Personal Best 2011

 

Category 1: Homes and Major Structures
 

  Sawyer: Paul Simms
Location: Ferrum, Virginia
Equipment: LT40 Super Hydraulic
Project Dimensions: 76' X 22', 3,650 sq ft 
100% of lumber cut on the mill
Estimated Savings:
$100,000+ on lumber
Wood Species Used: 
White Pine, White Oak, Hickory

GRAND CHAMPION - In the Family for Six Generations

"After spending a lot of time in our woods and looking over our forest inventory, I saw that we had numerous trees that needed to be cut. I had just recently retired as a pilot, so this was way out of my line of expertise. I became involved with a local group of horse loggers and ended up with my own team of Suffolk Punch draft horses. With a whole lot of help, I managed to learn a little about horse logging and good forestry management. I also expanded my research on sawmills and wisely ended up purchasing a new Wood-Mizer.

“We have been blessed with great neighbors and friends that helped with our home project such as Jason Rutledge, Johnny Shively, Vern Sullivan, Roger Bowers, and Doug Terrill. Our goal was to use all the lumber possible from our own property. Folks are amazed that everything came within a couple of hundred yards from the site and that the timber was logged with the help of horses. We milled the heart of the tree and then used a broad axe to hand hewn finish all of the logs. I loved the flexibility of the mill. We were able to saw everything from the house logs, post & beams, flooring, T & G ceiling, doors, cabinets, trim work and even all of the cedar pickets with our Wood-Mizer.

“This became a very rewarding project since I was building our home from trees that I know my grandfather and father had planted decades earlier. Our children are the sixth generation to the farm that my great-great grandfather settled on in 1891. We are recognized on the Virginia Century Farm list, which gives credit to families that have over one hundred years of continuous operation and ownership. We are also an American Tree Farm that meets the certification standards for Sustainable Forest Management with over 400 acres in management.”


 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
  Sawyer: Lonnie Warren
Location: Roopville, Georgia
Equipment: LT40 Hydraulic,
DoubleHard Blades
Project Dimensions: 50'X36' 2,800 sq ft 
100% of lumber cut on the mill: 15,000+ BF
Estimated Savings: Thousands
Wood Species Used: 
Heart Pine, Cypress, Red Cedar,
Black Walnut, White Ash, Long Leaf Curly Pine





FIRST PLACE - Sinker Logs Turn Up a Dream Home

Lonnie’s dream home started out just as a small cabin for his family, but as the possibilities available to him by sawing his own lumber opened up, so did the possibilities for expanding his home into a dream come true. Everywhere you look in the home, you see wood: wood that Lonnie and friends have fashioned into every board in the floors, walls, doors, ceilings, and trim.

The wood Lonnie found to use in his home was deserving of the attention it received. Lonnie relates, “I was able to travel to Florida and remove logs that had been submerged in the Suwanne River since the 1800’s. It was evident by the wedged ends that this lumber had been hand cut with an ax. I used my Wood-Mizer LT40 to cut the logs, and was astonished at the beauty the lumber produced.”

Each room in the home received a unique theme in the use of the interior wood walls and trim. Large slabs of pecky cypress were used around the windows in the large living room and dining area, and the floor is outlined in black walnut. All the doors are solid heart pine or black walnut. The floors are quartersawn heart pine. Above every door is the signature design unique to the house: Two sets of 45 degree angled wood facing each other. Friends and family helped with much of the trim and moulding and planing the wood to its fi nished profiles.

After the five years spent building his home, he reflects, “Although we may not have expected our ‘cabin’ to become a dream home, it is a blessing and I personally take pride in the home I built. Everyone who sees it wants to bring others to see it! Most importantly, I know it would not have been possible without my Wood-Mizer sawmill.”


 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
Sawyer: David Barfield
Location: North Richland Hills, Texas
Equipment: LT30, Resaw Attachment, DoubleHard Blades 
100% of lumber cut on the mill: 20,000+ BF
Estimated Savings: Thousands
Wood Species Used: Ponderosa Pine, Spruce, Douglas Fir

HONORABLE MENTION - Southwest Log Homes

David Barfield, owner of Southwest Log Homes, and his sons have been building log homes for decades now. The Falls Lodge is just one example of the magnificent structures they have worked on. Built over the course of two years, the customer was looking for a highend log home that had a “Rustic Cowboy” look to it. After it was all said and done, David remarks, “I am continually overwhelmed at the talent of my crews.” He compares his 1992 Wood-Mizer sawmill with “The Energizer Bunny. It just keeps going!”

Below are just a few of the homes that David and his sons have built.


 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
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