Portable Saw Mill Basics - Learning to Saw Lumber with the Vallee Big Red Portable Sawmill -E170

[@marksparkplug7758]

Thanks Jason, Dad, and Karen. Have a great Sunday.

[@OakMountainAcotts]

Thanks for watching!

[@rickbell3402]

Great intro to a sawmill! Thanks, Jason!

[@OakMountainAcotts]

Glad you liked it! Thanks for watching Rick.

[@FromSteelToWood]

How nice to work with your father!!! That is interesting, Vallee / Big Red is made next to my town, in St-Denis-de-Brompton. And guess what, this is where my outdoor wood boiler was made (Sequoia Industries). So was my dump trailer too! (Remorques MLC). That becomes amazing how such a small town (village) can put up on the market so many great products! A sawmill is on my bucket list. That is for sure! In a year or two! Thanks for sharing!

[@OakMountainAcotts]

Quite a talented and productive place I would say… obviously some great fabricators and engineering minds up there! How’s your Summer going?

[@FromSteelToWood]

Hello Jason, summer so far is very busy! I shall publish a video to show what I am doing currently. Thanks!

[@thelogfather5002]

Good lesson Charlie! You’re a great teacher… it’s about time Jason! Thanks for the mention!
Jeff :)

[@OakMountainAcotts]

You’re too busy to be watching videos Jeff!

[@thelogfather5002]

@@OakMountainAcotts the truth is- I was listening to your video while splitting wood! Seriously, multitasking!

[@OakMountainAcotts]

Ha, ha… I can’t top that!

[@michelfrechette3430]

Good morning Jason, looking forward to see morte videos with the big red and your father

[@OakMountainAcotts]

Thanks Michel. We will do a few around the Big Red through August I think... I have a couple projects in mind and I should start sawing the lumber out!

[@coreyhannan4263]

Hopefully, we can learn together. I just got my mill up and running. Great video.

[@OakMountainAcotts]

Thanks Corey, I would like to get a little building over it so that it was a little cooler to work around... but I'm spoiled now!

[@charlesacott1452]

Nice editing job Jason !

[@OakMountainAcotts]

Ha Ha, did you like what I did with the raw footage? :)

[@outdoorswithlarryrobin]

Hello Jason and Papa, Building Memories my friend 🪵👍🏼🇺🇸

[@OakMountainAcotts]

For sure... Dad sawed his twisted log out in 10 minutes by himself... he is an old pro!

[@PapaRug.58]

Awesome vid. Always listen to the old guy that has been there and done that Lots of experience in the older gens
Good to see your dad still has the ability to do a job well done 😊😊

[@OakMountainAcotts]

Thanks... I sure did get an education! Good to go around the machine with him and understand the maintenance needs. I'll get onto the sawing tricks next!

[@PapaRug.58]

@@OakMountainAcotts awesome can’t wait to see you both making sawdust memories

[@yvesjolicoeur747]

It was a short video but I was quite impressed by the Big Red.

[@OakMountainAcotts]

What stood out about the Big Red to you? You guys have a mill as well I think?

[@yvesjolicoeur747]

@@OakMountainAcotts darn...I wrte you a long windded reply yesterday but obviously did not hit REPLY. I'll try and find time to rewrite, sorry

[@yvesjolicoeur747]

@@OakMountainAcotts I owned a Woodmizer LT40 hydraulic 30 years ago and really liked that machine and had excellent service from the company. For the past 3 years, I’ve been helping a friend of mine with his Norwood HD36. The WM LT40 was a one-piece mill meaning that I picked it up at the dealer all assembled and ready to run. It was very easy to set-up, just a few minutes and ready to mill. I got the feeling that the Big Red is similar in that aspect. The Norwood came as a kit in multiple boxes. We worked at it for days to assemble and had many issues that made my friend question his purchase. Every spring, we must spend quite a bit of time aligning it before use, just because of the uneven ground under the mill. He uses it as a stationary mill and I would not be confident in using it as a mobile unit for fear of having too many issues with alignment. I like the fact that the Big Red, just like the WM has a steel blade guard as opposed to the Norwood with its plastic cover that offer no protection whatsoever. The slightest push on the cover and the blade cuts through it. Also, every sawmill should have a blade tension gauge as basic equipment. In that way, the tension can be monitored and adjusted during operation. WM and Big Red have that but Norwood does not. I like the One-Step-Go of Big Red. Norwood has a similar system, but WM was behind in that aspect. I like the roller set-up for slab and lumber to be removed. Must be a real back saver. I also like the Big Red cutting scale. Must take a bit to get used to but seems very handy for many different cuts. Big Red gave me a great first impression. I also like you dad. Seems like a friendly-common-sense-type-guy that takes care of his equipment and does preventive maintenance…. But I guess he does not come as an option…lol. Now, just to clarify….I am subscribed to your channel…I am not family…and am looking forward to that giveaway….if it is a Big Red, all the better …lol . Cheers

[@OakMountainAcotts]

This is great feedback, I’ll get Dad to read this as it will validate his buying decision. He spent two years researching before he took the plunge. The mill came ready to go as you say. He added the tension gauge on as an option after we struggled a bit with dimension consistency from time to time. He’s getting pretty good with it but I have a long ways to go! I hope the company comes through for me, I would love to do a giveaway video…. But it isn’t a Big Red! Take care, Jason.

