Quarter sawing with Alasken

[CharlieJ]

Hi everyone,

This is my first post. I do chainsaw milling like Kevin. This morning I quarter sawed a nice oak, about 24" in diameter. A lot of work to do this
with an Alasken but the nice figure is worth it.

[Kevin]

Charlie;
Is quarter sawing  ripping a log into 4 pieces of equal thickness?

[timberbeast]

Welcome,  Charlie!  Kevin,  quarter sawing is milling a log in such a fashion that each board has vertical endgrain.  The boards are much more stable and in most species yield a prettier figure on the face.  Picture a log in the round with the growth rings.  You saw so that each board has the rings perpendicular to the face of the board.  That's the best I can explain it.  I'm sure someone will do better!

[Kevin]

You did good!
Thanks for that.

[CharlieJ]

To quarter saw with an Alasken you have to split the log down the center, turn it 90 degrees
and split it again. Then saw a board off  the quarters,  turn it over and do it again.
Keep turning until you get the cant to narrow to use. You will end up with boards that have to be
edged on on one side. I used Malloffs method  to split the log into quarters. Start sawing into the center then attach
end dogs and wedges. after the first cut attach end dogs to the other end and turn the log 90 degrees then saw it again. This is time consuming so it is only good for those special logs.
Quarter sawn lumber is not only beautiful but very stable.

Charlie

[Kevin]

Charlie;
Thanks for the details.
I wasn`t that far off, that`s gotta be worth at least $250 Canadian!

I bit into that big elm yesterday with my new Stihl and produced about 200 board feet of solid gold!
Now where to put it? :-/

The farmer asked if I was going to be using a portable mill ,  .