Question on how to saw Maple

[Gecko]

Hello,
  A friend has some Maple and asked me, being a woodworker, if I was interested in any. I said I was if it was figured. I told him what to look for on the wood to the best of my limited knowledge. He brought me a piece of firewood and told me he had a couple of logs 22" dia. x 7' long that had the same characteristics. I took the firewood home, resawed it and found it was quilted Maple. I am going to have the logs  milled and my question is how to go about it to get the most figured wood out of the logs. I am sure that if cut the wrong way, I will lose some of the quilting and would appreciate any insight you have. Thanks much.

[Dodgy Loner]

Lucky you!  Quilted maple is at its best when it is flatsawn.  When it's quartersawn, it will appear more curly than quilted.  Nothing wrong with that, of course, but if you're going for quilt, I would shoot for as much flatsawn as possible.   Personally, I would edge each board individually, to preserve as much of the valuable wood as possible.  The log on the right in the picture below would be my preferred method for sawing quilted maple.  This will maximize the flatsawn lumber.  Sawing thru-and-thru, like the log on the right, would give you the widest boards and a little more yield, but the middle 5 or 6 boards will likely be knotty in the center, and they will be quartersaw on the edges, which will not give you the best figure.

Keep in mind, this is based on theory, not practice.  Maybe someone who is actually lucky enough to have sawed quilted maple will chime in with some more practical advice.



One other thing to consider:  With wood this valuable, you want to make sure you dry it properly.  I've always had trouble with maple staining when air-drying it.   I suspect you will experience the same thing with the humidity in your area.  If you can't get the lumber kiln-dried, I recommend narrow stacks (~4'), thick stickers (1" thick or more) and using fans to blow air through the stacks for the first couple of weeks.  The quicker you get it dried, the better.  Be sure to keep it out of the weather.

[Dodgy Loner]

Oh, and be sure to take pictures when you get it sawn so we can all get jealous and tell you how much you suck ;)

[thecfarm]

I'm surprised Dodgy didn't try to convince you there is no way to saw quilted maple.Bring it to his place for firewood.  :D

[Gecko]

Thanks for the info. I was thinking of doing it the right hand way. Cut until quilting is gone or quartersawn is to much, flip 180*and do the same from the other side. Then flip 90* and saw the rest. Quality of boards and not quantity is what I am aiming for.  As for the drying, the trees have been down for almost three years, but stacked for good airflow,  so the wood will be spalted a bit on the first board or two I am sure. And the rest may not be  pristine white. No kiln access but I am set-up to dry right with stickers and a dry place with good airflow. Using a fan is a good idea, but with it being down so long, will it be worth the effort?

And thecfarm, Dodgy would have a heck of time trying to get it as firewood as I am trying to save it from my friends fireplace as it is.  :D

Here are a few teaser pictures. Hopefully, if all goes well, I will have some boards that look the same in a few weeks. The second  is finished w/ Watco oil, shellac, and wax. The first was just wiped w/ alcohol.

[Dodgy Loner]

Wow, you're going to have fun with that stuff! Thanks for the pics! 8) 8) 8)

You will have a much easier time drying those boards since they've been sitting for a few years. The gray stain that I've had so many problems with is only an issue with the pale wood.  Your boards should be dark enough that it won't be an issue.

One more bit of advice: you can place your pics directly into the post if you place them onto the Forestry Forum's server space first.  Here's a tutorial about how to do it: Photo Posting.  You may hear from the admins about linking to pics in outside websites ;)

[Gecko]

Thanks for covering my butt there Dodgy.  I fixed the picture problem. I hate it when Jeff reprimands me. :-[

[Gecko]

Any other suggestion? And as sawyers, would you be willing to mill a log this way? Person who I am looking to hire charges by the hour for what it is worth.

[metalspinner]

It's worth whatever he charges you, and then some. ;) :D

That is spectacular figure.     You have Big Leaf maple out there, right?

The sawing method Dodgy recommended shouldn't take very long.  Edging just a few boards at a time will take a little longer, but will be worth the effort in material gained.

[Gecko]

Well we got it all milled. Not as much quilted or curly as I wanted (is there ever enough?), but I got some good figured wood out of it as well as enough quarter sawn and flat sawn to last me a long time. Rough guess is 1500-2000 BF all told. And I have completely fallen in love with woodmizer.  :D Just a few random pictures of some of the better stuff.

[WDH]

Wow, you got some of it all, quilt, curl, spalt, etc!

[beav39]

very nice ,great looking wood well worth the effort          what kind of mizer sawed for you?

[Gecko]

It was a Woodmizer LT40 hydraulic. Cut through the wood like butter. And the hydraulics sure made loading and turning the logs a breeze. I was impressed.