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Bark edged slabs

Started by Jeff, January 31, 2017, 11:35:22 AM

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POSTON WIDEHEAD

The older I get I wish my body could Re-Gen.

Don_Papenburg

Boss , you know that if you get one of them toy (15" and less) planers you will be disappointed latter get one that is atleast 20" ,24 would be even better.  I have a 16" and need an inch or three more on many occasions and over 20 once and a while.
Frick saw mill  '58   820 John Deere power. Diamond T trucks

Jeff

I just can't justify or afford a larger planer. Buying used already bit me bad on the portable one I have.
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

scsmith42

Jeff, to answer your original question you should be able to safely run those slabs through a planer.  We do it all the time.

If you don't have access to a wider planer, your other choices are as follows:

1 - rent a flooring sander and use it to sand.
2 - pay a visit to someone with a wide planer, wide belt sander or drum sander,
3 - Take them to someone with a CNC router.
4 - build a router sled.
5 - Plane / sand them by hand (slowest and least accurate)
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.

thechknhwk

When you're satisfied that they're dry enough for what you're doing you're welcome to bring them here.  If'n they're too wet they would be more apt to have tear out.

Jeff

Magician said to post my stack so Danny would covet it. :D


 
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Magicman

That was obviously sawn stickered by a Master Sawyer Stickerer.   8)
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

WDH

I am successfully coveting it  ;D. 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Magicman

Da trap is set, da proper bait is used, and da slyest fox will be caught.   ;D
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Brad_bb

Jeff, I'd let them dry at least a year before I touched them.  As they dry, they may develop a twist.  Although it will take several years to dry down to say 15% throughout, most of their movement will occur in the first year.  they are far more likely to twist rather than cup. 

Now you are not doing glue ups, so you don't really need a planed surface.  When the time is right to flatten them, use a long straight edge (to see the high and low spots or how it's twisted) and go to work with the belt sander. 

I do this alot with the curved braces I cut and slabs, especially the harder stuff like Osage and locust.  I use a 4x24 Bosch belt sander and start with 50, 80, and then 120 or 150 grit.  50 grit will knock down high spots fast.  Float the sander with the grain and in an oval with the grain.  Always keep the sander moving.  It's a lot cheaper solution than planer knives.  Tip:  Use the 3M purple sanding belts with your belt sander.  Better quality and last much longer.

If you run them through a planer, you will get little chips on your knives from the bark.  The bark will always hold some amount of dirt even if it hasn't picked up stones or dirt from the ground.  You can do it, I've done it, but you'll chip your blades a lot faster.  I'm getting ready to install a byrd shelix head in my little bench top planer to cut down on blade cost and the time to change them out.

Lastly, if you want to keep the bark, consider coating it in a water thin epoxy like https://star-distributing.com/store/Clear%20Penetrating%20Epoxy%20Sealer.html

Another good look is to let the bark dry on the walnut for a year or so, and then draw knife the bark off leaving the last layers of bark paper, then sand with 80, then a coat of clear shellac, then sand lightly with 120 or 150.  It will look like this:


 
Anything someone can design, I can sure figure out how to fix!
If I say it\\\\\\\'s going to take so long, multiply that by at least 3!

Magicman

Scroll down HERE to find out the "rest of the story" (or at least the beginning) about that Walnut lumber.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

scsmith42

Jeff, it appears that one or more of your long boards may have a split starting from the end.

Sometimes splits in BW tend to grow as the board dry.  A ratchet strap around the end of each split board cinched tight (with an additional click about every 3 weeks or so) would be ideal.
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.

Delawhere Jack

Quote from: scsmith42 on April 12, 2017, 02:03:44 PM
Jeff, it appears that one or more of your long boards may have a split starting from the end.

Sometimes splits in BW tend to grow as the board dry.  A ratchet strap around the end of each split board cinched tight (with an additional click about every 3 weeks or so) would be ideal.

I've seen that in some of my clients BW wide boards, usually 20"+ boards. Will strapping actually halt the growth of the crack? I'd imagine you'd want to get the straps on early in the drying -- as soon as the cracks appear.

I've been under the impression that once a big crack starts, there is no stopping it.

YellowHammer

It depends where the crack is relative to the pith and stress in the boards.  I have arrested big cracks similar to using ratchet strap, but use heavy green pallet strapping instead, and cinch the board end hard with the mechanical tensioner, actually closing the crack, then crimp.  Sometimes it works well. Sometimes it's a waste of time. 
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

Magicman

 

 
Taking a close look at those slabs shows that one contains the pith, albeit close to the edge.  The log was not straight so it was a "traveling" pith.  Since those slabs are destined to wear Legrites, the check will add character.   
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

scsmith42

Quote from: Delawhere Jack on April 16, 2017, 10:51:59 PM
Quote from: scsmith42 on April 12, 2017, 02:03:44 PM
Jeff, it appears that one or more of your long boards may have a split starting from the end.

Sometimes splits in BW tend to grow as the board dry.  A ratchet strap around the end of each split board cinched tight (with an additional click about every 3 weeks or so) would be ideal.

I've seen that in some of my clients BW wide boards, usually 20"+ boards. Will strapping actually halt the growth of the crack? I'd imagine you'd want to get the straps on early in the drying -- as soon as the cracks appear.

I've been under the impression that once a big crack starts, there is no stopping it.

Strapping will help.  The cause of the cracking (IMO) is because the sapwood dries faster than the heartwood, and as it dries it shrinks.  Thus the cracking is almost always much more pronounced in live edge slabs with wide sapwood bands.
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.

Magicman

If I remember correctly that log already had a Y pith check on one end.  We oriented the log to minimize the largest prongs but the other prong was perpendicular to the slab and I suspect that that (Tom) is what we are seeing.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Jeff

The cracks are the cracks that were there when the tree was milled. nothing has changed on them even a little. I was turning them against the wall a couple times a week up until I stacked them, and they were all fine.
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

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