasing, wood sawing I have seen to date. Thank you.
Thanks. Most of the logs I get present a bit of a challenge. I'll always get boards but I try to get the best ones I can, depending on how the client is planning to use them.
That is a gorgeous piece if lumber,I've built many guitars and guitar tops using Walnut,I love it
Thank you for not wasting an ounce of that beautiful walnut.
What a incredible machine to have and to use. The book mached pieces look incredible....beautiful stuff.
Great video and very informative. What I would love to see next is the process to build and finish the table for which it was intended.
Very well done. Would like to mention the camera work was good. I liked the closeups of the grain.
Tom nice job maximizing the beauty of the grain patterns and explaining what you were doing Great and timely .. The captions were really helpful !
I appreciate the educational aspect of this video !
Thanks for your comments.
This is probably one of my favorite videos of all time.
Always a pleasure to work with Tom! From oak pilings out of the Missouri mud, to worm hole oak and Osage orange hedge from my back field!
Great video. Beautiful results. Not sure I'll be able to find a black walnut that big here in WA but I'm gonna try. Keep sawing, be safe. Bruce
I turn a lot of black walnut ( boxes, bowls, Christmas ornaments, etc.) and love it. It's gonna be beautiful no matter what you use it for!
Take care, Dave
some beautiful walnut slabs . excellent work
Great video beautiful wood love watching saw milling . Watch several every week your good at explaining whats going on .
I appreciate the compliment, Willie Ray. I enjoy watching sawmilling videos and I do it almost every day.
First time watching one of your videos and I really like the annotations where you explain why you are cutting the way you do. Very helpful for understanding the process. Thanks!
Hi Tom,
I purchased the Timber King 1600 about 3 years ago and it sure makes milling so much easier.
Beautiful black walnut. Thanks for sharing
In case you read this, how much did it cost you and is there any real savings to be had over the long run if you buy it used (mildly used & treated with TLC)? I'd appreciate knowing and ballpark figures from sonmeone who knows is just fine. Thanks.
Thoroughly enjoyed the video with the explanation as to what each cut was designed to achieve. Beautiful log to mill. Thank you.
WOW that book match is art and u sir are an artist. Anyone can run a mill but the placement is the wisdom. I've always said burning walnut is a sin. thank you for your time.
I live I central Mn...about as far north as you’ll ever see black walnut....I know where there are huge acreage of super nice black walnut trees.... too bad I don’t own any of that land... but I did help cut 6 miles of snowmobile trails thru it.. we marked all the black walnut trees as to not cut any of them... one can dream though
I seldom mill logs from trees that were taken down for their timber value. Most of what I mill were taken down due to disease, construction, storm damage, or landscape hazards. Large standing walnuts, and other species, can be impressive in the forest but, like us, they all reach their peak of maturity and decline quickly afterwards. Even if you were only able to obtain a storm blow down from that woodland, it would have a lot of sentimental value to you.
Beautiful log nice job love your mill setup
Great video Nice wood grain and the book match was awesome. less talk is always better , Have a good one RC
Wow those book matched are beyond words. Great Job
Very nicely done! Good job maximizing best figure. I counted 4 pairs of book-matched 8/4 slabs. Sure made for some beautifully grained material!
Wood is the most amazing product of nature, There is nothing better than milling your own wood and building something people can enjoy for many years, it's the real American way. Thank god there are people keeping the wood working industry alive.
Thanks for commenting. I bought the mill hoping to be able to supply my woodworking needs after I had retired. Once the word got out, business kept coming in, growing rapidly each year. I don't have much time for woodworking but I really like what I can do to salvage the wood, and help out other woodworkers.
Great video, thanks to you and your team, beautiful wood and work .
A great job of cutting. Beautiful piece's of matching boards. Will make some wonderful furniture for someone.
Tommy, thanks. All of the pairs have been sold, hopefully they'll send me photos of the finished projects.
Those 8/4 boards will yield some beautiful book matched 4/4 boards when resawed after a period of resting. Enjoyed the video, very entertaining and educational.
Excellent video -- well done!