[@Railfan6675]

Great video!

[@OakMountainAcotts]

Thanks for watching!

[@noelstractors-firewood57]

Great video. Nice to have a tool like that. I have a little wood here that could be milled. But there are three mill operations within a 1/2 hour of me that we can go and get wood if needed. And one of them would probably saw up our wood if we took it to them. Any way, nice video. I like watching milling. Good funny’s at the end of the video.
Thanks for the link for the moisture meter Jason. I will be ordering it. I’ll let you know about it when I get it.
Still hot and humid here. Grass is growing like anything. 👍🏻

[@OakMountainAcotts]

Thanks for the feedback Noel. Dad is a pretty funny guy... we are mowing lawns 2x per week here... can't stay ahead of it! Take care, Jason.

[@noelstractors-firewood57]

@@OakMountainAcotts same here Jason. Grass normally slows down here by now. Not this year.

[@claudepaquette5827]

Nice mill.

[@OakMountainAcotts]

Thanks. Dad has it all figured out but I need 100 hours on it!

[@bobfitch607]

Jason sawing is a good skill for you to have. It's one I dont have.wish I did.

[@OakMountainAcotts]

These guys make it look easy! I guess it will be like everything else though. Practice makes perfect…

[@yvesjolicoeur747]

you'll enjoy the sawing. Once3sides are cut, I would personally cut that extra board even with a bit of wane on it...once at that point it is only a few seconds work and you always need boards around. Don't forget that a lot of the labor of making lumber is done upstream from the actual milling. Felling, limbing, transporting.....You'll also find that the bigger the size of lumber, the more savings you make. There is no way you can compete with the big mills with 2x4 or 2x6 (maybe except during pandemic high prices).But then, since you are using your tops, it's all money in the bank

[@OakMountainAcotts]

Thanks Yves. Right now we just plan to saw for ourselves... I could see where you could make a few dollars at it though if you had logs ready to go for customer orders... always someone looking to build a shed and save a few bucks around here!

[@user-nr2xt9ds8p]

That was interesting.

[@OakMountainAcotts]

Thanks for watching!

[@rexhavoc2982]

Using a pocket calculator to find the maximum cant size , Measure the log diameter under the bark ,small end, multiply that by point 700, Sample, 7 inch log x .700 = 4.9 inch cant You may push the blade a bit faster, use some horse power and walk a bit faster.

[@OakMountainAcotts]

The quick calculation is a useful rule of thumb that I will try. Thanks for that!

[@dannysulyma6273]

Hoping that the rain isn't causing you any grief.

[@OakMountainAcotts]

We are getting rain every day! Really difficult in the woods now for firewood but we have a few saw logs ahead so we can play on the mill. Thanks for watching!

[@twotoneproductions8224]

Great video. Going to look at one today. Any advice what to look for?

[@OakMountainAcotts]

Dad really likes this model. He says the devil is in the details to save a little time on each step of sawing. Things like a reliable engine that starts easy. Electric start. A built in scale for various cants, a one touch system that not only engages the blade but revs the engine and starts your lubrication flow, log dogs or holders that clamp easily and that drop down simply to avoid running the blade into them and blade tensioning feedback like pressure gauge to help with troubleshooting when things go wrong. Hope this helps!

[@twotoneproductions8224]

@@OakMountainAcotts thank you.

[@alittleofthisandalittleofthat]

Portable air tank would be good to clean the mill

[@OakMountainAcotts]

Good idea! I might have a solution…

[@billdawson8458]

Great video. I have a woodland mills sawmill. I really struggle with the blades coming off. Very frustrating. Was considering selling and getting a Vallee mill. I hear they are less susceptible to throwing blades. How has your dad’s experience been with his mill?

[@OakMountainAcotts]

A few learning curves but very reliable. A few issues early on related to understanding when it was time to change a blade and also dealing with logs under natural tension. The blade pressure gauge was an add on which helped keep things consistent. Mom and Dad sawed all of the lumber for the sugar shack, pool building and two greenhouses so far and a few smaller projects!

[@billdawson8458]

Thanks for the feedback!
Good luck and have fun milling

[@bwillan]

Just be careful, milling lumber can be just as addictive as cutting firewood. I've seen many youtube sawmill channels that flip their log 180 degrees for the second cut. It makes cutting your 2 parallel faces easier and it also makes your 3rd cut on your cant easier to square up. Were you cutting full dimension 2x4's for your needs?

[@OakMountainAcotts]

Yes, we cut full dimension when saw. A 2x4 feels like a stick of wood! I’ll play around with technique and find one that I like!

[@kylem3532]

any videos of setting the tracking on the big red?

[@OakMountainAcotts]

No sorry. Are you having issues?

[@kylem3532]

@@OakMountainAcotts yep, I’ve been adjusting my tracking and I can get it on by hand and spin it and it tracks fine but when I engaged the motor when it’s shut off and spin the blade it will walk off the output fly wheel

[@OakMountainAcotts]

I have sent your note to Dad. What is your blade tension set at?

[@kylem3532]

@@OakMountainAcotts I don’t have a tension gauge on mine, but it’s fairly tight

[@OakMountainAcotts]

@kylem3532 they are worth the money as an add on. The tension can/will drop off during sawing. You should reach out to your supplier for tech support though… Dad did the same early on after purchasing his.