A new client of mine was telling me about her son-in-law who has been
in the process of rebuilding an old sawmill, not far from where my
parents used to live. I had noticed the activity there, with the log
buildings being worked on and workers all over the place.
As pure coincidence would have it, I ran into one of the partners on
this project when I was buying myself a new SAK (Swiss Army Knife...he
was all out of Swiss Navy Knives).
He told me that they have well over 50,000 BF of miscellaneous wooden
beams from old barns and salvaged 200-year old maple and other logs
from the depths of Georgian Bay.
They will be using modern technology in terms of drying the lumber and
fancy metal detectors before sawing the stuff "with substantial, new
equipment"
Some of the stuff will be cut into veneers.
This is right in my area, and I am chomping at the bit to get my nose
in there.

Solid surface fabrication is doing well for me... but wood is in my
blood.
I even had a dream that I bought some exotic hand plane which produced
a curl that floated to the ceiling.

I need help!

r

On Apr 29, 9:21 am, Robatoy wrote:

SNIP

Solid surface fabrication is doing well for me... but wood is in my
blood.
I even had a dream that I bought some exotic hand plane which produced
a curl that floated to the ceiling.

I need help!

r

Sigh. I have similar dreams. I am sick of remodeling and repair. If
I had something else on the table that would pay the various expenses
one seems to incur by osmosis, I would seriously consider shutting
down the company, or reducing it to "intersting projects only".

If I had a sawmill open up anywhere near to me... just within 50
miles, I would probably be thinking waaay too much about what I could
be doing instead of what I should be doing. I spend too much time
thinking about a roomy furniture/cabinet shop at the edge of some
small town around here.

But before that when I was at the Texas Furniture Maker's Guild
contest, I saw a lot of really good work. Some of it was OK, some of
it just wasn't my taste (but the workmanship was great), and some was
clever and inventive. But the guys that placed, WOW. A couple of the
pieces would challenge anyone. It was inspiring to me, but also
pointed out new wood working skill sets I haven't even touched.
Skills that could take years to master. Sounds good to me.

I often wonder why I never took up fishing or something along those
lines. At least you could blame poor performance on bad luck,
weather, equipment failure, etc. Kinda hard to do with woodwork. Yet
I think for some of us woodworkers/carpenters, like your dream of a
long wispy curl from a well tuned plane, it is the climb as much as
the summit.

But a woodmill? I have a friend of mine that made a trip up to Ohio
last year and went to veneering mill near a town he was visiting. He
wanted to get me some bowl blanks for the lathe, so he stopped in to
see how much they wanted for them. They had ends that were deemed
unusable for veneers with some cracking, branches and knots. These
were piled high outside the main machinery. Price? Take all you
want, in the off season they can't give these stumps away fast
enough. In the fall, they give them away for firewood so they don't
have to haul them off.

What a haul I would make for the lathe and my woodturning club with a
nearby sawmill. I would have more new best friends than I could
count.

Robert

Sun, Apr 29, 2007, 1:47pm (EDT-3) whimpers:
snip If I had a sawmill open up anywhere near to me... just within 50
miles, snip

There are about 7 (seven) sawmlls within 10 miles of where I live.
THAT I KNOW OF. And that's only in ONE drecton. There's maybe 2-3 a
little further out; again, that I know of. I found all of them by just
driving by them, didn't hunt down a single one. No telling how many
there are within 50 miles, or how many of them I could find if I really
wanted to. You need to start taking some weekend drives, and asking
around. By the way, a number of those sawmills are within the city
limits of our county seat, and about 20-25 miles from Raleigh, the NC
capitol, so we're not exactly talking a low population area here.



JOAT
If you don't ask the right questions, the answers don't matter.
- W.S. Lind

"J T" wrote in message
Sun, Apr 29, 2007, 1:47pm (EDT-3) whimpers:
snip If I had a sawmill open up anywhere near to me... just within 50
miles, snip

There are about 7 (seven) sawmlls within 10 miles of where I live.
THAT I KNOW OF. And that's only in ONE drecton. There's maybe 2-3 a
little further out; again, that I know of. I found all of them by just
driving by them, didn't hunt down a single one. No telling how many
there are within 50 miles, or how many of them I could find if I really
wanted to. You need to start taking some weekend drives, and asking
around. By the way, a number of those sawmills are within the city
limits of our county seat, and about 20-25 miles from Raleigh, the NC
capitol, so we're not exactly talking a low population area here.

Yabbut ... in San Antone where Robert is, you can see any tree within 50
miles.

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 2/20/07
KarlC@ (the obvious)

Swingman wrote:

Yabbut ... in San Antone where Robert is, you can see any tree within 50
miles.

