Author Topic: Extra wide boards-- yellow poplar and others (Read 1342 times)

Okrafarmer · « **on:** February 08, 2012, 11:53:29 pm »

We are cleaning up a fair-to-midling Tuliptree (yeller poplar) that came down in a wind storm. I bucked it today and we plan to winch the logs out of the man's yard tomorrow. The butt log has some rot, but is about 30" on the top end.

I haven't scaled it out, but there should be over 1,000 bf in this tree. A good 76ft of logs, I think. The bottom four logs are over 24" including a 16 footer, a 12 footer, an 8 foot, and the butt log is 10' but has some rot and won't yield a true scaleout.

Anyway-- I have tried a search on the forum for "wide boards" but those two words occur in so many posts... well, you can probably imagine.

I am planning to mill up some of those logs and make some of it into really wide boards, like 16-24". That is, if you think that's a good idea-- I have sold some wide boards hot off the mill before, but this is the first time I will actually kiln dry some. Can anybody tell me, are there any problems associated with milling or drying extra wide yellow poplar, and for that matter, other common species? They will be professionally stickered and kiln dried. (not by me). I was thinking 4/4, but maybe other thicknesses would be better?

$:-\$

Okrafarmer · « **Reply #1 on:** February 08, 2012, 11:55:11 pm »

BTW, that is a Husqvarna 266 with 28" bar sitting on top of the second log, which is 8' long.

Migal · « **Reply #2 on:** February 09, 2012, 12:05:17 am »

I heard im going to need practice logs

anyway of shipping em to tx?

great find.

Okrafarmer · « **Reply #3 on:** February 09, 2012, 12:52:33 am »

Quote from: Migal on February 09, 2012, 12:05:17 am

I heard im going to need practice logs anyway of shipping em to tx? great find.

Anything's available for a price, Migal!

customsawyer · « **Reply #4 on:** February 09, 2012, 03:21:00 am »

The biggest problem with the wide boards is that they will want to cup. Just make sure that they are on the bottom of the stack with plenty of weight on them.

Ron Wenrich · « **Reply #5 on:** February 09, 2012, 05:07:59 am »

Any plans on how you or your potential customers are going to plane a wide board? What is the end market?

Cup is one problem you have with wide boards, the other is that they tend to split. It depends on how much stress is in the log.

scsmith42 · « **Reply #6 on:** February 09, 2012, 06:01:31 am »

+1 for Ron and Jake's comments.

It is wise to mill wide boards thicker than normal in order to provide ample room for post-drying flattening. For a 20" board, I'll add 50% over and above normal if it is flat or rift sawn, 25%" if it is quartersawn.

Said differently, I'll mill a 20" wide FS board at 1-1/2" if I want to yield 4/4 from it, 1-1/4 for QS.

FeltzE · « **Reply #7 on:** February 09, 2012, 06:17:47 am »

No point in sawing more than 2 inches wider than your planer capability.

I''ve had good luck with wide poplar, but go ahead and split any of the boards within about3 inches of the pith as they may just split on their own if you don't relieve the stress before they dry

eric

terrifictimbersllc · « **Reply #8 on:** February 09, 2012, 06:45:59 am »

YP is one of the easiest woods to saw wide & flat. It also works and finishes well. Wide has customer appeal whether it makes sense or not. One can always rip, work and re-join a wide board to take out the cup without sacrificing a lot of thickness.

WDH · « **Reply #9 on:** February 09, 2012, 07:19:26 am »

I would think thicker like Scott said, and on the really wide stuff, leave the live edge on. If you or a customer wants to take it off later, it is easy to do. However, the thicker plank and the live edge will conjure up all kinds of neat uses in peoples heads when they see them. Also, leaving the live edge on will allow to get the absolute maximum width of the center boards in the log. I have found that the thicker and wider live edge stuff sells.

You can cut the wide stuff from the center third of the log leaving the live edge on, then take the two other thirds, the top and the bottom, turn them 90 degrees, and get almost all rift and quarter sawn material. With logs this big, you will still get some nice wide quarter sawn boards out of the top and bottom thirds.

If you leave the bark on the live edge pieces instead of peeling it off, you can spray the boards with a borate solution to keep any bugs at bay.

