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Quarter Sawing - my first attempt

Started by Darrel, December 03, 2015, 11:45:58 PM

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Darrel

I had a black oak log that was about 12' long and about 26" in diameter on the small end.  It was pretty straight so I decided to try my luck at quarter sawing it.  Got some nice tiger striping.  But just look at the discrepancy in thickness.



I cut a small flat on 4 sides, quartered the log and then took 6/4 slices from the bottom, flipping the cant after each cut to maximize on the vertical grain. One of the quarters moved quite a bit.  I could see it moving with each cut.  One quarter moved but not nearly as much and in the other two I could detect no movement.

I doubt there is anything I could have done differently but if anyone has any suggestions I'd be glad to hear it.

Thanks
1992 LT40HD

If I don't pick myself up by my own bootstraps, nobody else will.

fishfighter

Maybe use some chock blocks next time. You can always plan those boards down to size.

OffGrid973

Curious about taking cuts from the bottom, is this a usual technique as first time I read about it.  I am a newbie so apologize if this is a basic question but on a manual mill (lt-10 for me) this could hurt the arms.
Your Fellow Woodworker,
- Off Grid

Outer Rondacker

Its a fast way to cut the same thickness without adding. Nothing wrong with it as long as the cant is sitting flat.

Darrel

Quote from: cwimer973 on December 04, 2015, 01:12:17 PM
Curious about taking cuts from the bottom, is this a usual technique as first time I read about it.  I am a newbie so apologize if this is a basic question but on a manual mill (lt-10 for me) this could hurt the arms.

As Outer Rondacker says, it is faster in that you don't have to prop up the quarter log (cant) as it looks like you had to do in your profile pic.  But when internal stress is relieved during a cut and the cant bends, it won't sit flat on the mill bed.  If you flip it over and prop it up on the narrow edge, the cant still has a bow in it and the saw still cuts straight so propping it up is still a waste of time in my opinion.

I flip the cant between each cut because the grain stays vertical longer if I do it that way.  Also I noticed that flipping the cant helped prevent movement in successive cuts.
1992 LT40HD

If I don't pick myself up by my own bootstraps, nobody else will.

scsmith42

If you remove all of the sapwood before quartering the lot (and 8 sided works better than 4 sided), then you will encounter less movement of the quarters during milling.
Peterson 10" WPF with 65' of track
Smith - Gallagher dedicated slabber
Tom's 3638D Baker band mill
and a mix of log handling heavy equipment.

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