Many years ago, flew in a single engine plane from Dallas to San Angelo.

During the flight, if you looked in a northerly direction, you could
see miles and miles of miles and miles that contained an occasional
building.

If you looked in a southerly direction, you could see miles and miles
of miles and miles.

Trying to run over rattlesnakes and tarantulas on the highway at
6:00AM before things got too hot was something to relieve the boredom
while driving.

Lew

On Apr 29, 6:17 pm, Lew Hodgett wrote:

If you looked in a southerly direction, you could see miles and miles of miles and miles.

Trying to run over rattlesnakes and tarantulas on the highway at 6:00AM before things got too hot was something to relieve the boredom
while driving.

Lew

It hasn't changed a bit. Maybe a few less spiders, but the same
amount of snakes.

Robert

Sun, Apr 29, 2007, 5:52pm (EDT-2) (Swingman) doth sayeth:
Yabbut ... in San Antone where Robert is, you can see any tree within 50
miles.

Yeah, what they call trees we call brush.

I have heard there's places where a lot of messkeet grows, and
someims, by careful cutting, you can get boards as long as 3 feet out of
one.

I spent about 3 years at Ft Hood. That's not far from one of the
cultural centers of Texas. Ding Dong. Truth.



JOAT
If you don't ask the right questions, the answers don't matter.
- W.S. Lind

On Apr 29, 4:40 pm, (J T) wrote:
Sun, Apr 29, 2007, 1:47pm (EDT-3) whimpers:

Whimpers? Are you kidding me? Isn't it about time for your annual
"I'm leaving the group" farewell tour? A comment about a fact isn't a
whimper, bitch. You watch too much Oprah.

There are about 7 (seven) sawmlls within 10 miles of where I live.
THAT I KNOW OF. And that's only in ONE drecton.

Good reason for caps, no doubt. I am that you feel if someone of your
intelligence could find them, everyone should be able to.

There's maybe 2-3 a
little further out; again, that I know of. I found all of them by just driving by them, didn't hunt down a single one. No telling how many there are within 50 miles, or how many of them I could find if I really
wanted to.

Good for you! You live in a state with an abundance of hardwood.
Hurray! So much native hardwood they have sawmill signs out on the
highways.

So? Did I comment on NC? No, unlike you, I don't comment on things I
don't know anything about. I specifically mentioned my location, not
yours.

You need to start taking some weekend drives, and asking
around. By the way, a number of those sawmills are within the city limits of our county seat, and about 20-25 miles from Raleigh, the NC capitol, so we're not exactly talking a low population area here.

Looking at that statement, you must be assuming that more people means
more sawmills, or more wood to cut, or both.
Maybe even a connection to the proximity of sawmills and state
capitols.

Let me help you out. Raleigh, NC has a population of about 375,000
people (don't bother with Raleigh-Durham-Cary). San Antonio is right
at 1.3 million, not including the metropolitan area. Where is the
wood? I live in a county that covers over 400 square miles, and on
one edge it is about 75 miles from the capitol. Granted, that's more
than 20-25, but where are the sawmills?

It is arrogant and profoundly stupid of you to think I haven't looked
for a close sawmill of any sort. And it almost borders some kind of
retardation for you to think you know more about this area than I do.

JOAT
If you don't ask the right questions, the answers don't matter.
- W.S. Lind

Don't you have a plan to post?

Robert

wrote:


Let me help you out. Raleigh, NC has a population of about 375,000
people (don't bother with Raleigh-Durham-Cary). San Antonio is right
at 1.3 million, not including the metropolitan area. Where is the
wood? I live in a county that covers over 400 square miles, and on
one edge it is about 75 miles from the capitol. Granted, that's more
than 20-25, but where are the sawmills?

In the SFWIW category, Southern California has 8 counties, if you
include Santa Barbara, and a tad over 17,000,000 people.

One of those counties, San Bernardino, which is not the most populous
by any means, is larger than the state of Connecticut.

You want desert, there is plenty of it.

You want a sawmill, try 4-500 miles north.

Still California, just a tad north.

Lew

Sun, Apr 29, 2007, 11:17pm (EDT-3) doth exclaim:
A bunch of stuff I will respond to, but snipped .

OK, then substitute 'exclaimed his remorse', or some other words
rather than 'whimper'. It's not like a personal attack on you.

Bitch? People from Texas talk like that now? San Francisco yes,
but San Antonio? Sure didn't when I was there.
Who's Oprah?

I was trying to point out that sawmills can be found where you'd
never expect one. But you missed that. As I recall, there was even at
least one somewhere around the Ft Hood area when I was there in the mid
'70s, one of the last places I'd have expected a sawmill.

