OCALA HARDWOODS & SAWMILL BY ROBERT ROSS OF WOOD CRAFTING WOODWORKS

Picnic table with end benches

2012-02-10T05:31:00.000-08:00

O.k. just wanted to add to the list of stuff that I do around here,,
a picnic table that is 10 feet long with end benches.
This table has been coated over and under with Marine spar varnish to resist the weather.
The end benches could be omitted and post could go in place with a light framing over head for a canopy, or even a pergola.

Just some furniture pictures

2012-02-01T11:08:00.000-08:00

Well, Just wanted to prove that we do furniture fabrication here in the shop, beside Sawmilling and Hardwoods sells.

Loading a log on the mill

2011-07-15T09:55:00.000-07:00

Alright, Just wanted to give you an idea how I can load logs on the mill while here at the shop
The mill does have a hydraulic log loader, but when setup here it's not necessary to use.
The electric hoist will handle 2,000lbs, as will the trolly it's mounted on. The I-beam is a 4" x 8'x 20' long.

2011-07-01T10:59:00.000-07:00

All right, here is another video where I'm unloading a couple of Cherries,, pretty streight foward,, just gotta be careful around heavy logs.

2011-07-01T10:57:00.000-07:00

O.K.
I am new to the video thingie, but here is how I pick up logs, and how I unload them sometimes,, when I'm not ready to mill them,,
In the one video is a very large Pecan log,,

Really large Cherry Hardwood

2011-07-01T10:33:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share with you that sometimes it is more advantages to split a log 1st with the Beast, before putting it on the mill,, Oh The Beast,,, That is a chainsaw that I aquired back in 1977,, the saw is 100cc,, that's big for a chain saw,, and it sports a 36' bar,, it will cut thru a very large tree in seconds,, but anyway, I had a Hugh cherry crotch that ws just a bit to large for the mill and found it best to split it 1st, before milling,,
It made nice lumber as well as 3 nice tabletop or bar top size slabs.

2011-05-19T05:10:00.000-07:00

Well I just finished an improvement on the sawmill.
I cut off and removed the axles, pulled the log loader, and added more frame to the existing frame, to beef up the machine and make set-up and break down faster and easier when on the job.

Swedish Candle in Action

2011-05-03T04:54:00.000-07:00

Well as mentioned before and in an earlier post you can see me cutting a short pine cut off, into a Swedish candle.
Recently we were up in Perry Ga on a 3-4 day camping trip, and we took 4 of them with us, 1 for each night.
I did happen to get a pretty good shot of one burning. No the yellow Lab in the photo is not ours,, belongs to the campground.

Dunnellons Red Light Cameras and speed trap

2011-01-13T06:04:00.000-08:00

IF your route should take you through the tiny town of Dunnellon, which is barely a mile long on US41 Please note that there are 5 traffic lights in that mile on 41 and the town is very proud of there traffic light cameras,,
So Please Please do the speed limit or less, don't run any traffic lights, and don't turn right on red, even after stop, just sit and wait for the green.
Here is a link to follow-up with what I am saying.

http://www.speedtrap.org/city/1855/Dunnellon

2010-08-19T05:02:00.000-07:00

Here is a lil building Robin and I built a couple years ago, to replace our old log cabin shed.
This is our Laundry room, which has storage also and host a loft at one end, also for storage.
It is built entirely of Southern Yellow Pine which the logs were obtained from within a 10 mile radius.
I would love to have a lil cottage like this perhaps a bit larger with a wrap around pourch in a more remote country setting.

2010-06-25T04:29:00.000-07:00

O.K. With milling logs, the main goal is to have the logs cut to about the length of the lumber you want to get out of the log. So if you want the yield of lumber to be about 12' long, and your log is 13' 6" it should be cut to the 12' length. Leaving it longer is a waist of saw blade and a waist of time. With all of that said, what do you do with the short log cut off.

You turn it into a Swedish Candle. Here is a photo where I am showing the customer the technique of making a Swedish candle, with a chainsaw. A series of cuts are made thru the log to about 2" from the bottom, basically I'm cutting and splitting it like a pie, but I'm not going thru.

Last after the pie cuts are made, I take the tip of the chainsaw bar and right in the center, make several plunge cuts, this keeps the lighter fluid from spilling out.

Take your favorite lighter fluid, pour right in the center, and it will begin burning from the center out, and can burn for 2 hours easily.

LOG LOADING WITH TRAILER CRANE

2010-01-29T04:22:00.000-08:00

Here we are on a site loading up several lengths of a large pine, from 12' - 16'
The trailer is basically a car carrier, that I have fabricated my own crane with a winch motor to do the lifting, I have been using this technique for several years now with good success.