Qweaver · « **Reply #10 on:** February 09, 2012, 07:52:56 am »

I first started sawing to build a cabin. I had no idea what I was doing. I made a lot of 16" to 20" wide poplar sawn 1.125" thick that I used for decking and sheathing. Many/most of the wide boards cupped so badly that I had to saw them in half in place and they were still a problem. Now, I rarely saw poplar more than 8" to 10" wide. You may be able to saw wide quarter sawn that will stay pretty straight as long as you stay a couple inches away from the pith. I usually just cut through the pith and then split the board when I resaw.

WDH · « **Reply #11 on:** February 09, 2012, 07:57:48 am »

I also leave the pith in the wide center boards. The pith section holds the two halves together to facilitate straight drying of the board. Then, you can cut it out when you use the board.

Okrafarmer · « **Reply #12 on:** February 09, 2012, 08:12:01 am »

My planing contractor has a 30" planer.

I will go through the stack and have the widest ones put on the bottom. They are likely to air dry, stickered, for a month or two before going in the kiln. This professional kiln dries yp on a daily basis, as well as other species, so I will check with them before milling to see what they say, too.

It would be easy enough to resaw out the pith. I was thinking about doing that anyway. But I could leave it if you think it's better. Should we stack any pith boards with rings smile-side up, or frown-side up?

And about that borate solution, where do you get it, and what is it called if you go looking for it?

This is my 1,000th post!

Tree Feller · « **Reply #13 on:** February 09, 2012, 09:37:57 am »

I use Timbor http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/timbor-p-144.html

I would stack the flat sawn boards bark side down. I would also rip the pith out of the center milled boards. That will render two quartersawn boards as well as getting rid of the unstable pith.

rwthom279 · « **Reply #14 on:** February 09, 2012, 09:39:01 am »

A fella I know does cabinets, and he was giving me some pointers when I first bought my mill. He advised to leave poplar 2x as thick as the unfinished boards needed to be, dry, and then resaw/plane. He told some horror stories, and then found this to be the best way to reduce cupping, twist, etc. and gain the most finished lumber. Made sense to me, but I don't build cabinets either.

Dodgy Loner · « **Reply #15 on:** February 09, 2012, 10:33:36 am »

Quote from: FeltzE on February 09, 2012, 06:17:47 am

No point in sawing more than 2 inches wider than your planer capability.

That's why I have a planer with unlimited planing capacity. Best of all, it was given to me for free by a fellow who didn't use it any more

terrifictimbersllc · « **Reply #16 on:** February 09, 2012, 11:54:39 am »

Quote from: Dodgy Loner on February 09, 2012, 10:33:36 am

That's why I have a planer with unlimited planing capacity.
(Image hidden from quote, click to view.)

Magicman · « **Reply #17 on:** February 09, 2012, 04:18:07 pm »

I wuz lookin for da cord where ya plug dat sucker in.

terrifictimbersllc · « **Reply #18 on:** February 09, 2012, 05:20:25 pm »

It's here: http://www.amazon.com/503-Porter-Cable-Heavy-Duty-Sander-Dust/dp/B0049YW1V4
Would you look at that price! Glad I got mine 20 years ago.

Okrafarmer · « **Reply #19 on:** February 09, 2012, 07:32:27 pm »

We winched the logs out today.

I was so busy I forgot to take any pix of the process. $:-\$

The smallest diameter log on there came from a different tree. There were several logs from the big one that did not go on this load, including the 8-footer the chainsaw was on in the original picture. That one we took with miscellaneous pallet logs and smaller saw logs to sell at the big production mill nearby.

You can see the base of the butt log. There is some rot, but lots of useable wood. Over 1200 bf on that load.

WDH · « **Reply #20 on:** February 09, 2012, 09:35:27 pm »

Solubor is the same stuff as Timbor, but is labeled as a fertilizer additive for boron. It has the exact same active ingredient and in the same concentration. But, it is about 2/3rds the cost of Timbor, which is labeled as an insecticide and fungicide. 50#'s of Solubor costs a little less than $50. You get it at an Ag Chemical supply store or store that sells seed, fertilizer and herbicides to farmers. Mix one pound of Solubor to one gallon of water and spray it on the boards until they are totally wet.

Those big logs scream for thick wide center cuts with the live edge!

Magicman · « **Reply #21 on:** February 10, 2012, 07:32:27 am »

Quote from: WDH on February 09, 2012, 09:35:27 pm

Those big logs scream for thick wide center cuts with the live edge!

I distinctly heard one calling for the Magicman to "please come and saw me......please.

