Have you ever sat inside a BandSaw

[Leon]

[Pat Barber]

Having seen one of these in operation, it will blow your mind and hearing in a short time.

[Leon]

I bet! Cool machinery.

[Just Wondering]

That sure beats Mr. Hanson's sawmill on Little House of the Prairie.

[Leon]

It almost makes my Laguna seem inadequate. ;~)

[jloomis]

Worked at Georgia Pacific Redwood Mill in the 70's Only one to wear a mask.... At break time, I would empty the dust out of the filter in an envelope. End of the week I dumped the pile of dust on the break table...... Needless to say, mask were started to be worn after that...... terrible place to work.....it was a job...... swing shift.....from 4 to 11 at night....tough. Non stop, handling wood products, and would wear out a pair of leather gloves easily in a night. Saw filers had a tough job, as well as maintenance..... many deaths at the mill. Accidental saw fly off due to metal in logs.....band saw would go flying..... I am sure much of that has changed... could tell more stories.....like the "Hog" john

[Lew Hodgett]

--------------------------------------------------- It was practices like this that made OSHA a necessity.

Automation practices like this could be found in lots of industries.

Lew

[Martin Eastburn]

Big Creek was/is a good mill company. They use copters to fly out wood and take care of the land and roads.

I had 4 acres of Coastal Redwoods, most of which were 100' to 150' tall. Sold the place with all of them standing. I had large room size stumps from when the area was clear cut to rebuild San Francisco after the 1905 earthquake.

I am still sad when I remember what the tree huggers did to the Old Gray Whale Tree Farm. Over a 100 year old farm that selectively cut while maintaining good stock. On the western shores and hills just north of Santa Cruz. They lost the farm to the crazies and big money (more crazies).

Mart> Worked at Georgia Pacific Redwood Mill in the 70's

[Morgans]

I bet! Cool machinery.

I took some of my students on a tour once, and the buyer who was giving the tour took us inside the operator cab and started explaining what was happening. In a minute or two, the operator lost concentration and hung a blade. Of course, it has to be taken of and straightened after that. Even that process is fairly automated. Those operators are rock stars. So much to keep in the air!

[athiker]

I did a self guided tour of the PALCO plant in Scotia, CA back about

1997. Very interesting. Not a scrap was wasted, what couldn't be used as finger-joint material they burned to run the plant. They had a log pond and the guys with caulk boots were directing the logs toward the in-feed chain and from there it went to the debarker. The debarker consisted of a guy in a booth controlling a water cannon and literally knocking the bark off the logs. Occasionally a log would come through that had a split or defect in it and the pressure of the water would split it lengthwise.

I always liked to play in water. That would be a fun job for a day.