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Bill's Woodshop, Sawmill, and Lumber, Georgetown, TX
SAWMILL
 Pecan logs from San Gabrial River tornado 2022 20231012_092336 |  Pecan logs from San Gabrial River tornado 2022 20231011_175129 |  Pecan 1 |
|---|---|---|
 Pecan 2 |  Pecan 3 |  Pecan 4 |
 Pecan 5 |  Live Oak root ball 80 inch dia |  Live Oak root ball 80 inch dia |
 Live Oak headboard, 84 x 72' 20240109_161130 |  Live Oak headboard, 84 x 72' 20240118_091833 |  Live Oak headboard, 84 x 72' |
 Pecan, 48 x 10' base, three 10' logs from the tree 20221101_165334 |  Pecan 48x10' 20221020_105526 |  Pecan, 6' diameter 20221011_084536 |
 Pecan, 6' diameter 20221011_111523 |  Pecan, 6' X 13' X 4 20221011_120301 |  FTB Live Oak 20211015_085141This Live Oak tree was thought to be the oldest and largest tree in Georgetown, located in front of First Texas Bank on Austin Ave, just south of the Courthouse. I counted about 285 annual rings so it started to grow before the American Revolution. Sometime around the time of Georgetown's founding, a fist sized rock was placed in its crouch and the tree grew around it and I sawed through it |
 FTB Live Oak 20211015_085125 |  FTB Live Oak 20220216_165741The piece on the right was cut from the left side of the piece on the left. One big tree. |  FTB Live Oak 20220217_095101The "Rock" can be seen between the straps |
 FTB Live Oak Tree,Slab with RockThis slab has been finished and is now located in the Williamson Museum about a block north of where the tree grew. Notice the fist sized rock that someone had placed in the fork of the tree about `100 years ago and the tree completely grew around it |  FTB live oak, McNeal table 5519 |  FTB Live Oak 20220220_085531The largest of these rounds are about 5' by 8' by 4"thick, some are hollow |
 FTB Live Oak 20220302_142811 |  FTB 900 S. Austin Ave - full treeThis is what the FTB--First Texas Bank--tree looked like before the storm that downed it |  Elm, Chainsawmilling 9 |
 Elm, Drying Stack 1 |  Elm, Chainsawmilling 10 |  Pecan Flitches 20200801_124555 |
 Pecan flitches 20200801_124603 |  Pecan, 4000bf ready to go into the kiln, |  Pecan, 4000bf ready to go into the kiln, |
 Pecan, 4000bf ready to go into the kiln, |  pecan, new Dodge_084803 |  pecan, new Dodge_170438 |
 pecan, new Dodge_182022 |  Lucas milling 60 inch pecan_101608 |  Lucas mill,58 inch live oak 20190218_091 |
 Lucas mill,58 inch live oak 20190218_091 |  Lucas mill,58 inch live oak li20190218_0 |  Hican 1332Notice the graft line, the bottom part of the log is pecan and the top is Hican--a Pecan-Hickory cross. A finished kitchen bar top from one of these boards in now on the Custom Woodworking tab |
 Hican 1331Notice the graft line, the bottom part of the log is pecan and the top is Hican--a Pecan-Hickory cross. A finished kitchen bar top from one of these boards in now on the Custom Woodworking tab |  Bur Oak 0878 (Custom) |  Bur oak log 50 inch 2886 |
 Bur oak log 50 inch 2890 |  Bur Oak 0873 |  Bur Oak Rounds 0867 |
 post oak log 0781.jpgThis log was too heavy to pick up (8000# winch and 4000# front end) so I took as much weight off the trailer as I could and pulled the trailer out from under the log, then rolled it to the mill and loaded it. |  Post Oak Log 0784.JPG |  Post Oak Log 0787.JPG |
 Post Oak Log 0789.JPG |  Bur Oak on Woodmizer301.JPG |  Pecan,+Berry+Spring++P1050145.JPG |
 Woodmizer set-up.jpg |  woodmizer setup 254.jpg |  pecan+from+willis+creek+19.jpeg |
 pecan+from+willis+creek+21.jpeg |  pecan+from+willis+creek+15.jpeg |  Loblolly+pine+from+Bastrop+fire15.JPG |
 loblolly+pine+from+bastrop+fire14.jpg |  Loblolly+pine+from+Bastrop+fire12.JPG |  Pecan,+Berry+Spring++P1050161.JPG |
 loblolly+pine+from+bastrop+fire10.jpg |  Loblolly+pine+from+Bastrop+fire24.JPG |  woodmizer setup 254.jpg |
 Pecan 65 in. 0321.JPG |  Pecan 65 in. 0341 .JPG |  Pecan 65 in. 0359 .JPG |
 Live Oak 0073.JPG |  live oak 3043.JPG |  live oak 3032.jpg |