Okrafarmer · « **Reply #22 on:** February 10, 2012, 09:10:12 am »

Listen, folks, we have many more of those logs if people want to come buy them. I can arrange that all day long. Sometimes bigger than these. I can arrange it. If you'd like to pay around $400 / bf I can make it happen, no problem! We only got around to these ones because we were being paid to haul them off!

Seriously, MM, I would be happy to meet up with you sometime. Maybe one day I could bring you a truckload of logs that I have that you don't have, and you could load me up with things I don't have in abundance-- cypress, maybe....

Magicman · « **Reply #23 on:** February 10, 2012, 02:14:10 pm »

Meeting would be wonderful but unfortunately, I do not have Cypress, I just saw customer's logs. When the time comes you just come hungry and you can load up with "Crisped Chickin".

Okrafarmer · « **Reply #24 on:** February 11, 2012, 12:59:40 am »

If I'm ever headed that way, I'll see if I can come on down and split a grit with you!

Migal · « **Reply #25 on:** February 11, 2012, 03:44:10 am »

Hmm did someone say chicken!!!

slider · « **Reply #26 on:** February 11, 2012, 07:44:30 am »

depending on what you are using the wood for,you could save the kiln charges by just air drying it.popular dries quiet fast .i just cut some for my neighbor.we stacked and stickered it under the shelter .in 6 weeks it was light as a feather.most of it was 1 in stuff.the boards on top cupped somewhat but the rest came out quiet well.the widest board was 16in.

Okrafarmer · « **Reply #27 on:** February 11, 2012, 10:49:53 am »

Kiln drying is quite cheap here, so I am goijng to have it KD so that I am able to tell the buyers it is KD, which seems to be important to some people. I talked to the kiln people yesterday, and they said drying extra wide 4/4 boards is no problem whatsoever for them, they do it frequently and with no problems.

WDH · « **Reply #28 on:** February 11, 2012, 09:13:48 pm »

Al,

I have had the same experience with poplar drying very fast. None of that "one year to the inch" old wives tale.

Okrafarmer · « **Reply #29 on:** February 11, 2012, 10:53:16 pm »

I don't think I've been told a year to the inch for poplar. I was told that was the case for oak and certain other heavy hardwoods, but that some such as poplar, maple, and so on dry more quickly.

WDH · « **Reply #30 on:** February 11, 2012, 10:58:27 pm »

Not the case for "one inch" anything in Georgia, even white oak. The moisture meter does not lie.

taw6243 · « **Reply #31 on:** February 11, 2012, 11:05:25 pm »

I cut and sell 2" thick and natural edge as wide as you can cut $2.00 / Board foot. It's used for bartops and table tops. Just resaw it flat after it cups on the sawmill again.

Okrafarmer · « **Reply #32 on:** February 12, 2012, 12:02:47 am »

Nice looking wood, taw

taw6243 · « **Reply #33 on:** February 12, 2012, 03:41:06 am »

Thank-you Okrafarmer, that is Northern White pine that I cut 19' 9" long, some were 25" on wide end and 17" on narrow end and 2" thick.

Tim

BBK · « **Reply #34 on:** February 13, 2012, 11:53:33 am »

I cut and sawed a bit over 10 MBF of yellow poplar in the mid 90's for a log cabin outfit to use for board and batten gables. They wanted 15" width on the boards and 4" on the battens and were not going to plane. We used anchor seal on the logs as we got them to the mill and had very good results with hardly any checks or splits. Stacked, stickerd and air dried for 3 months befor they picked up the order. They had an outfit in western Maryland finish the drying.

dail_h · « **Reply #35 on:** February 13, 2012, 06:30:09 pm »

Hey Okra,
Is that a "Big Stick" loader on ur truck

Okrafarmer · « **Reply #36 on:** February 13, 2012, 10:07:13 pm »

I've been told so, but it looks rather home-made to me. We were just fixing it again tonight. $:-\$

See the thread someone started recently called, I think, "cable logging truck" or something like that, in which they were asking about it and we have been discussing this and other cable-hoist log trucks.

WIwoodworker · « **Reply #37 on:** February 14, 2012, 12:07:26 am »

Nice logs. The trick to wide stock is to be patient and dry slowly. Air dry first and then pop it in the kiln. I'm currently drying 24" wide Ash, 20" wide Catalpa, 16" wide White Oak, and 16" wide Spalted Maple. No cupping. Good luck with your wood.

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Author Topic: Extra wide boards-- yellow poplar and others (Read 1342 times)