sawing up a curved log

[Dan_Shade]

Any suggestions on how to saw up the log in the background here?

it's got a pretty strong curve to it, I was going to try to quarter it pretty close to the center, but now I'm thinking I may be better off cutting the "humps" off and going from there.  suggestions?

I have to hack it up with my chainsaw so that I can load it.

[Fla._Deadheader]

  Kinda hard to tell from the pic, but, when we get a curved log, we flat saw it through and through. Makes curved table slabs and bench slabs to match. We never have any laying around.  : ;D ;D ;D  Ya gotta be careful on the first cut, to get it flat as possible, while scootin it around so the sawhead will pass by. Once ya got a flat place, just saw and scoot.  8) :D :D

[Dan_Shade]

i really can't do that, my saw will only take a 28" wide log, this thing is 43"...

second problem is getting it onto my trailer in the first place, it's way too big for my rudimentary setup to load and unload

I'll figure something out, I guess I'm tired of messing with this thing, big trees are nice, but what a hassle!

[Fla._Deadheader]

  Yup, yer right about that. ;D :D :D :D

[Cedarman]

What about cutting it in half and making short lumber?

[Arthur]

I would slab that log all the way through and be making curved tables with it.  The grain would be amazing and being a good solid log you should get a far greater return on you time and effort.

If your not into the final products yourself find a local carpenter and do a deal with them.  You could also but the slabs up on ebay and see what you can get for each.

arthur

[sigidi]

Send it my way Dan,

my slabbing bar on the Lucas will love to open that baby up for ya, by the looks of it probably get out 18 or 19 slabs ;)

Over here I could make some great tables as mentioned and flog off each table for around $350-$500AUS

[music_boy]

     Hey Dan,
           I'd be interested in giving it a try. I've got an Lt 40HD and my mill is sitting at a friend of mines house in New Market St. Mary's County. You could bring it there, or I could come to you.  ;D
            The more stuff like that I saw, the better I'll be at it. I'm off weekends and I will most likely be off the last week in Feb till the 7th of March ;D
Rick

[Tom]

Sometimes, unless you have a market, logs like that should be considered firewood.

Now, I don't mean that I wouldn't try it.  It's just that big logs can damage a mill and big and crooked logs can hurt you.

I wouldl tak a chainsaw to it and round it up as best I could.  Then I would cut it cut it into pieces, with the chainsaw, that would fit the mill.  I've spent days preparing a log like that.  I know hhow you feel challenged.  DanG, I hate a smart log. :D

[Buzz-sawyer]

I have a bent 10' steel I beam right now....do to playing with 5000# pin oak.....36 at the small end 12 feet long...NOT easily cant hooked or horsed around!!
I would consider cutting your gem in half to make cabinet wood shorts....that would minimize curve and lumbar distress 8) 8)

[Ianab]

Interesting the different takes on the log from different parts of the world. I'm with the Aussie's on this one, set up the swingblade or slabber around the log and have at it. Of course thats not an unusual log for us so our mills are designed with that sort of thing in mind.  Realistically the local advice of chainsawing it into shorts then quartering those with chainsaw are probably the best idea. Thats going to give you managable chunks that you can q-saw on your mill.

Either that or slice it up for firewood  :D

Ian

[iain]

If you cant saw it through and through following the curve, split it with your chain saw to look at the grain, then section it to get the best looking panels, but still cut through and through to have sweeping curved grain, and KEEP them boards in the order they come off, so its easier to sort for book matching saw at 3/4 or 1" depending on how stressed it is



  iain

[Fla._Deadheader]

  Alright, we sawed 4--2" slabs of Magnolia a while back, from a curved log. It was 10' long, and the "Curve" was 14" off the floor, standing the boards on the edge, curve up. Did a little hand planing, cause the blade dipped a little, and sold all 4 to the same guy for $150.00 each. Took 4 hours. I would find a slabber guy.  ;D ;D ;D

[Dan_Shade]

I'm hoping to get back over there one evening this week (stupid work getting in the way of important stuff!)

my current plan is to cut it in half long ways with my chainsaw, then free-eye maybe one big slab so I can make a table, but it forks at the end so the grain may be all crazy in that part, i'll have to see...

I've never seen a curved table, a friend of mine's G/F lived in California for a while she said she's seen a few, I guess they're more popular out there.

after that, I'll probably cut it all in half at the curve and just saw it up into short pieces.

