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Is my lumber edged?

Started by cutterboy, November 22, 2004, 04:19:06 PM

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cutterboy

A man just e-mailed about lumber I have for sale. He wants to know if the lumber has been edged. What does this mean exactly?

When I saw a log I square it off to a cant and then saw boards . The edges of the boards are flat and square. Are thoes boards considered edged?

After the cant is done I take the flitches, stand them on their sides on the mill bed and trim them to make the edges flat and square. Would thoes boards be considered edged?

To be considered edged, do you have to resaw the edges on a table saw or one of thoes $10,000 edging machines?

This must seem like a silly question to some of you, but I really don't know the answer, and there is a man with cash waiting for an answer.    

Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks
To underestimate old men and old machines is the folly of youth. Frank C.

Tom

Edged means to remove the Wane from the board and cut the width of the board down to an acceptable and identifiable (marketable) dimension.  If that is your potential customers inquiry then I would say that your boards are edged.  

To "straight-line rip" a board requires that a more sensitive attack take place.  This procedure is to produce flooring blanks and very accurately sized boards.  the edges are expected to be fairly accurate to 90 degrees.  If the customer question refers to "Straight-line ripping" then you aren't doing that on your mill.

Edging is removing the wane or defects to maximize the grade of the board.

cutterboy

Wow!  Tom, that was quick. Thanks a bunch!
To underestimate old men and old machines is the folly of youth. Frank C.

Bibbyman

As Tom said – edged on the mill is one thing,  "straight line ripped" is another.

We market some kiln dried lumber to some local craftsmen with a great variation in experience and knowledge of the art.  Some have asked if the lumber is straight line ripped but have not insisted that it be so.  I suspect they find boards that are straight enough for their use or have jointer to run it across anyway.

I have only one customer that insists his lumber be "straight line ripped".  I think he only read it in a book and don't really know why he's asking for it.  We don't have a straight line rip saw but we've got a 6' jointer we run it across.  90% of the time it'll clean in one pass so the board wasn't too out of square or straight to begin with.  I can't remember any that would take over three passes.    

Naturally, we do have some boards that have bowed in drying.   These I run across the Wood-Mizer again to straighten out.  Then across the jointer – if it's for that one customer.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

rebocardo

Thanks Tom!

I did not know what it meant either, now I do  :)

Bro. Noble

When edging grade lumber,  you need to be familiar with the rules.  You can waste a lot of good lumber and money by edging off ALL of the wane.  The rules allow quite a lot of wane without lowering the grade.  The widths can be whatever as long as they are above the minimum widths for the grade so if you edge on even numbered inches like construction lumber,  you are also wasting wood and money.
milking and logging and sawing and milking

Bibbyman

Another consideration when edging grade lumber,   the boards don't have to be of a consistent width.  This is,  a board can be 10" wide at one end and 7" wide at the other.  Such a board will be scaled as the width 1/3 from the small end.  Or in this example,  it would be bought as an 8" wide board.  In green FAS hardwoods,  this could add a $1 or more to the value of the board.

Check with your broker to see if they'll take tapered boards.  The one we deal with will.  

Mary will not make tapered boards as she they mess up her nice, neat stack.  ::)
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

MemphisLogger

Bibbyman, my cousin hates stacking after I've been taper sawing too.   ::)

It's fun to watch him spinning boards like a ballerina to get them to even out   ;D  :D


Scott Banbury, Urban logger since 2002--Custom Woodworker since 1990. Running a Woodmizer LT-30, a flock of Huskies and a herd of Toy 4x4s Midtown Logging and Lumber Company at www.scottbanbury.com

Fla._Deadheader

  We just delivered 200' if edged and un-edged lumber to a cabinet shop. The owner does not care for the idea, but, the guy that does all the cutting, prefers it both ways. He gets a little extra from the un-edged stuff, because he gets short pieces, instead of cutting long pieces into short ones.

  It's all about educating your customers, sometimes.  ::) ;D ;D
All truth passes through three stages:
   First, it is ridiculed;
   Second, it is violently opposed; and
   Third, it is accepted as self-evident.

-- Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

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