# Anyone milling ?



## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

Too darn cold here :thumbdown:, single digits in the morning the rest of the week..*.-*4 Thursday they say. That has been backed with strong winds that cut right through you. Plus we have been having ice/freezing rain the days it does warm up some. I have not milled a stick so far in Jan. In past winters (every one since I have had my mill) we have had mild times, freakishly warm weather for the season. 3-4 days, even a week of 50 degrees all winter scattered between the usual cold and misery of Illinois from Nov.-March. 

I found this picture that made me think about it. It is dated Jan. 11, we had a warm spell a couple years ago so long that the grass greened up and dandelions popped...not this year :no:.

I am going stir crazy. I remember that Jan. 11th, I was sawmilling. It's already been a *long* winter for me, it set in and has stayed. The next couple months are going to really drag by if we don't get some decent weather.


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## Big Dave (Sep 16, 2006)

You need to move your operation indoors.


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## JP Sinclair (Nov 13, 2006)

I started to on Saturday but it was pretty cold so I moved into the shop with the planer. Man, I love a heated shop. From all those years logging and having my butt frozen to a skidder seat for 8 hours a day, putting wood through a planer in just a sweatshirt is pretty nice 

I just tried some of the WM 7 degree winter blades for frozen wood, pretty impressive. I was into a 22 inch frozen spalted rock maple and they cut very nice.


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

I ain't milling but not for the cold. Saturday morning I met my farmer friend and he showed up with his little gin pole truck. Said the loader was busy but the gin poles would do it. They did, but barely . . . . 









Haven't had time to remove the starter to check it but fixin to. Gonna get cold 2nite. 

But we don't have any room to complain about cold. When I checked orders this a.m. one jumped out at me so I Googled it. When you feel cold fellas, just think of this guy woodworking in his little igloo. Zoom out to get a good idea of where he is.


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## mdlbldrmatt135 (Dec 6, 2006)

TexasTimbers said:


> But we don't have any room to complain about cold. When I checked orders this a.m. one jumped out at me so I Googled it. When you feel cold fellas, just think of this guy woodworking in his little igloo. Zoom out to get a good idea of where he is.


That makes Thursday's forcast look HOT (they're calling for a high of 6)


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## tswoodshop (Jan 7, 2009)

It's cold here in PA, but nothing like you have there apparently, was down in the teens at night but supposed to get up into 30s tomorrow, then get colder again for rest of week, but definately good milling weather. I cut an 18" dia 18ft long walnut into two sevens and a 4ft crotch piece, and milled the sevens into square cants with the csm on Sat. Plan on sawing them into 6/4 boards this next weekend with the Ripsaw bandmill, and then open up that crotch piece and see whats there also. Crotch pieces are always a crapshoot... often bark inclusion, sometimes just not much figure, sometimes you hit paydirt. Then you have to dry them more carefully also, not to fast. I'll post a few pics when I do. Here is an example of paydirt... lucked upon this last summer from a guy that had a huge walnut blow over in his yard, about as good as it gets.


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

tswoodshop said:


> sometimes you hit paydirt.


:yes:, nice piece of lumber,of course I had to doctor the photo...You got it's book match too right ?


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## slatron25 (Dec 18, 2007)

TexasTimbers said:


> When you feel cold fellas, just think of this guy woodworking in his little igloo. Zoom out to get a good idea of where he is.


There's no street view. :laughing:


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## Kirk Allen (Nov 7, 2006)

Daren you must be on the line of the front. We hit 34 here today and havent had any rain or freezing rain all week. Slight breeze but nothing to stop us from milling. I have some new blade guides on that WM sent me to test. So far so good! Might get things slowed way down Thursday with the cold snap. Friday through Sunday are definatly down days but not from the cold. Its the last three days of deer season!

Calling for a high of 25 tomarrow and 30 on Wednsday. Thursday is going to be the killer with a high of 9 and low of -2.


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

Kirk Allen said:


> Daren you must be on the line of the front. We hit 34 here today and havent had any rain or freezing rain all week.


16 and blowing light snow right now, not very nice out :no:.


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

Maybe you can throw some overalls on, and then throw a chunk of funky wood on the lathe. :turned:


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

TexasTimbers said:


> Maybe you can throw some overalls on, and then throw a chunk of funky wood on the lathe. :turned:


I have inside stuff to do (still working on taxes for one :thumbdown Changed out my old hot water heater this morning...house stuff, some long overdue, now I am going to change the kitchen faucet.

I do have a funky chunk of wood I am looking at real hard. Messed up little dude, flamed box elder with curl and burls, a little spalt and bark inclusion, quite a piece...way too good for the lathe and end up in a pile of shavings on my floor. Normally I just grab a piece of wood and start hacking. I have to stew on this one. I want to make a bandsaw box with 2 smaller boxes inside :icon_smile:. I have never even made a bandsaw box, I thought this piece would make a pretty one.

I actually had to bring this little piece of wood in the house. I get alot of foot traffic in my shop/sawmill shed since I am "open to the public"...I can't count the number of guys I have looked and they are carrying this with them :laughing:. They just pick it up, look at it and walk around trying to figure it out...I was afraid it would end up "walking off" so it sits on my desk.


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

I wasn't thinking of any one particular piece but yeah, that's a better idea of what to do with that chunk. 

"Nesting" Bandsaw Boxes. I never thought of that. :thumbsup:


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

I was thinking something like this crude sketch. Open the lid and have 2 smaller boxes side by side. (or just slap varnish on it and leave it whole :laughing


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

Don't worry if you screw it up I have a few more. :icon_cheesygrin: And without the denim unless you like it. Some do some don't. 

Hey do an image Google on bandsaw boxes sometime to see some far out stuff. Awww what the heck just click *here*.


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## JP Sinclair (Nov 13, 2006)

Yo Daren, that be funky stock!!!!. Show that project when it's done.


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

JP Sinclair said:


> Yo Daren, that be funky stock!!!!. .


I got it from Kevin (TexasTimbers for everyone else) Really the pictures I took don't show just how funky it is, you'd about have to hold it. He told me stuff like this just grows on trees as they say in his neck of the woods :confused1:


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## tswoodshop (Jan 7, 2009)

Very interesting piece Daren... you never gave any dimensions, how thick is that thing? It looks like it came from the outside of the log at or near a burl. Lots going on in that piece. I agree, a nested box type project would be a way to show off lots of that busy figure and swirling grain. Have you thought of the box within a box within a box thing? ...like those russian nested dolls? Would be harder to make, but you would have many different size sides to cut out, so you might be able to use some smaller pieces, thus less waste from that slab. Would be a one of a kind deal for sure.


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

tswoodshop said:


> Very interesting piece Daren... you never gave any dimensions, how thick is that thing?


9 1/2" x 9 1/2" x 2 1/2"


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

tswoodshop said:


> . . .I agree, a nested box type project would be a way . . . Have you thought of the box within a box within a box thing?


Aren't they one and the same? :detective:


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## tswoodshop (Jan 7, 2009)

TexasTimbers said:


> Aren't they one and the same? :detective:


...well yes except I was thinking more of the nested boxes, where you have a smaller box sitting in a larger one, and then a smaller one within that... and yet a smaller one within that... like the nested Russian dolls. Here is an explanation for those that don't know what I'm talking about. But it would be small boxes in stead of the dolls that would fit within each other. 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matryoshka_doll


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

In the context used here, nested is nested no matter the shape or item. One within another within another. 

I never heard of nested nests though. Wonder if there is a bird that builds a nest within a nest. :w00t:


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