Question on Sycamore log???

[Max]

Hi all...am very new to the world of sawing, so far I have only experimented with some cottonwood, black locust etc and the largest thing I have cut was about 24 inches in dia. A friend of mine has came up with a sycamore log that measures 48" at the butt and about 40 inches 16 feet up from there... Now...the problem that I have is my mill is an LT30 and the recomended maximum dia. is  36"....I do have a problem there...What would you guys that have experience with somthing like this do???

[Kevin]

You can rip it with your chainsaw so that it fits your mill.

[Bro. Noble]

Max,

I'd tell him "don't brang that thang over here"  Now if it were a good clear red oak or walnut I might split it and saw it.  Even then, I would cut it into two eight foot logs if he allowed enough extra length.
 
Now we're gonna hafta listen to the swing-blade and MD guys gloat.

Noble

[Bibbyman]

If it was only a couple of inches over the 36" max Max,  I think I'd try trimming as much off the flare off the butt as possible.  I have notched places where the back supports go to get it a little further to the left.  Although I've never done it,  I guess you could notch where the log falls on the mill bed rails so to lower it a couple of inches.

Then you'll still have to carve out a notch to clear the blade guide - maybe on both sides.  Once you get the first big slab off,  you can turn it and have fewer problems with the second side.  After the second side,  you should be on your way.

But a log as big as your talking,  I'd think the only way would be to quarter it.  As sycamore will not split,  it will have to be sawn.  As  I don't have a swinger,  I'd use my chain saw.  

If your LT30 is a manual mill,  be very careful turning big logs because the back supports could fold down letting the log fall off the backside.  Not good.  We had an LT40 manual mill and saw a number of XX-large logs on it.  It would "take a village" sometimes to turn one.  We used highlift jacks, 4x4's, wedges, hydraulic jacks, to help turn them.

I posted a picture of removable back support extensions we used on our manual LT40.

Handy things around the mill

 

[Max]

Thanks all.....my suspitions were quartering it. I hate to, but I hate wrestling a critter like that even more....down right scary infact.....hard to pass up all that lumber though, especially for the price...as in free...

Bibbyman, yep...I have already found out about the dogs falling down...not fun at all.....

[Max]

Bibbyman, I like those extensions. Looks like a must have!!

[Bro. Noble]

Max,

Before you go to any work on this log,  check to see if it's shaky.  In our area, any sycamore that size or even half that size is almost sure to be shaky.

Noble

[Max]

Noble:  Thanks for the advice, I do wonder what shape the wood will be in, is there a good way to tell if it's shakey before I start into it?

BTW....I didn't mean to provide bait for the swingers and circle sawyers...lol

[Noble_Ma]

Noble,

It seems you're not very fond of sycamore?  I have always marveled at the size of the tree but never cut one.  

[Bro. Noble]

Max,

Look at the end of the log,  if there is separation between the growth rings (it will just be in the heartwood most likely) then that is shake.  The boards will fall apart.

Noble Ma,

I love sycamore,  It is easy to saw, cleans off your blade, smells good,  the logs are usually streight and smooth and limb-free.  But as I mentioned the big ones are almost always shaky and for us it's a low value wood.  I wouldn't waste my time on one that big.

Noble

[Max]

Noble, I will check for that..Thanks...

Oh....I do like sycamore wood, quartersawn it can be really nice looking lumber.  This same friend that found the log makes boxes similar to a gerstner tool box. He made one from sycamore and it is prettier than quarter sawn oak. Perhaps he is running low on sycamore and thought this might be a way to aquire some more.....

[Noble_Ma]

I'm curious to see what the wood grain and color look like.  Maybe one of you guys cold post a picture.  Hint hint.  Bibbyman, Tom, Jeff.

[GarryW]

Hopefully you can see the shake in this log. Look at the dark line in the rings, that is where the shake is.



When you look the log in person, you can see just a little gap in the rings.

garry

[Max]

Gary:  Thanks for the pic, i havn't yet seen the log in person but I have an idea what to look for now.

Sorry for the long delay, the job that pays for the saw mill called me away for a couple of days.

[GarryW]

Glad that I actually had a picture of some shake for you.

Thanks for whoever added in the legend to the picture. I was going to do that but I got lazy, as usual. :D

Noble_Ma -- if you would like to see some boards in person, you're welcome to come up to Candia NH and see some.

garry

[Noble_Ma]

GarryW is Candia near Manchester?  I live in central Mass near Worcester.  

[GarryW]

Yes, it is just a few miles east of Manchester, right off of Rt.101. You're less than 2 hours from here. 290-495-93-101-43 and you're about there.

We plan on trying to get the logs cut up in early December. I just got back from cutting a few feet off of one log and still had a couple of 2d finish nails that I had to dig out near where I cut. No wonder the chainsaw wasn't happy. :( And then in the piece that we cut off, the detector showed a rather large area of metal - my guess a large wad of barbed wire. But we have more work to get the logs ready. Yard logs but free. :D

garry

[Noble_Ma]

Gary,

Send me an instant message when you're ready to mill those up.  Thanks for the offer.  Sounds like a road trip to me.