Actually most of the sawmills here I spoke of deal with pine, one
specializing in cedar. Only one had signs on the highway, the others
had small signs along their entrances.

You specifically mentioned your location? You might want to go
back and check the post I responded to. You did mention you were at the
Texas Furniture Maker's Guild contest, no mention of participation.
Nothing about where you live, or even that you actually live in Texas.
Kinda hard to comment on where you live if I don't know. What I
commented on was what I actually know.

Nope, I made the statement based on the fact that even with a
rapidly building population, and subdivisions everywhere it seems, there
are still sawmills around. I though that would be self-evident too, but
got that one wrong too..

Well Hell, I could have read the population figures on an Atlas
myself. Where's the wood? I don't know, I'm not there to look. The
size of your county has nothing to do with anything. And the sawmills?
I don't know that either.

Arrogant and profoundly stupid of me to think you haven't looked
for a sawmill? Nope, because you didn't say. I don't know you, so
don't have any reason to assume you did. Borders on some sort of
retardation for me to think I know more about your area then you do?
Never said, or implied, I did. What I do know is that if 'I' was the
one looking for a sawmill out there I'd get me a plan. I'd start out by
checking the phone book, then contact my local Chamber of Commerce, and
Better Business Bureau. Then, along with askng anyone and everyone I
came acroos about sawmillls, I'd contact:
County business permit, or tax, office. At least one local university.
Your county, and srrounding counties, Agricultural Agents. State
Forest Service. Bandsaw sawmill manufacturers ,for owners in the area
that will do sawing. After all, 50 miles from you to a sawmill means a
search circle that's 100 miles across - and that's a lot of area. And,
if all that still didn't find me at least one sawmill, I'd say to Hell
with it, and buy, or make, my own damn sawmill. No prob. Personally,
if I had some more space here I'd just go ahead and buy a bandsaw mill,
period. There's a lot of potential lumber going to waste around here
clering land for new subdivisions and mini-mall and the like. I
wouldn't bother gathering any of it mysef, I'd just saw wood brought to
me. Figure payback would be pretty fast, even with a top-of-the-line
(pricey) model.

Ah yes, do I have a plan to psst? Hadn't intended to post it, but
since you asked:
I plan on retrieving my trash can from the curb, taking a look at the El
Camino's rear lights, and spending a bit of time in the shop fiddling
with the planer sled I made to make a part for my mitre saw. I'll just
wing everything after that.



JOAT
If you don't ask the right questions, the answers don't matter.
- W.S. Lind

wrote:


What a haul I would make for the lathe and my woodturning club with a
nearby sawmill. I would have more new best friends than I could
count.

Robert


Roughly where do you live?

JJ

On Apr 29, 5:20 pm, jeremy wrote:

Robert

Roughly where do you live?

JJ

In San Antonio, which is in South Central Texas, about 90 miles south
from the capital, Austin. We are a couple of hundred miles east of
the Gulf of Mexico.

Robert

wrote:
On Apr 29, 5:20 pm, jeremy wrote:
Robert
Roughly where do you live?

JJ

In San Antonio, which is in South Central Texas, about 90 miles south
from the capital, Austin. We are a couple of hundred miles east of
the Gulf of Mexico.

Robert

You have at least six sawmills within one hundred miles that I know of, and if
you check the woodmiser list, probably a lot more.
Just stay away from any Belizean you meat with a portable rig, usually going
under the name of John Losket.

JJ

On Apr 30, 8:20 pm, jeremy wrote:

You have at least six sawmills within one hundred miles that I know of, and if you check the woodmiser list, probably a lot more.

Excellent!! Although I wouldn't really call a two hundred mile trip a
short one (my truck gets about 12-14 on the hwy and being in business
I always figure in gas), maybe I could find some of the ones you know
about within that radius. Now if I found one that worked with my
original comment (see first reply to OP) of 50 miles, that would be
sweet.

Where are they?

Like I said earlier, I know about many that are a few hours away, but
none near. I hope you aren't counting those two stoners out at
limecreek mill near Uvalde in your mix.

Truthfully, I haven't checked Woodmizer for about 1 1/2 years, and the
last ones they gave me had them for personal use or sold all their
product to private customers. The old links I have don't work, and
the two portable mill guys I bought from before have disconnected
phones.

But I am not looking for a portable mill, either, and if you got that
from my original post, I am not sure how. I was thinking in context
of my post that I was looking at the mill ends given away as firewood
being good turning blanks, etc. I do not need wood sawn, so I am not
sure about the value of contacting Woodmizer.