That is quite a whiz-bang saw with all the hydraulic controls flippng that log about!
Hydraulics make the process safer, and much quicker.
The explanatory comments were really helpful. Thanks for including them.
Wow ! Extraordinarily beautiful . Well done, well done.
Very talented. There's art in every aspect of life. Thanks for sharing!
Beautiful wood, going to make some lovely furniture I hope! Nice job.
Those sure are some beautiful boards, we are growing Black walnut, Black Cherry, Sweet Cherry, White and Red Oak, and English Walnut trees for the future.
Thanks for planting your trees. It isn't something we do for ourselves, it is for future generations.
beautiful work mate, i can see the years of experience in your easy movements...
Thank you Greg.
I have 2 black walnut trees, and thanks to you, I now know what I want from them. It is 2019, and I enjoyed your video
Absolutely beautiful! Great job guys!
awesome work..experience and old age..a good combination.. i work for a guitar builder in vienna austria..dont know if i could have done a better bookmatch myself..
Fantastic sawyering! The detailed explanations were excellent, and greatly appreciated. I learned a lot!
Awesome job! Always love to see videos like this! Would love to have my own sawmill, but there's no room! Keep up the good work!
Great video and awesome skillset.
EXCELLENT! I learned a lot and thoroughly enjoyed your video, Tom.
Tom nice job maximizing the beauty of the grain patterns and explaining what you were doing. The captions were really helpful. The only thing that could have shortened the video length was to increase the play speed of the actual cut. Thank you. Bill
Bill Risma ‘’0
Bill Risma w
Love the ticker tape explanations/ Very interesting. Thanks for posting.
You are Truly an Artist!!
Very nice 👌
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and letting us see the end product it’s beautiful.
God bless! 💯🙏🏻👍🏼😊
That is some spectacular milling,
beautiful stack of of
well matched slabs.
Thank you for making this video.
Those are beautiful man. You are indeed an artist with that saw!
The book matched pair is gorgeous...
Back about 10 years ago, our neighbor did some tree thinning for us on our Ohio farm. It had been 60 years since it was last done. Many, many Oaks. And a large number of Black Walnuts. Nothing under 2' in diameter 2' above ground level was allowed to be cut. When the lumber company ( hardwood furniture use ) came, they paid the second highest ever per board foot in Ohio. But it did not go directly to the mill. Instead it went on display in a neighboring county at a technical college and at the National Forest office. In Ohio, Black Walnut was used for just about anything in buildings. Even our neighbor's chicken coop had an 8X8" 16' Black Walnut ridge beam. It grows like weeds in the bottom lands. And they are good eating too. But try getting the stain out of your hands.;-)
In my home town in southern Missouri, barns and sheds were built of oak. Around Kansas, we have old barns that were built of walnut and cottonwood. Locally sourced lumber wasn't a choice, it was the only option. If you needed a barn, and you had walnut trees, you'll build a walnut barn. Once in a while, a client will bring me timbers that had been salvaged from an old structure and it often walnut. Early on in my milling career, a client brought some old walnut timbers that had been salvaged from a 150 year old mule barn in Missouri. Those trees appeared to have been at least 100 years old when the trees were cut down to mill the barn. That was some old, tight-grained, walnut - now living on as an entry door for his son's home in Chicago.
The three biggest tree populations in our area were Oak, Walnut, and Poplar. So as you said, they used what was available. There were smaller populations of Hickory, Chestnut, and Cherry. Those got used if that is what was close at hand.
Beautiful ......I had some suggestions to make this a better video but I’ll keep them to my self . Wonderful video. Great job
Well, I am a sawyer, not a film maker but always open to suggestions. Send to TomTheSawyer@gmail.com
Look at all that amazing walnut, I'm a guitar builder in California and use that stuff a lot on my builds it's great stuff. You really know what you are doing there I would love to purchase some crotch walnut.
Every log I open is a new experience. Sure, sometimes my plans don't work out as well as expected - I'll get some nice lumber, just not the spectacular grain I was shooting for. But when you hit it just right, it can exceed expectations. I have about a dozen clients who have started out with the wood we milled and have built part-time or retirement business making wood products or custom furniture. It is very rewarding.