Tramp Metal In Logs

2009-11-04T04:34:00.000-08:00

With all logs that I mill it is inevitable that sooner or later I will hit some sort of tramp metal.

Tramp metal is the unknowingly art of placing a nail or screw in a live and growing tree, most of the time to hold up a sign, birdhouse, or the like, or even placing an object on a low limb or at the base, etc,

Trees most likely to have tramp metal are those that come from neighborhoods or someones yard. I have had customers state : Ive lived here for 20 years and have never put a nail in that tree:

Well it happens, and more often then it should, and of course when I hit tramp metal it ruins the cutting ability of the blade.

Tramp metal can nearly be anything, such as nails, screws, fence wire, insulator's, crowbars, what have you, if left in the tree or on a limb, or even leaning up against a tree long enough, it will grow around it. Here is a photo of a bicycle where I suspect it may have broke down on its rider, and was parked against this now old growth pine, most likely in the northwest. You can see the bike is somewhat off the ground a pretty much consumed by this tree.

The morrow of the story is, If I'm sawing up your log and there is tramp metal in it, I will find it.

Lots of spiecies of Appalachian Hardwoods available

2009-10-12T05:15:00.000-07:00

Well here is just a Lil shot of some of the Appalachian hardwoods in stock here at the shop.
The spiecies are many, and here is a list.

We have OAK 4/4 8/4 red and white, & Quartersawn
MAPLE Hard and soft, 4/4 8/4
WALNUT 4/4
CHERRY
4/4 POPLAR 4/4 8/4
BASSWOOD 4/4 8/4
ASH 4/4
HICKORY 4/4
CEDAR 4/4
LYPTUS 4/4 WALNUT4/4 AFRICAN MAHOGANY4/4 GENUINE MAHOGANY4/4
AND MORE ,, MANTLE SLABS BAR TOP SLABS
Note:: sale on Southern red oak,, 75cents per BF
OCALA
HARDWOODS
& SAWMILL BY WC WOODWORKS HARDWOODS AND SAWMILL 352-489-2728
17101 WEST HWY 40
OCALA
And yest another Link.

http://member.atlantic.net/~rross/rross/

O.K. Here's my mug shot

2009-10-06T04:54:00.000-07:00

Yes I can see eye to eye,, even with Billy Blue jay,, in fact Billy Blue jay was rescued by Robin as it was the runt, and fell out of its nest, and we couldn't get it back up there.
So we began the task of feeding it crickets and lil grub bugs that feed under the bark of downed Pine logs,, Robin would in most case's crush them and spoon feed this bird, and at the time he bearly had downy feathers,, well now Billy is fully grown and flies all over the place here on our wooded 3 acres. He comes into the shop to say hi, and makes his presence known daily, in fact he landed on my head while I was writing this,,, He is a bit mischievous too. Billy Blue jay.

CUSTOMERS ORDER IS READY TO GO.

2009-09-24T04:02:00.002-07:00

Here you see this trailer is loaded with pine fencing. The customer brought in 11 sixteen foot pine logs to be milled into fence boards. the logs were left here at the shop on the customers trailer, the work was done and the customer just has to hook up and go. The yield was about 1,400 board feet of 1" X 5 5/8".
Contrary to what many people believe, this wood is ready to be used, it can be installed,via nails, screws, to the fence post and it will dry just fine right there.

On Site sawmilling,, From Logs to Lumber

2009-09-02T14:16:00.000-07:00

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Here the Customer contracted with me to bring the mill on site to cut up a Bunch of Yellow Pine logs for numerous building projects he had in mind, which some include enclosing in a pole barn with board and batten construction, as well as porch material he wanted , for an edition he planed in the near future,, in most case's the yellow pine can be ready to go in about 3 months with a low enough moisture content.

2009-09-02T14:04:00.001-07:00

Its difficult to show a photo of all the hardwoods here in the shop as the constraints of space has me using all the available areas for wood storage, but here you'll see several racks with many spieces.

2009-09-01T09:50:00.000-07:00

ENTRANCE TO WOOD CRAFTING WOODWORKS, HARDWOODS, & SAWMILL
17101 WEST HIGHWAY 40

OCALA FLORIDA 434481
352-489-2728

HARDWOODS AVAILABLE

2009-08-28T06:45:00.000-07:00

MANY SPIECIES OF APPALACHEIAN HARDWOODS AND SOME SOUTHERN HARDWOODS ARE SOLD HERE, SPIECIES RANGE FROM RED/WHITE OAK, SOFT/HARD MAPLE, POPLAR, BASSWOOD, ASH, HICKORY, CHERRY, WALNUT, AND MORE. IN 4/4 AND 8/4 STOCK, ROUGH OR SURFACED.
QUARTER SAWN RED OAK.