But a full fledged mill that ran all day would indeed be of interest.
So if you will give me some names and numbers of the six you know off
the top of your head I would certainly appreciate it.

Don't let me down.. I have already talked to a couple of my buddies
that are looking forward to a road trip if something turns up here.
One has an old one ton p/u, so the fifty mile radius would be great,
but close to that would be OK, too.

Robert

wrote:

If I had a sawmill open up anywhere near to me... just within 50
miles, I would probably be thinking waaay too much about what I could
be doing instead of what I should be doing.

I've been looking as well. The only one I've really come across
is close to New Braunfels. It's run by a guy named Darrell Moeller
on his ranch. He mostly specializes in cedar, which appears to
mostly come from his own property. He's got one of those Wood-Mizer
style bandaw type mills. From what I gather, from talking to him,
he will do some sawyer type work at about $65 an hour with a minimum
of two hours I believe. I believe he's also got some Mesquite
laying around too. If any of this is of interest, send me an email
and I can pass along the details.

After the big storm last week, I was talking to an arborist, and he
was mentioning there's a sawyer somewhere out around Huebner road. He
couldn't remember any of the details though--unfortunately.

If you find out some details about where there's local San Antonio
saw mills, I'd definitely be interested in knowing more about these
places.

--

If you want to reply via email, change the obvious words to numbers and
remove ".invalid".

On Apr 30, 11:46 am, "Michael Faurot"
wrote:


was mentioning there's a sawyer somewhere out around Huebner road. He couldn't remember any of the details though--unfortunately.

If you find out some details about where there's local San Antonio saw mills, I'd definitely be interested in knowing more about these
places.


I keep thinking that someone at sometime will buy or make one of those
band saw mills around here. I know several of the custom furniture
makers here in town, and they can't find anything either, even through
their guild. There was a small bandsaw mill in Seguin a while back,
but I think he is selling his stuff to the mesquite lumber retailer
there. The only sawyer I know sells select mesquite (that is all he
sells) to a few older customers that are furniture makers. He isn't
getting rich, and he doesn't want more customers.

He wouldn't sell anything to me because I wouldn't commit to his 400
bf minimum. Depending on the grade, he gets $7.50 to almost $15 a
bf. On the flip side though, he sells mesquite with no windshake, no
sap wood, and no hollows. It looks like it came out of a perfect
mesquite manufacturing machine. And since it is so rarely that
perfect, the furniture guys buy it with just a phone call from him.

Apparently most of the serious furniture makers around here get in
their truck and take a trailer out to the different places they like.
I know there are a few mills around Austin, a big one in Smithville,
and several in Bryan that specialize in mesquite. At $2.75 a gallon,
with a 16 ft trailer and a minimum hour drive... I don't want to
calculate what that would add to the bf price.

I'll certainly post back here if I find someone in the vicinity.

BTW, where are you?

Robert

wrote:

The only sawyer I know sells select mesquite (that is all he sells)
to a few older customers that are furniture makers. He isn't getting
rich, and he doesn't want more customers.

He wouldn't sell anything to me because I wouldn't commit to his 400
bf minimum. Depending on the grade, he gets $7.50 to almost $15 a
bf. On the flip side though, he sells mesquite with no windshake, no
sap wood, and no hollows. It looks like it came out of a perfect
mesquite manufacturing machine. And since it is so rarely that
perfect, the furniture guys buy it with just a phone call from him.

I'd be interested in some of that. But not at that kind of minimum.
My ballpark would be more like whatever $100-$200 would get me.

Apparently most of the serious furniture makers around here get in
their truck and take a trailer out to the different places they like.
I know there are a few mills around Austin, a big one in Smithville,
and several in Bryan that specialize in mesquite. At $2.75 a gallon,
with a 16 ft trailer and a minimum hour drive... I don't want to
calculate what that would add to the bf price.

I don't have a trailer, but I wouldn't want to drive my old truck all
that far either with what gas costs these days. Too bad about that
place in Sequin. That wouldn't be a bad trip for me.

I'll certainly post back here if I find someone in the vicinity.

Thanks!

BTW, where are you?

Northeast side.

--

If you want to reply via email, change the obvious words to numbers and
remove ".invalid".

"Michael Faurot" wrote in message
...
After the big storm last week, I was talking to an arborist, and he
was mentioning there's a sawyer somewhere out around Huebner road. He
couldn't remember any of the details though--unfortunately.

If you find out some details about where there's local San Antonio
saw mills, I'd definitely be interested in knowing more about these
places.

Ditto here! My next door neighbor in Floresville lost some big
mesquites on the family ranch in Wilson County. I hope to see them this
weekend.
--
NuWave Dave in Houston