Lumberyard machinery

[WendyNYC]

Any DIY people out there? What kind of machinery might one see at a lumberyard? Forklifts, I guess, but what else? Big stuff, preferably, that might impress a small boy.

And yes, I feel silly asking this, but I don't think I've ever actually visited a lumberyard.

Thanks.

[tallus83]

In a lumberyard, a forklift would be about it. You would also have a panel cutting setup for cutting plywood and a chopsaw station.

By any chance do you mean a sawmill?

[WendyNYC]

In a lumberyard, a forklift would be about it. You would also have a panel cutting setup for cutting plywood and a chopsaw station.

By any chance do you mean a sawmill?


Thanks, that's helpful. I think I mean lumberyard -- where a carpenter would go to pick up lumber for a project. Right?

[slcboston]

Yes, a lumberyard is where you go to pick up planks and such. Think the back end of Home Depot.

A sawmill (which is, in my opinion, a far more interesting place) is where they convert trees to that lumber.

And actually, you won't see that much big machinery. Other than a forklift or perhaps a crane - depending on location and size of the bundles that are being moved) the rest of it is all sort of standard power tools for cutting it to specific sizes.

In addition to the forklift, you might have one of those "mule" things which look like a cross between an souped-up golf cart and a miniature pick-up truck.

[slcboston]

And, just for comparison's sake, at a sawmill you're going to have:


the cranes for moving the logs, with those pincer-like hooks on the end
very heavy chains
heavy-duty chainsaws. Not the kind the weekend warrior uses in the backyard, either, but the ones that'll pull your hands off
all kinds of conveyor belts
that big circular saw- you know, the one Snidely Whiplash was always trying to cut up Dudley Doright's girlfriend with
Plus the big generators needed to run that saw, and the conveyor belts, and everything else.
Forklifts- bigger ones than you'll find at most lumberyards, too.


The place is noisy, full of sawdust, often wet, too where the logs come in off the water (although in many places nowadays they're delivered by semi rather than by stream).

[WendyNYC]

Thanks for all that. I'll have to see if that would work with my setting, but it does sound interesting.

If anyone knows of a sawmill in the Chicagoland area, or if it would make sense to put a fictional one there, please do let me know.

[auntybug]

I worked at a lumberyard for a couple years. We had different sized regular forklifts and a few that you stood up in (I forget what they are called - kinda like what you see in target & such to manuever in smaller aisles) We also had hand ones to move pallets (we used them as skateboards... and always got in trouble!)

Good luck!

[tallus83]

There is one remaining sawmill in Chicago. In fact the 'only' one in chicago.

It's in the Hegewisch neighborhood on the southside. It's near the Hegewisch SouthShore station between Torrence and Burnham.

If you need directions just let me know.