Have you ever used sassafrass Inn a guitar
Great video,didnt know George Kennedy was a woodwork expert and film star!
Great job! Nice Walnut! I use a large sheet-rock knife to scrape off the sawdust as I go. Less equipment needed and faster than air... :)
I have tried using a drywall knife but, for me, a brush (air is only when there are several of us working) does a more effective job of cleaning the surface. I'm not someone who splashes water on wood to highlight the grain.
@@tomthesawyervids Hey, 6 dozen one way, 72 the other, right? Lotta ways to skin a cat. Oh i frequently splash water when clients come around. People often do not have good imaginations... LoL... (although most woodworkers do!) I do this a lot too and I very much enjoyed watching your video because you know what the fuck you are doing! No brag, just the beef! :) It was a pleasure! And I learned things. Thanks! (oh, and I LOVE the play on Tom Sawyer! Very clever!!!)
YOU HAVE A GREAT FEEL FOR WHAT YOU DO AND MAKE FINE USE OF THE WOOD. THANKS FOR SHARING.
(NOT "SHOUTING" GOING BLIND)
Very good my man! I bet it will make beautiful table's. I've seen guys screw up some beautiful logs cause they didn't Know what they where doing, but you guys do! Very nice job my friend's!
Fascinating,beautiful and educational. Thank you!
my dad's dad loved to work with black walnut and he did great work with it
Walnut is a very nice wood for making cabinets, furniture and all types of projects.
Thanks for taking the time to do this video, I love the lumber from locally sourced wood.
Take care
Rob
out of all those combinations i prefered the I-J the best .... and i know they werent from the 3 hearts ... still the prettiest to me ... but loved watching as you cut her open and looked inside !!
Absolutely excellent
Thanks for the explanations
Love watching milling
Talk about a money making business right there. Those slabs go for high dollar. Great work, and great job on the vid, very informative!
Thanks, yes they sold out.
Wow, that grain is beautiful!
I didn't see any lube on the blade during the bark cuts.
You did really good tommy!
Man that is gorgeous wood work
As a musician and "knowledge nerd", this has been fascinating.
very pretty wood now do you trim up the rough ends or is that done depending on what size width very interesting thanks
If I get the logs soon after they are cut down, I seal the ends with log end sealer. If they are aged, I don't usually trim the ends, leaving that up to the buyer of the planks. Most square the ends off but if their project (table?) needs to be a certain length, they can choose which end to shorten.
It was fun watching you work Tom. Kingcha
Thanks, Kingcha. I am retired and, fortunately, I don't have to work but I enjoy milling so much that I'll keep doing it until it is longer fun, or until I can't physically do it. Most of my clients have never had a log milled and teaching them about the milling process, and seeing the looks on their faces when they see what we get, is very rewarding.
BEAUTYFUL what the Lord has grown. thnks for sharing. the Magoo's in Milo, Maine
Hey, I like your log-roller mechanism. You don't see that on other milling videos.
Really nice job taking advantage of the characteristics of that log.
Beautiful cuts of lumber
Gorgeous slabs great job
Ok now i see why you cut a straight edge on one side.
Bookmatched pieces look awesome
It is just the nature of trees that crotches are usually at the end of a log. When I get a log that has had a crotch in the middle of the log, I try to orient the log so that the figure is optimized. Of course, there is a limit to how wide any mill can cut and I have to mill logs considering the capacities of my particular mill. It is not unusual for me to refer clients to other sawyers if what they want from their log could not be done on my mill. Since my cuts are limited to 24" wide, book matching means that I can generate material for a 2 piece table top up to 48" wide... plus I really like symmetry.
I like to leave little dents on the fender of my car, Tom. Gives it a little more character. The uneven throttle we hear is the butterfly shaft in the carb; it is worn and causes uneven air flow. Would it be
quicker in leveling the log to tape a level to the long steel rule and eye ball the cut rather than use a measure rule?
Very nice lumber , will be beautiful if make it dining tabletop I think .
Very very nice, great job.
I love black walnut - that is a great table ready to be assembled!
