Saving a big red oak

[terrifictimbersllc]

I am tired but what fun it was. Just finished milling, stacking and end-coating lumber from a big red oak using swing mill, chain slabber, and bandsaw.   Every chain I own is dull, my fuel tanks empty and my pockets full of sawdust.  Don't want to think about the inside of my truck.   A little under 100 miles from home, 8 days of work, 4 round trips including 5 overnights, and 7 gallons of Anchorseal. The tree was about 4-1/2 feet DBH, cut into two 11-1/2 foot logs, with the second having a crotch at the top. And all the branches too, down to about 1 ft diameter.  Emphasis was on natural edge slabs, QS wood, and getting crotch grain wherever possible.  Descriptions on top of each photo.  Hope you enjoy this as much as I did.  ;D : 8) 8) 8)  I am taking a week off.

Setup over the butt log.


  

Quartersawing out the top center 1-3/8 x 10" boards, and 2.5" rift sawn out of the right and left upper corners.  Now I know what that long handle on the Peterson is for and how tight the belts need to be to power 10" vertical cuts with 30HP. I also know how to completely align the saw on-site and what it takes to make accurately sawn lumber like this.  For about 3 hours at the beginning of this operation, I would have sold this mill to the next person I met, but now I am looking forward to the next job like this. Amazing to have perfectly sized 10 x 1-3/8 x 11-1/2'boards with the vertical criss-cross on each face. Simply amazing!  If only I could still lift one.  :


 

Underside of the slabs makes a great photo opportunity, the sun doesn't dry off the wood before a photo can be taken.  A little nervous walking underneath!
 

 

There was only soft metal lightning protection in the butt log even though it grew about 15 ft from the house.  I'm glad for my Rens 4000 which didn't pick up anything and let me talk my customer into keeping this log whole.
 

 

Lumber from the butt log. About 550 board feet of 5/4 x 10 (1-3/8") and 2.5", and 300 square feet in 7 slabs.
 

 

Second log had a crotch at the top which I positioned horizontal and began to saw 3" slabs. I knew there would be metal and it was a matter of when, not if.
 

 

Slabbing was brought to a halt when these 3 attempted cuts failed.  Looking in the kerf with a flashlight exposed the problems:   both steel cable and steel bolts.
 

 

The log half was ripped vertically on a chalk line. After 2.5 hours of chain and hack saw work, victory!   Two 3/4" threaded rods 18 feet above the ground, were holding this crotch together.   I was very glad to find my dad's 60 year old Craftsman hack saw in my tool box.   Next time a cordless Sawzall with Milwaukee's longest bi-metal blade. Would be nice to have a 3 foot long hacksaw in the style of a panel saw.
 

 

Here is half of one of the steel rods.   A combination of various sawing methods    were used to saw the quarters from the lower half into some great quarter-sawn and crotch lumber.    Some boards ended up shorter.   : :
 

 

There was very nice crotch wood in some of the large branches.   This one was "Petersoned".  Others were "Wood-Mizered".
 

 

Stacks of wide crotch boards.   Altogether 5 major stack "footprints".
 

 

Thanks for reading.

[Bibbyman]

Yousers!  Too much work for me! 

[terrifictimbersllc]

I thought of you several times.  I was wearing Filson double tin cloth bibs.   They're great especially when slinging around Anchorseal.  You just wipe the mess on the bibs which are supposed to be recoated periodically with wax, anyway.  Turned a few heads when walking into the motel lobby.  After the first day, I decided to change into bibs and boots at the work site.  Wonder what the cleaning person thought of the trail of sawdust in my room.

[Magicman]

It sounds like you had a very challenging but rewarding week.  Thanks for carrying us along.

That "soft metal lightning protection" was a new one to me.  I guess the thought was that lightning was going to streak through the sky at 186,282 miles per second, see those spikes, and turn and go another way  ???   :

[Silver_Eagle]

Awesome photo's, great work. Thank you for sharing.

[customsawyer]

I am tired just reading this. Great story and pics. Some times we get into a log and it becomes more of a mission and we have to finish to win. ;D In your case as long as you came out okay on financial end and the customer was happy then it is a good deal.

[red oaks lumber]

after reading your weeklong journey, i have to take tommorrow off just to rest up ;D your determiation to get the metal out is amazing. i would have started cussin till the log was thrown in the scrap pile :D :D
good job!!

[Axe Handle Hound]

The sweat equity in that lumber must be incredible.   I love the grain in that first photo.  Looks like the beginnings of a fantastic table top to me. 

[terrifictimbersllc]

It sounds like you had a very challenging but rewarding week.  Thanks for carrying us along.

That "soft metal lightning protection" was a new one to me.  I guess the thought was that lightning was going to streak through the sky at 186,282 miles per second, see those spikes, and turn and go another way  ???   :

There was a lot of 3/8" copper cable made out of about 16 ga wires going from the ground to the top of the tree, held in the bark by these spikes.  I think these 3" brass-like soft metal spikes were allowed to remain in the tree and were overgrown,  but the cable was moved periodically.  It was embedded in the much higher branches but none in the main stem. 

[Magicman]

OK, I got it.  That was simply the attachment.  I was trying to make it some sort of a divining spike or something.   ???

[LOGDOG]

Great thread and pics. Love the fusion of the two types of milling. That vertical grain is amazing!

[WDH]

That wavy grain is awesome!  I love it  ;D.  Results like that are why we do what we do.

[fat olde elf]

Wow !!

[thecfarm]

What a job!! What is the customer going to do with all the slabs and lumber?

[terrifictimbersllc]

What a job!! What is the customer going to do with all the slabs and lumber?

Fine woodworking projects I believe.

[customsawyer]

I am still tired.  ;D

[talldog]

Awesome pics.Hope you weren't getting paid by the board foot.

[cutterboy]

That grain is amazing! I love it! But now I'm tired too.

[Okrafarmer]

That's why I wants a swing mill.  ;)

[terrifictimbersllc]

That's why I wants a swing mill.  ;)

So you can be tired too... : : :

[Piston]

Great pics and some great lumber after a hard days...errr..weeks work.  Just goes to show you that not one mill can do it all! 

Looks like I need another one now.  :D