Sawing 6x6's

[Beavertooth]

If you were cutting 6x6's out of some 20" diameter pine logs. Would you just cut as many as you can or cut some out of a certain part of the log to get the best 6x6's and do something else with the rest. I guess cutting one right out of the center would give you the best but customer wants mostly 6x6's. Just needing advice from someone who has done this more than me. I have really just cut 2x and 1x lumber for the most part over the years.  Thanks.

[Ljohnsaw]

Is that 20" inside the bark on the small end and the pith well-centered?  True 6x6 or nominal?  If your logs are really straight, you could get five 6x6s out of them in a + sign arrangement.  The "outside" posts will be far enough from the pith to be ok.  You definitely do NOT want to split the pith between two posts.  They will both bow.

[Beavertooth]

Thanks John, They would be a full 6x6 and the 20" is a average on the logs. Some bigger some smaller.

[drobertson]

I've done it both ways,, heart centered, and free of heart,, maximizing yield from logs is always important. I've just noticed it's easier to control bowing with heart centered,,but with proper stacking and stickering, FOH can be managed if need be.  At times all of them need to be controlled by weight and strapping, length of the post can make a difference as well, longer ones can be like a sassy teenager at times,, Sawing down parallel to the sweep of the log will in my opinion give you a better look at the potential behavior of the beam. If there are plenty of logs, I would saw heart centered, and take off the outside lumber,, 20" stock should yield some dandy 2x stock, even 1 inch,,some of it pretty wide too!

[Jim_Rogers]

I wrote about doing this here: https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,4247.msg56461.html#msg56461

with pictures hope that helps

Jim Rogers

[drobertson]

Even if you get a relaxed 6 x 6  after all the whacking, regardless of heart centered or free of heart, the wood types, species, terrain the timber has been grown on will determine so much of the character and behavior of the beams after sawing. With all the experience that so many sawyers have here on the forum,  I have to believe that most will agree that wood will move, and predicting the movement is part experience, part luck,, practice makes more close to perfect,, like that's more better than this, but just not every time,, this is the reason for the need for a log a beam for those serious about straight beams,, and just to be sure,, plan on extra logs,, I can only imagine the amount of blocking that has been produced in the process of sawing straight beams,,

[Beavertooth]

Thanks for the info guys. I just now got back on line.