Big Slabs

[redbeard]

Been doing alot of milling wide slabs lately, here's a 50+ " Western red cedar 3-1/2" thick slabs.
10' Butt log had center rot and I did yeild couple nice slabs.
This was a 150 yr old cedar tree lots of big knots so grain was all over the place .

 

 
2 log up from the Butt was 40+" and 20' long, these were some beauties.

 

 
Drying sticks are a bit more work, basically 3"x 3" used up 68 on this job  


Customer was happy 

 

 

[dbroswoods]

Them are some great looking slabs but back breakers.

[Stephen1]

Those are beautiful. I love large slabs 8) and opening up logs. 

[E-Tex]

Redbeard.....that is really impressive.  That 3rd pic down is "Off The Charts"!!!!

Thanks for sharing.

[Brad_bb]

Nice slabs, how wide is your mill throat opening?  You can mill a full 50 inches?

[moodnacreek]

Like your motto.

[redbeard]

 

 
Brad I can squeeze 56" between the guides, Here's some of my clamping tricks. The Hud-Son 60 clamps are pretty much useless on the giant heavy logs so I made up sets of 2" square steel stops with multiple lengths color coded too there length so I know where not too lower blade too,  and use different size cants too roll log up against too a snug fit, this will also help with centering the logs. Then  use the yellow cam lock dogs too hold the log. I also made up a variety of wooden wedges that keep log from rolling.
As you can see there's 4-5 slices then I will take rest of log and the cut slabs off mill with Telehandler slide them off on 6x6 laid out and flip remainder log and lay it on mill deck flat side down and finish it off.
If the slabs are managable two guys can slide each slab on forks.

 

  
It's also nice having 40' of track too do two logs at once.
Milling the slabs goes quickly it's the log handling, slab handling and set up that is time consuming.
Stickering the slabs in log form is something we do with the managable weight of slabs but the thick and long ones are very time consuming too do it that way. 
Hopefully the big maples coming up this week will yeild some nice figure and spalting. Everyone Feel free to comment on better ways or my wrong ways of doing things.
I am trying too figure out a better way too lift the thick slabs off after the cut. Hammering a flat crow bar on the ends then lifting high enough to get dunnage under it or a strap too lift off. Trying too slide them some times will move the log then you got too start over. You folks can relate too that when you open your logs too heavy on first cut and getting those off will sometimes move your log so you all know what I am talking about.

[Nomad]

I am trying too figure out a better way too lift the thick slabs off after the cut. Hammering a flat crow bar on the ends then lifting high enough to get dunnage under it or a strap too lift off. Trying too slide them some times will move the log then you got too start over. You folks can relate too that when you open your logs too heavy on first cut and getting those off will sometimes move your log so you all know what I am talking about.

     Take a few pieces of PVC pipe and slide 'em under the slab.  Then you can roll it until you can get straps under it.  You don't have to lift it very high, and no risk of moving the rest of the log.

[DMcCoy]

x2 on the pvc or galvanized pipe.  Like moving heavy machinery.  If you lay your rollers at an angle you can move those slabs diagonally.  The teeter-totter point is important as well you can swing those around with one hand and minimal effort.  Same goes for logs.

Nice slabs!   

[shenandoahsawmill]

I am in the same boat with my mill and large slab handling. It is definitely a weak link in my chain of processing. I can saw like crazy in both directions with my double cut horizontal bandmill but have to stop sawing every other cut to deal with moving and stickering slabs coming off of the top of the log. Even with a fork truck this is difficult. I am fabricating another large horizontal slabbing bandmill and carriage and will be attempting to solve this major roadblock to production. My new mill carriage will have end dogging where I can dog the log on both ends at the top of the log. I will start sawing from the bottom of the log and work my way up through the log. Each slab cut off of the log drops onto the pile as I cut it. The  only material handling that I have is to insert stickers between each slab. I can then pick up the whole stickered pile with my fork truck. 

[Magicman]

@redbeard is that your son in the first picture?

[redbeard]

Yes that be little Redbeard, I borrowed his Email back in 2006 and never returned it, I needed  computer skills and after I learned too navigate the web I  just kept the Email. So now
He is back working with us again with his 9 yr old son 
So we have the family bussiness going with the 4 of us.

[redbeard]

 

 
Trying out a new tool design calling it a (slide hammer slab separator)


 
Slide hammer gets the wedge in easily ( stickered pile shown in pic but it dose go in easily between slbs after cut.)

 


 
Raises high enough too slip dunnage for fork clearance and helps lift too fix drying sticks. Jury is still out on this proto type, worked pretty good for us today. Wished I would have made a video of it in action.

[thecfarm]

Hey!! That looks like a good idea. I like the leverage part too. Might be a good idea to do a video and make another post and title it big slab tool. That way we can find it years from now.