Thanks John, I know that this one log made at least 3 tables.
I’ve got 80 acres in south east Minnesota and have several hundred mature black walnut trees, they are in patches throughout the property , I’ve been tagging them ... I am seeing the wisdom of cutting them myself and buying my own mill
There are several learning curves to deal with; safely and efficiently harvesting your trees, milling and drying your lumber. You might choose one to start with, and get help with the other. You could harvest trees that are already down, or are less desirable, and then hire a portable mill to convert them in to lumber. When you feel comfortable with, or have the equipment to harvest, and the experience of being there while milling, stacking, drying, you'll be in a better position to determine which type of mill would be most suitable for your situation, equipment, etc.
Beautiful hardwood, great job! 👍
at the end, when booking them, I see why you took the second cut -- they match better (and you needed to get the width smaller for the figure cuts). After rolling it over, the wedge shaped piece (3rd cut) off the smaller branch could have been larger (an inch maybe) -- I suggest this because a turner would love to work with that piece -- I trust you gave it away, rather than firewood -- or use it for a barn-door stopper, 7o7 (Lots of Love).
Those are very beautiful slabs. Any chance of seeing a finished product, that someone used two of your book matched slabs and made a table...? Thanks!
Unfortunately, by the time lumber is stacked, dried, and then used for a project, they forget to send photos (or they are shy). I did get a photo from the guy who bought the first pair of BM planks from this video. He bought then shortly after they were milled and took them to a kiln. He did send a couple of photos of the table he built. facebook.com/TomTheSawyerPortableSawmill/photos/a.399340950130524/1217608704970407/?type=3&theater
Thanks for the reply.... if I lived near you and wanted to drop by and buy a set of those bookmatched slabs how much would it cost pls...... just curious... I live in The Philippines and like to tinker with a bit of woodworking...
@@bobcriss600 Depends somewhat on board footage and figure but I generally average $300 for one pair, green, and go up as they get drier.
Thanks again. It is much beautiful than that amount I’d think... I watched a video before of a man making a giant bookmatched slab black walnut table... the leg frame work looked somewhat like a train trussed bridge. I asked how much he might sell it for if it were for sale... he said $25000...! I thought to buy a set of slabs from a sawyer might cost a few thousand at least... anyway, thanks again for replying! Have a blessed day!
Good choice of timber. It will make some beautiful wood.
Thought you wanted a live edge board. The mill i go to says live edge is bark on both sides for counter and bar tops
I have been woodworking for over 40 years. I love figured woods, and have a bit of figured Walnut, plus lots of figured Maple. I'm sorry if I sound negative, but my problem now, is that there are actually too many people cutting slabs around here, and dimensional lumber is getting ridiculously expensive. Personally, I would like to see some of these owners of small portable mills invest in some equipment to turn these slabs into lumber. So many slabs are available in this area, and there are so many portable mills, that the local market is flooded with slabs. There are only so many guys wanting to build tables and bar tops. For more refined projects, I need lumber, not slabs. I don't care to pay extra for the "live edge" which from my point of view, is firewood for my shop stove.
Jim, I don't consider your comment to be negative, I am sympathetic to some of your concerns. I got the woodworking bug in Jr. High Wood shop, in 1964 (54 years ago), so I have also seen changes. Your comments referred to "around here' but didn't say where that was. I am in NE Kansas, we are in a hardwood forest area. Common dimension lumber species, like hemlock, pine, spruce, fir, etc. are not native to this area.
In my area, small sawmills need to find a niche that works with their available log species, and local demand. Some are cranking out RR ties, pallet or flooring lumber but many of those went out of business during the recession. There is no advantage in competing head-to-head with Menards, Home Depot, and Lowes. I can't buy logs, mill and kiln dry 2x4s for $2.96!!
I custom mill and, when I started, the primary request was for grade sawing, normally in sizes not commonly found at hardwood dealers. I follow client requests, if they want wide widths & live edges, I do what I can to meet those specifications. We also deal with urban lumber which normally will yield character lumber, not commodity lumber. Properly dried, competitively priced slabs do well here, as does figured, character lumber. I have not heard of any shortage of dimensional lumber in my area.
