Creating Useful Wood Projects, Both Large and Small
Written by on January 19, 2017
SAWING TIPS
This is a topic that is HUGE. There are a number of ways to make cuts to achieve different lumber sizes. If you are into woodworking at all, become a member of a forum. I’ve been a member of forestryforum.com for years. It is the best one out there for folks interested in getting the most from their mill. There is a General Woodworking section where members show projects, and many describe the building process as I’ll do here in detail. You should check it out. You’ll learn a lot reading the posts.
The neatest thing about having your own sawmill is the ability to saw exactly the board you need from any part of the log. You can do quarter sawing, which reveals rays reflecting through the wood for amazing grain patterns. You can even saw cookies, a term used to describe a cut completely through the log in a vertically supported position. These are usually a couple of inches thick. They are popular right now for wedding decorations. There are innumerable possibilities for them. You get the idea.
Now, let me briefly describe how I go about sawing on my mill. After securing the log to the bed, I’ll usually take a cut off the top, exposing roughly 4-6″ of wood. I’ll then continue slabbing off a few more at 1″ or 2″ intervals. The slabs are then thrown off the side to be trimmed later. Then I’ll flip the log 90 degrees, and do the same thing. After a few cuts, I’ll flip it one more time 90 degrees and take a few cuts. The center cant has now taken shape, and by flipping the thing once more 90 degrees, I can begin to cut the cant to whatever thicknesses and widths that I want. After that process is over, I grab the slabs laying beside the mill that are useful and stand them on the mill on edge vertically and saw one side to remove the bark and achieve a straight side. (I could leave the edges as they are if I plan on having a piece with a “live edge.” A live edge is used to describe a full width of the tree board which retains the bark and all.) Sometimes I edge only one side, which gives me a straight reference line when sawing to width later on the table saw. But most of the time, I edge both sides to the width boards that I need.
After, the log is completely sawn, the boards are then stacked to air dry using a stable base to elevate them off the ground, Add 1″x1″ “stickers” between each of the boards every 3 feet or so when stacking. This stacking allows air to get to all surfaces of each board in the pile. Of course, if you have a dry kiln, you could put them directly into that. Or you could air dry them first to remove the majority of the moisture they contain while green.
You now have some good lumber that you’ve made yourself. The biggest advantage here is that you can have any width, any species, and any thickness board you need to build almost anything. Happy sawing!
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