 Live Oak 3051.JPG |  live oak 3058.jpg |  live oak 3061.jpg |
 live oak 3070.jpg |  Logosol Chainsaw mill, ash logs127.jpgThis is how made lumber from 2001-2010 In all I milled about 12000-15000bf of mostly 4/4 lumber with this chainsaw setup |  Pecan+from+Willis+Creek974.JPG |
 Pecan+from+Willis+Creek975.JPG |  Mesquite+burl0170+(600x800).jpg |  bur oak134.jpg |
 pecan slabs414.jpg |  Pecan firom Little River1844.JPG |  Pecan firom Little River1836.JPG |
 Pecan, Big, Little River#6 165.JPG |  Pecan firom Little River1861.JPG |  Cottonwood, 40 inch104.JPG |
 pecan+from+willis+creek+9.jpeg |  pecan+from+willis+creek+10.jpeg |  pecan+from+willis+creek+8.jpeg |
 pecan+from+willis+creek+2.jpeg |  pecan+from+willis+creek+1.jpeg |  pecan,+spalted467.jpg |
 pecan logs5806.jpg |  walnut5467.JPG |  Pecan, spalted 148.JPG |
 bur oak4317.jpg |  deodar cedar7728.jpg |  deodar cedar7730.jpg |
 Mesquite Logs8882.JPG |  Pecan+from+Willis+Creek971.JPG |  Mesquite, Burl log 2070.jpg |
 Mesquite, burl logs2071.jpg |  Mesquite, logs2055.jpg |  Mesquite, logs2059.jpg |
 Mesquite, logs2069.jpg |  pecan,+large+crouch747.jpg |  pecan,+large+crouch744.jpg |
 Loblolly+pine+from+Bastrop+fire4.JPG |  Loblolly+pine+from+Bastrop+fire1.JPG |  ash+logs+too+big+889.jpg |
 loblolly+pine+bastrop+738.jpg |  pecan,+38+inch+735.jpg |  loblolly+pine+from+bastrop+fire+6.jpg |
 loblolly+pine+from+bastrop+fire+82.jpg |  Pecan+from+Old+Georgetown+1758.JPG |  Ash,bc1790.JPG |
 Loblolly+pine+from+Bastrop+fire25.JPG |  Loblolly+pine+from+Bastrop+fire29.JPG |  Loblolly+pine+from+Bastrop+fire,4x12,12x12+28.JPG |
 Loblolly+pine+from+Bastrop+fire27.JPG |  Straight+lining+boards+for+ceilings+0772.JPG |  pecan+from+willis+creek+6.jpeg |
 Loblolly+pine+from+Bastrop+fire22.JPG |  Loblolly+pine+from+Bastrop+fire23.JPG |  loblolly+pine+from+bastrop+fire27.jpg |
 Loblolly+Pine+Full+width+2x6+ceiling+joists+771.JPG |  kiln,+loading+mesquite325.JPG |  kiln,+loading+mesquite323.JPG |
 kiln,+loading+mesquite328.JPG |  kiln,+loading+mesquite322.JPG |  Kiln, setting up track1845.JPG |
 Kiln1983.JPG |  Pecan, spalted129.JPG |  Solar Kiln, new roof_153500 |
 solar kiln16.640x.jpg |  salado logs1862.jpg |  logs, ash58.jpg |
 pecan,+berry+springs+2420.jpg |  Pecan, Brushy Creek 2472.JPG |  Pecan, Brushy Creek 2473.JPG |
 Pecan, Brushy Creek 2475.JPG |  Red oak, Salado Logs1880.JPG |  red oak, salado logs milling8985.jpg |
 Loblolly+pine+from+Bastrop+fire,+slabs30.JPG |  Pecan+from+Willis+Creek994.JPG |  dry rack 4x12 0374 |
 dry rack 4x12 0375The Dry Rack should be built perfectly flat and solid, the runners should be about a foot off the ground and spaced no more than 24" apart--I like to use 16" spacing. 1"x3/4" spacers or "stickers" are placed on top of each layer of wood directly above the 2x4 runners for direct support and to allow air to flow between each layer |
I have two types of sawmills, a Woodmizer LT40 bandsaw sawmill and a chainsaw sawmill. The bandsaw sawmill can make cuts up to about 24" wide and saws fast and efficient. It also has re-saw capabilities. The Alaskan chainsaw sawmill can cut logs up to 66" wide, it is also very portable--take the sawmill to the big log-- and it can also sawmill oddly shaped logs. In December of 2018 I purchased a Lucas Dedicated Slabber which is a large chainsaw bar powered by a 23HP Briggs and Stratton Vangard engine and capable of milling a log up to 76' wide and 20' long. This sawmill is very efficient at milling large trees in to nice table tops.
Below are two videos of how I saw the big logs. The one on the left is how I did it from 2009 until December 2018 when I purchased a Lucas Mill Dedicated Slabber, shown on the right. It is almost 3 times as fast and more accurate, not to mention far easier on this ol' man's back. This link is to a YouTube video of the Lucas Mill demo at the 2021 Mother Earth Fair in Belton Tx.
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