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Pine beams

Started by dhp3228, January 21, 2016, 05:23:40 PM

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dhp3228

Will y'all give me some advice on sawing long pine beams say 17' or so. Specifically what to do with the heart? Box it in, cut it in half or allow it do be close to an edge I'm sorry I can't give better dimensions. Thanks for the help.

ncsawyer

For best results I would try to center the heart as much as possible.  You will want to start with a log that has the pith centered on both ends and cut boards from each side of your beam/log as you saw your cant down to size.  This will help to alleviate any stress in the log as you cut, so you have a nice uniform beam.  If you slab the log heavy and just make 4 cuts to get your beam, it will be inconsistent from one end to the other if there is any stress in the log at all. 
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beenthere

Box it in on both ends and cross your fingers that it (pith) runs pretty straight between the ends. Takes a straight tree from the beginning through its years before harvesting.
south central Wisconsin
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drobertson

done it, a pile of them, all sorts of ways, some will hold, others will not, no way of telling before your start as far as I can tell. there is some reading of the logs from experience, and the size has effects, in regards to the width and thickness for sure, but here again, no way to guarantee straightness after drying occurs.  Box centering is the most consistent for sure, but allows for a pile of outside lumber if the log size scales way over the beam size in bd/ft' 17' can cause some issues, man I've sawn a pile of them, all good till they start to dry, talking SYP of course.  Bout the only way I've seen to manage a relative straightness is to constrain the beams both vertically and horizontally, banned together and weighted down while drying.  Extra logs are really required, probably why buying them cost so much. 
only have a few chain saws I'm not suppose to use, but will at times, one dog Dolly, pretty good dog, just not sure what for yet,  working on getting the gardening back in order, and kinda thinking on maybe a small bbq bizz,  thinking about it,

dhp3228

Thanks for the info
1 center the heart and hope the pith runs straight
2 cut thinner slabs from the outside to relieve stress
3 box the heart
4 band the beams during drying
5 weight them
6 mill extra beams to account for the unknowns

Thanks again I'm looking forward to hopefully starting this project

customsawyer

Quote from: beenthere on January 21, 2016, 05:46:23 PM
Box it in on both ends and cross your fingers that it (pith) runs pretty straight between the ends. Takes a straight tree from the beginning through its years before harvesting.
You don't have to hope that it runs strait. You can see where the pith is running on the side of a cant. I pay less attention to the pith on the ends and more to where the pith is running on the sides of the cant.
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terrifictimbersllc

Quote from: customsawyer on January 22, 2016, 04:12:29 AM
Quote from: beenthere on January 21, 2016, 05:46:23 PM
Box it in on both ends and cross your fingers that it (pith) runs pretty straight between the ends. Takes a straight tree from the beginning through its years before harvesting.
You don't have to hope that it runs strait. You can see where the pith is running on the side of a cant. I pay less attention to the pith on the ends and more to where the pith is running on the sides of the cant.
Agree, judge the pith along the length of the cant, by the center of the grain pattern.
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esteadle

Agree with the list of 6 posted previously.

I use tapers a lot with long beams since my mill has them. I'll get some nice clean short boards from the butt of the logs. Good, clear wide pieces in many cases, good for cutting-boards, fish plaques, character pieces, etc. I toss them into a crate or a separate stack. I had some 20' pine recently and I was getting some nice mid-length boards as well, so we built another stack for 8-12'.

In PA, white and red pine grow pretty straight and evenly balanced if left alone, so generally, I don't see a lot of movement. Maybe some twist, or some side bend if they grew on a slope. I try to remember to turn the cant as I saw it down to the final dimension. I love to find big diameters, and I will consider cutting some thicker boards (3x10, 4x12) that can be used later to form simple engineered beams (like I or T beams).

I read a long time ago that you can "control" checking in large beams by milling a groove in the worst face of the cant with a chainsaw. The idea is that weakening the face this way allows the stresses to develop in the groove and relieve them through the rest of the beam. The remaining faces have less checking overall, and the grooved face is placed upward where it can't be seen. Never tried it myself though.

Best of luck, and let us know how it goes!

Eric

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