Thanks guys, without a doubt there is quite a bit of expense involved, but I'm doing this as a hobby. I really enjoy getting out and working with the wood. Great exercise! I loaded three Red Oak logs Saturday, the biggest was 22" in diameter. No small feat when your working by yourself! So far I haven't had any trouble drying the Pine or Cedar, knock on wood!
I was pretty surprised at the weight difference between the Pine vs Oak. When I hooked the winch to the smallest of the logs, it pulled tight and stalled! I had to put blocks beside it & lift it with a long 2x4 (that I had sawn previously, really 2.75"x4.5"). It would pull about an inch with every lift. The best I could get with the 22" log was to get it on the trailer enough to pull it out (broke my cable the first attempt), then aimed it at the stump & backed into it, pushing it into the trailer! I haven't had to do that with any of the Pine. Going to be fun turning that one on the saw mill! I did take the winch back to HF & upgraded from the 2500# model to the 5,000# one. I'm hoping that will be enough. It's another $120.00 to go up to 9,000#'s.
One more question. Does the size of the boards affect the warping? I like cutting wide boards but don't know if there is a market for them. I suspect the wider boards will be prone to warping easier. Thinking I should stay under 8-10 inches, maybe even 6".
I have a stairwell done in Red Oak. I want to cut a board to run up each side between the wall and the steps. I'll measure that tonight to see how wide that has to be. It might have to be 12" or so, I'll see. Do most people use 1" wide for this or can I go 1.5. I'll have to router the top edge to match the pattern on the baseboards. What do you guys recommend?
I'm starting to consider a planer now. I'm liking the price on the Steelex 15" model @ $1300.00. Looks exactly like the Wen unit. So far I've been sawing all my Pine into 1x14's. There is not that much to take off, the band saw cuts a pretty smooth surface. 14" is going to require a real planer. Anybody ever looks into them? My goal is to use them for the 2nd floor in my shop as well as the interior walls. Thinking I'll tongue & groove them. Put them vertically on the walls & length wise on the floor. Considering the V cut T&G on the walls.
As always guys, thanks for all of your help. I've learned so much here. Need to start putting it to use!