I sawed up a chunk of one of the branches today.  I've heard of "shake" in branches,at what point can you see if that will be a problem or not?

Rick, thanks for the offer, but at this point, I'm gonna get that log moved one way or the other, even if I have to burn it and move the ashes in a bucket!  I've been talking to Mark some in PMs, I'll have to get together with you guys one of these days when I have some time to check out your operation.

[Fla._Deadheader]

  Looking at the end of the log or limb, if it has a "Ring" or partial "Ring" showing a space between the growth rings, that's shake. If it is a complete circle, It will not be good, unless you can saw inside or outside the ring to get good solid boards. The ring will seperate and make 3 boards if you saw through the ring.

  Clear as mud ???  ;D ;D ;D

[Tom]

.............or you can make a table top with the missing rings on the bottom (it makes a trough) and tell folks that you  did that on purpose to lighten the weight of the slab.  That way the table can be moved easier. ;D

...............or you can leave the trough on the top and tell people that it is a new way of serving salad at a banquet.  You fill the trough on the table with salad and everybody uses it to fill theri bowl.  That way it serves as a table salad and a center piece all at the same time. :D

..............or you designate this as a "Crab Table".  The boiled crabs are dumped in the trough for everyone to pick from and everybody gets a pail to out their shells in. :D

Gotta keep the mind open if yer goin' to market. :D :D :D

[Dan_Shade]

haha, the crab table would certainly work around here!

so the shake is visable as soon as you saw the log? or does it appear in drying?

[Minnesota_boy]

I sawed a (straight) oak into table slabs and assembled them in reverse of what they were on the mill (top piece went on the bottom) with stickers between the pieces but since they were to be moved at least once, I numbered all the pieced on the end so that they could always be kept the same.  Makes it easier if you want to bookmatch them to make a wider table because you don't have to guess which piece was next to what/

[wiam]

Dan the shake is usually visible from rhe end before sawing the log, but if not the board will fall apart coming off the mill.

Will

[Furby]

Dan,
That log would make great table slabs, using a chainsaw mill.
I've got a couple a little bigger to cut myself. Just picked up the metal for the mill on Fri. Just need to get it together now.
I would look for someone close who can cut those slabs for ya. Might be well worth it. It makes it a lot easier to load as well! ;)

[Tom]

Limbs aren't more prone to shake than trunks.  Matter of fact, the bottom of the trunk is where I see most shake.  Shake is ring separation.  I'm not a bio chemist but have been told that a bacterial infection in the tree is responsible for the weakness between rings and movement causes them to separate.

What you will see in limbs is a lot of compression/tension (reaction)wood. you can identify it by off-center pith.  This phenomena is caused by the tree trying to "right" the member by putting on larger cells on the bottom than on the top.  This wood is generally more brittle than regular wood and may have an orange color in southern yellow pine.


You can saw decent boards from wood like this, sometimes, but don't mix the two types of wood. (tension and compression)

[ronwood]

Tom.

Could you clarify your following quote?

You can saw decent boards from wood like this, sometimes, but don't mix the two types of wood. (tension and compression)

Thanks
Ron

[Paul_H]

Here is a good link.

Tension&Compression

[Tom]

Thanks Paul,
I was away looking for that picture too. :D

I have misled in the above statement to indicate that the two designations of Reaction wood are found in the same stick.  As this old post states, they are two terms to define reaction wood in hardwood and softwood.

To clarify what I was trying to say, don't combine the wide grain of the bottom of the limb and the narrower grain of the top of the limb in the same board. Keep these two configurations in their own board and you will end up with a more controllable  movement in the board.
                               

[ellmoe]

[  Matter of fact, the bottom of the trunk is where I see most shake.  Shake is ring separation. 

Several years ago we had a large order of 1x12x8 cypress. We had just brought in some wood from Waldo (where's Waldo? ;D) , Florida. The bottom cut of each log was just big enough for this order. I had to leave the mill, and left instructions to cut eight feet offthe butt off of each log and to saw this order. When I returned I had 8000bf of 1x12x6! Almost every log of this size in that swamp  had ring shake in the bottom two feet.  Guessing at the age of the trees and looking at a pattern of broken tops, I figured that a major wind had hit the swamp, stressing all of these trees. After taking this hit ,we allowed two additional feet of "trim" and successfully cut the eight foot order.
Mark