12
votes
How do I cut a large log into boards?
Building a bandsaw sled and using a bandsaw with 10" or larger resaw capacity is the first power tool solution that comes to mind. Matthias Wandel has a nice article detailing how to do this.
Since ...
rob♦
- 18.6k
11
votes
How do I cut a large log into boards?
To make the first 'cut' I would split it in half. I personally would use my wood maul and just split it. I've had years of splitting wood for firewood and could do a pretty even split down the ...
- 15.5k
11
votes
Accepted
Crosscutting 18" diameter logs by hand
I suspect the issue here is with the bowsaw blade not having enough 'set' to the teeth.
The 'set' of the teeth on a saw blade is how far to either side the teeth are bent out from the main body of ...
- 62.1k
10
votes
Accepted
Panel Glue up Question
In general, panel glue-up requires accurate square faces on the boards being glued. However, not all is lost.
One possibility is that your combination square is not perfectly square. To try and ...
- 3,355
9
votes
Recycling "pre-loved" lumber -- techniques?
I used a belt sander to remove most of the finish of some old tiger oak flooring before running it through the planer. 80 grit sand paper is cheaper than blades. But I did keep a set of old blades to ...
- 283
8
votes
What are the steps for the general hobbyist to rescue green wood for future projects?
First, make sure you're permitted to take the wood! Some places intend to sell their dropwood to local mills. Always check first about a downed tree.
You want a portable sawmill or an apparatus to ...
- 4,015
8
votes
How do I cut a large log into boards?
I'm of the same mind as Matt- you'd need a large capacity band saw, a chain saw then a big band saw, a chainsaw mill, a portable mill, or.. any number of large, expensive tools.
Were it me, I'd ask ...
- 4,392
8
votes
Using green cedar for planks on a boat
I was trying to find the answer to something else and realized there was a section in this book called, Modern Woodworking Techniques. It is a conglomeration of articles from the magazine Fine ...
- 1,028
7
votes
Using thick branches to make an end-grain cutting board?
I've read about branches having internal stresses and twisting/warping.
The main reason not to use wood from branches normally is that it's full of reaction wood, wood that has internal stress from ...
- 62.1k
7
votes
Accepted
What are the steps for the general hobbyist to rescue green wood for future projects?
First thing, most branches are very poor for turning into lumber. They will be stress wood and very likely to bend and twist as they dry or after, sometimes even while you are cutting them.
They ...
- 15.5k
7
votes
Accepted
Other than speed does kiln drying have any advantage over natural aging?
I would propose that kiln-dried wood (in particular steam kilning) is sometimes inferior to naturally cured wood.
Advantages of Kiln Drying
Kiln dried lumber is more readily available
Much faster ...
- 704
6
votes
Recycling "pre-loved" lumber -- techniques?
Whether a peice of wood is worth it depends on how you are going to use it. If you want it for inlays then you don't need much viable wood. You just need enough to cut of the piece you want with a ...
- 4,454
6
votes
What is the process, from start to finish, for milling a tree into boards?
There are a couple options.
The first and cheapest (though by far the most work) is to get a chainsaw mill. some of these are a guide you can buy for your existing chain saw and others come with a ...
- 15.5k
5
votes
Crosscutting 18" diameter logs by hand
Keep the gap open with wedges. Next to that, sharp teeth are the most important thing. I learned that lesson with a chainsaw -- even though the engine was doing the work, a dull chain got me nowhere,...
- 155
5
votes
Accepted
How much extra thickness should I leave when rough milling green boards?
If you've got a lot to spare, then overdo it. Curves, twists, warps etc will always kill your yield. Flatsawn is apt to be less stable (esp with respect to cupping) than quartersawn.
The milling ...
- 3,561
5
votes
Strength of board from squared branches as opposed to trunk wood
In basic outline there's no real problem with what you want to do, after all these days many panels are made in somewhat this way, except that the wood is from branches.
Branch wood, unlike the ...
- 62.1k
4
votes
What is the process, from start to finish, for milling a tree into boards?
TL;DR: It is an enormous amount of effort but it can be done. The resulting wood can be prone to cracking.
I've tried to do a bit of this and like most of us here on Stack Exchange, I read a lot of ...
- 1,669
4
votes
What kind of woods can be riven with a froe?
You can really rive almost any wood. That statement is flawed as there are wood species, particularly those with long straight grain, that rive easier than others. It is important to know that species ...
- 20.1k
4
votes
Accepted
Should I “un-dry” wood for a while after oven drying?
My question is: After I do this but before I plane the boards, should I leave them sit out in the open air (maybe a week or two) to reabsorb moisture from the air?
I think it's certainly advisable, ...
- 62.1k
4
votes
Best way to cut a thin board that resists warping
Are you familiar with how the wood fibers are aligned in a tree? They (mostly) run from top to bottom and are bonded together with lignin. If you used the 'B' method the wood fibers would be running ...
- 526
3
votes
Using thick branches to make an end-grain cutting board?
Interesting idea; it never occurred to me. I have a few narrow branches that I thought weren't going to be usable for much more than veneer, but using your approach if I can get a few 1"x1" cross-...
- 9,141
3
votes
Crosscutting 18" diameter logs by hand
How was the log supported? You might consider putting a sawbuck or a piece of log directly under the kerf, making an orientation similar to a see-saw, so that gravity pulls the two halves of the log ...
- 12.1k
3
votes
Accepted
What kind of woods can be riven with a froe?
I may be off a little on this, but from my experience of looking up antique tools, a froe was primarily use to spit roof shakes (shingles). Back in the day when to homes were made with the local trees,...
- 848
3
votes
How much extra thickness should I leave when rough milling green boards?
I believe there is just no easy "rule of thumb" when deciding what thicknesses to cut green lumber in an attempt to obtain a certain machined dry lumber thickness, without a lot of waste. Many ...
- 131
2
votes
Other than speed does kiln drying have any advantage over natural aging?
Kilns will work fast to dry the wood, in large planks that means that the end-grain will dry out first than the middle. This may lead to cracks.
If you have climate controlled kiln then you can slow ...
- 4,454
2
votes
What kind of woods can be riven with a froe?
A froe splits wood along the grain, so it works best on wood with long straight grain. Anything with a complex figure is likely to fight being split this way.
I haven't worked with the woods you ...
- 9,141
2
votes
Recycling "pre-loved" lumber -- techniques?
Sources: boat yards, Re-Store, yard/estate sales, furniture warehouse 'broken corner', curbs the night before trash day, rural antique stores, old condemned houses especially in historic areas, rural ...
- 249
2
votes
Accepted
Milling previously felled logs
Part of it depends on what you are planning to do with it. using it to make fine furniture, the limit is much earlier than if you are going to use it for more artistic pursuits such as turning bowls ...
- 15.5k
1
vote
Woodmizer LT40 - smallest diameter of log?
This may be obvious but the larger the log the more usable lumber returned. Since the lumber should be sawn to avoid capturing the pith that will limit log size somewhat. Time is the main factor. ...
- 859
1
vote
Panel Glue up Question
To get a flat panel, you usually need to start by jointing the glued edges to be extremely straight and perpendicular to the reference face of each board, and then plan on planing, scraping, and-or ...
- 9,141
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