Need advice 1/4 sawing 3"X12" beams for fleck

[flip]

A local high-end furniture builder is commissioned to build some sort of furniture for a guy.  Catch is the buyer wants his own wood used (some sort of sentimental value wood).  I guess it's going to be mission or Stickley style so 1/4 white oak it will be.  The guy is supplying the 3"X12"X10' beams.  He has them pre marked (parallel with the rays) to get the best fleck.  He wants as many 1/4 slices as we can get, no prob.  How can I hold theis thing so the blade won't try to spiral the wood or pull the beam off the deck, any idears??

P.S.-Need help ASAP, he wants to saw in about 2 hours. ???

[ely]

i think i don't understand, are you sawing the beams into 1/4 inch thick boards. and if you are why can't you just clamp them in the mill and get to sawing them.

[Tom]

Flip,

Can't say.  

Your Timiberking should be able to grasp the boards if they are on 90^o.

If the wood has already been cut into boards and dried, the problem will, more likely, be that you can't get the board to lay flat on the mill.    You will first have to create a flat surface on the board so that you will have a reference between the sawmill and the board.   That being said, he won't get the total footage from the stuff as he might expect.

[flip]

I have not seen the timbers but from what I gather is that his markings on the end of the timbers is where he wants the cuts, not parallel to the deck at 90.  If you can imagine, the rectangular timber the marks are more diagonal to the deck.  He thinks we will end up with a 4, 6 and 8" wide by 1/4 boards for veneering.  The TK clamp only goes about 6" above the deck so I'm not sure how to clamp it so it won't move.  Screws and wedges? ???

Flip

[Tom]

I have, many times, used a wood jig to hold something at an errant angle, and clamped the jig.  By using a wood jig, you can cut the product and the jig without hurting the saw. 

This fellow seems to be more attuned to shop work than sawmills.  What he is asking isn't impossible, but your saw wasn't made to do it.  Most folks that propose jobs like this don't give any thought to whether you can accomplish the task.


If he has drawn lines at different angles all over the end of the timber, then all I can say is, I wish you luck and hope you have the patience of Job. 

In trying to stabilize the timber, stay away from metal fasteners that would hurt your blade unless it is the only way you can see to do the job.  Also realize that what you are doing is "Art" and he'll just have to wait until you can invent something that will work.

[MemphisLogger]

Did you do it, Flip?

[flip]

Yep.  One timber we had to hold, literally at a 35 degree angle.  We put a 2x4 under one side and had to hold it down with our hands.  I know, don't give me a hard time, I know it was bad.  We flipped it and put a 1/4" shim under the stop side and I was able to use the spide to hold the wood for a few cuts.  All in all about an hours work after he knew how it had to be done.

The guy's name is Keith Fritz.  We went to his shop last night and snooped around.  Most of his stuff is sold to clients in D.C., Virginia and the east coast.  I guess they live differently than I do because I would NOT pay $6-$15,000. for dining room tables (no chairs of course).  He has definitely found a niche and seems to be doing well.  A piece of his was in the white house when the Clintons were in office and he was featured the other day on HGTV "I want that".  Hope I can do work for him and get to sneak into his shop and learn from him, oh, and he's only 28.3

Thanks for the help guys.

Flip

[Dana]

28.3?

[MemphisLogger]

The guy's name is Keith Fritz.  We went to his shop last night and snooped around.  Most of his stuff is sold to clients in D.C., Virginia and the east coast.  I guess they live differently than I do because I would NOT pay $6-$15,000. for dining room tables (no chairs of course). 

Good show, Flip--I hope you charged him a percentage of his commission  ;) :D

Seriously, it's funny how many "niche" furniture makers there are that get that kinda money for stuff and it's funnier how much of its made from ply, mdf and laminates. I've had a few stop by here for natural edge material or big thick slabs when requested and they seem confused or unknowing about designing/working with real wood. 

I've even got one "high end" guy that pays me shoprate to handplane big slab tops for him since he doesn't know how to use a plane even though he owns several real nice Nielsons  ???

   

[flip]

Typo.

Most of his stuff is veneered.  I couldn't believe it.  I figured I'd see hand planes, chisels, joinery tools etc...  Saw lots of plywood and mdf in the vacuum presses. I guess good marketing gets good prices.  Check the site out and see some of his stuff.

www.keithfritz.com