“As a sawyer in general I am relatively new to the industry, about 5 years. Over the course of those 5 years I have spent most of my time running the HUD-SON Oscar 60. The larger than normal frame size is the first thing you notice as you approach. On my mill as I presume most of the Oscar 60’s, has a beastly looking 34 h.p. diesel. The fire engine red color pops against the back drop of the trees surrounding my property. Even the sheer size of the heavy duty ground track is impressive. All of this is before you’re even close enough to touch the mill.
After taking all of this in, it’s time to work. On my track sits the most beautiful log, a 52” black walnut, not veneer, oh no. This is an ugly mess from the outside. I know that inside this hunk of wood, that someone had tossed over a bank to rot, lays the key to why I invested in this unit in the first place.
As I tighten my blade and fuel it up, I’m almost shaking with excitement because I know every log is like a treasure hunt. My first cut is very important, so I am taking my time to set my height ever so perfectly. As I engage the clutch the excitement intensifies, as I ease the blade into my cap cut. Before I know it I’m spitting sawdust and envisioning what this beauty has in store for me.
As I exit my first cut, I disengage the clutch and move my mill to the end of the track. The moment of truth, what does it look like? I slide the cap onto a well-positioned forklift to take the top away. And as if I’m an archeologist cleaning the bones of a million year old T-rex, I gently brush away the layer of sawdust that remains. There it is!!! It’s everything I hoped and more. The rich brown color we are all so familiar with, I can’t help but run my hand back and forth across it. The amazing contrast with the light color sap wood only increases the beauty. Of course if anyone is in ear shot I feel the necessity to call them over to see this masterpiece God created. Naturally nobody else cares, at least not as much as I do. “It’s just a piece of wood,” I’ve heard it a hundred times but I know the truth. As the amazement pours out of me, I soon realize the people around me are looking at me like a puppy who heard a noise for the first time. They don’t get it and that’s fine. The select few of us out there who know this feeling, this is probably the reason we all started doing this in the first place.
I am proud to say, that as I write this, I have successfully milled and sold 5 trailer loads of my product to various locations around the country. The joy it brings to people to have a piece of furniture built from a reclaimed log that was destined to disintegrate back to dirt is not easily described. The HUD_SON Oscar 60, looks gargantuan in comparison to most band mills out there, but cuts with the precision expected of a furniture quality machine.”
Jeff Daugherty