By "around here", I mean in Central Oregon. I envy your forests. One time, about 30 years ago, I traveled across the country, and when I saw the hardwood forests in the eastern half of the US, I was just floored by all the gorgeous hardwoods available.
Here, Pine is the most common wood cut, with Western Red Cedar getting harder to come by, so more and more expensive. It even shocks me how much we are paying for Douglas Fir here now. Some western Maple is gorgeous, and I have a lot of figured Maple, but it's softer than the eastern stuff. I don't know where all the local small mills are getting all their Walnut, but there are a lot of slabs available here.
Actually, I shouldn't complain about what the small mills are doing here, since I probably have more wood stashed than I can possibly work in this lifetime. But if I see a good deal on figured hardwood lumber, I buy it anyway. That just happens very seldom anymore.
When I was young, I invested in a Sitka Spruce business, which took me to B.C., Canada for a couple years. So I have a great stash of Spruce as a result of that. I am finishing a large home now, and next year I will start building the one where we will finally retire. THEN, I finally get to PLAY at woodworking instead of working at it.
Martin could make some Beautiful guitars with that wood.
Fantastically beautiful 😃
Absolutely fantastic Tom👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
That’s just beautiful,, wonderful skills 👍👍
Great video, very well explained. Thank you for making and sharing this
G and H looked great !
I’m a turner, the first thing we are concerned about is the pith, and getting it out of the piece we are turning. As I watched you mill that log, the pith would be running the length of the slabs cut from the middle. Doesn’t this lead to cracking as the wood dries.
gull1969, none of this material was destined for turners, had it been I would have milled it differently. Every log has a pith, in some cases a sawyer may eliminate or contain the pith (FOHC/HC timbers). You may have noticed that I leveled the log in order to contain the pith as much as possible within a single plank (difficult when you are working with a crotch). That plank will contain the pith, and also the most perfectly quartersawn grain, and often the most figured grain in the log. The pith will often crack, more commonly in thinner planks like 6/4 or less. If it cracks you can consider it a flaw and rip it out of the plank, leaving two narrower boards. Or, you can deal with it as a character facet, fixing it in place with a bow tie dutchmen, or filling with epoxy. Recently I have had clients who are looking for a plank specifically with the pith. In addition to the striking grain, they separate the plank along the irregular pith, spread it apart a few inches, and fill the void with epoxy to create a river table.
You've got a good set up to take away the back breaking part of milling, a forklift, turntable that operates on the mill to turn the log..saves your back & body in the long run.
Robert. An episode with cancer (surgery, chemo, radiation - 12 years ago) left me with less gross strength (even though I am a big guy) so, when I started looking for a mill, hydraulic functions were high on my list. The Timberking B20 had most of the hydraulic options covered. It is rated for 5000 pound logs so I had to find something that could move a log that size, and I bought the piggyback forklift. Not only does it load logs on the mill, it unloads trailers, moves scrap bundles, and makes it so easy to re-organize the log yard, move a stack to get the one I want, plus move pallets of milled lumber. I really miss it when I am on a mobile job and there is no equipment.
Man , sorry to hear that , glad your still milling my friend, also like the fact that your guys took of each cut piece, instead of leaving it there like a few millers i've seen on you tube...whic makes it hard for the blade to cut through without feathering & dulling the blade out eventually.
If you are going to cancer 'veteran', being 12 years cancer free is a desirable option. I seldom mill by myself but, if I do (or if the off-bearers are busy), I can mill additional boards without too much trouble. The main issue is time, moving the head takes about 2 seconds per inch (a little slower up, a little quicker down), so if an 8/4 plank is left on the cant, it will take an extra 8 seconds, with 2 - an extra 16 seconds, and so forth. When milling by myself, I'll usually mill 2 or 3 before pulling them -saves wear (rotations/flexing) on the blade.
Blade life is desired & less flexing as well, the cleaner the cut the smoother the look & each of your pieces look superb, i'm glad you can make a decent income out of milling ...keep living life to the fullest Tom.