Deciding what boards to cut from a log

[jrose1970]

Hey folks!
  When I cut 12 15" x 1" boards from a 22" log, I questioned myself it that was the wisest choice.
How do you all decide what to cut from  a log? Just wondering.  Also, if you could give me some tips on deciding how to get the biggest cant.
Thanks!

[beenthere]

Get the biggest log.  8)

[Brad_bb]

What to cut is a question only you can answer.  The question is, what are you most likely to have a use for, or be able to sell.  Also examine the wood after the first cut and make sure if you're making slabs or boards or whatever, that you don't have any defects that will not be good for that use.  If you do, see an issue, you can change what you're making to get the best use out of what you are sawing.  For example, if you're trying to cut 3" brace stock but you run into rot, or an ant nest or something, you may have to then cut boards and then cut the defect out of the board making narrower but use-able boards.


How to get the biggest cant?  Maybe a framing square on the end to draw lines after centering the log for cutting?  Then make 1 inch boards down to that line to use for either stickers(outer pieces) or boards.  If you end up with wane on the small end that you don't like, you can cut another board off and make a smaller cant.

To calculate the largest inscribed square in a circle:

Assuming you have a true circle...
1. Take the diameter and square it.
2. Divide that by 2
3. Take the square root of that number

What you get is the length of one side of the square.  Draw it with the framing square on the log if you need to.  You could also skip the math and use the square and do it by eye.

[Nomad]

     A ball park figure for a square cant, assuming the log is straight and round, is 2/3 the diameter of the small end, inside the bark.  Not exact, but close enough 99% of the time.

[Den-Den]

I don't have a lot of experience sawing, you may get better answers.
I make up a list (not always written down) of desired sizes and cut the larger sizes whenever I see an opportunity.  The smaller sizes are easy to get from whatever won't make the big stuff.

[jrose1970]

Thanks very much! That's a good idea to keep a list of what you need and take the biggest one when you can.  I guess it was common sense, but sometimes it helps to ask the simple questions. So a 15" cant is what I should have got. I bet it is easy to lose money if you mess your cant up and get one that is too small.

[Nomad]

     Jrose, it depends on what you want.  You can get wider boards than that, but it won't be a square cant.  It all depends on what you want to get from the log.  A square cant to slice up isn't always the answer.

[WDH]

I saw to sell, and the wider boards are always the most in demand.  I have made a lot of furniture, and it is common practice for me to glue up boards.  Not so with many people.  Instead of gluing up two 6" boards to get a 12" width, they want "instant" 12" width.  it takes a 18" log to get more than just a few 12" boards.

So, on many species, I cut for the widest, best grade.  To maximize width, you can saw thru and thru, then edge all the boards.  This maximizes the board width from the log.  However, you need an edger to make that work, and you will not maximize grade, and a lot of value is determined by grade.

One thing that I learned from Yellowhammer is to charge a premium for wide boards.  I add an up-charge for hardwood furniture grade boards that are wider than 10", then another up-charge for boards wider than 12". 

However, there is always a trade off between maximum width and grade.  So, there will some compromises unless the log is totally clear.  Sometimes it is hard to figure out what customers will want.  Sometimes I saw some widths and thicknesses, and the boards sit and sit and do not sell.  Then, along comes someone that is looking just for that. 

If the grade is good, I also add an up-charge for thicker boards.  For example, if I can sell a board for a unit price of 1 in a 4/4 thickness, I add 1.5 times that amount for the same grade board in 8/4 thickness.  In the high value hardwoods like walnut, that can make a huge $ difference.  I get calls ALL THE TIME (like today) for 8/4 walnut.  I cannot keep it in stock if the grade is #1 common or better.  But remember, I am just a small guy, not a large producer, that sells into the retail market for woodworkers and hobbyists.  The commercial guys play a different game altogether. 

[jrose1970]

Great advice! I thought maybe you could get a premium for wider boards.
A friend of mine took down and old barn for the lumber to finish the inside of his basement. He found an 18" 1X!! That was a big ol' tree! It is a conversation starter for sure.
He said that you can't find boards like that.
Thanks again!

[tmarch]

Great advice! I thought maybe you could get a premium for wider boards.
A friend of mine took down and old barn for the lumber to finish the inside of his basement. He found an 18" 1X!! That was a big ol' tree! It is a conversation starter for sure.
He said that you can't find boards like that.
Thanks again!

Anything over 12" is worth more $ and anything over 15 is worth more $ and so on.  I slab most of my logs to get wider boards and only edge the smaller stuff.  The wider live edge is special and worth a special price.

[WDH]

You can always edge off a live edge board for a customer, but you cannot put the live edge back on 6 months later , 

[WV Sawmiller]

"I make up a list (not always written down) of desired sizes and cut the larger sizes whenever I see an opportunity.  The smaller sizes are easy to get from whatever won't make the big stuff."

Den-Den's quote above is pretty much in line with what I do to. I tend to put the log on the mill, align with any main heart/pith checks parallel to the deck and make my first cut. Throw rounded edge on the slab pile then use my accuset to come down in one inch slices till I get to solid/squared off wood. Save the slices/flitches to edge for 1X lumber or cut into stacking strips. Rotate 90 or 180 degrees and repeat till I get a decent cant then either cut wide boards or make smaller cants the width of the boards I'm looking for. Rotate and clamp my cants together (where possible) then slice into lumber till gone.

    I don't know that this is significantly different than what most of us do.

[LittleJohn]

Once had a monster white pine on the mill, and the old man was slabbing off 1x22s.     You heard me right 4/4 x 22" wide, I asked him what he was doing and he said cutting boards; I can always rip them down later if I need a smaller one. ;D

This is the same man who building drawers out of a single 12" or 14" pine board

[AnthonyW]

I don't know that this is significantly different than what most of us do.

I'm glad to see my technique is not completely wrong. As I have been milling a lot of pine, if it is clear it is 1x. If it doesn't make good 1x then the log becomes 2x.

[WV Sawmiller]

Anthony,

   I didn't say what I do is right just the way I do it till I learn better.

   I am sure others are much more far-sighted than I am and one other thing I do as I am cutting down on my cant is watch the scale. I may get close to the bottom and realize, due to kerf, I can't get 2 full size 1Xs but I can stop with one good 2X, I may do that. Also if the cant starts rising on me I may flip it and cut a thin sliver off as a trim cut to try to relieve some stress. (I probably don't do that often enough).

    Good luck to all.

[SawyerBrown]

Same thing here, WV. Except as a custom cutter many times they want all 4/4, for example, so I'm  starting to figure out where I'm going to end up as the cant starts to take shape. As long as the cant stays straight, I'll get it down to the desired board width on the "sides" and then put the best face down so it's the last board off. This puts any defects/wane on the sides or top. Then trim off whatever needed to end up with the right thickness on the last board.

By the way, it took me a while to figure that out.  As a simple example, if I'm cutting exactly 1" boards, I set the head to drop 1 1/8" to account for kerf. But there's no kerf on the last board!  So if your cant is, say, 9 1/4", you might think you set your first cut at 9" (1 1/8" x 8 ) but in fact you set it at 8 7/8" (and I usually bump it up another 1/32" just to be safe ...). Hope that makes sense. (Of course, about half way down, the customer decides he wants 6/4 instead ...  :  )