Tammarck logs to lumber

[customdave]

Going to look @ some tammarck logs to saw up for the son, wants to build root cellar. Thought of tammarck because of the rot resistence quality! Was wondering how tammarck saws green, or should a guy let the logs dry for a spell. I was thinking of buying a logging truck load & sawing up some deck material for myself. Has anybody made a deck out of tammarck? Would it be prone twisting & cracking? Thanks for any info , & play safe out their...


                                             Dave

[Jeff]

I've got 2 by 4's right now that have twisted out of a stickered stack with 800 lbs of weight on top of it.  There is a lot of movement in Tamarack

I'm not a fan of letting any species of log left to dry before sawing. Fresh cut logs always cut easier. With that said, the Tamarack Burlkraft and I sawed was bug killed, and had been standing without the bark. It was pretty dry, but it still sawed well. Just isn't drying well.

[customdave]

Gees Jeff , your post just about brought tears to my eyes :'( , I have been drooling over this tammarck all week supposed to be nice stuff 20" to 24" butts, but I have not sawn any as of yet , thats why I was asking here....


                Dave

[Chuck White]

I've sawn quite a bit of Tamarack and in general, green or dead dry, it's pitchy!

Run lots of lube on the blade to keep it clean!

I've found that if i cut 2x6 or 2x8 or even 1x (not too wide) it usually does alright, but as Jeff said there's a lot of movement in a stack of Tamarack!

Most of the customers I've sawn for will put it up fresh off the mill!

[Dave Shepard]

I've only pit sawn tamarack, it was pretty hard on the shoulders. :D It was for the braces in the frame in my avatar.

[John Bartley]

Over the last two years I've sawed up about 1000 bdft for Tamarack from logs that were cut two winters ago. The logs range from 12" to 20" on the small end. I lost about an inch or two (max) of sap wood from decay while they sat, but other than that they have been fine. I cut it all at 4/4 and it's been piled in my back shed drying, stickered. I've used a bit of the longest cut stuff in the woodworking shop, and it's been fine as far as twisting. I think because this stuff was cut in the dead of winter, frozen, with no sap movement, and came off flat level ground with no growing stress, it might not be as wild to keep straight as some others have experienced. Once it's well dried by air, it's going off to be finished in a kiln, and then machined into flooring for my cottage.

John

[hamish]

It saws fine when green, and is actually a pleasure to mill.  Heavy as all hell when green but can air dry well, but best used in moist conditions.

Remember drill then nail, for when shes dry its rock hard.

[Jeff]

My logs were on the small side, so that may account for the movement I'm getting, but I do know Eastern Larch is notorious for movement.  They like to use it to make flooring in the U.P. as it makes a beautiful floor, but my understanding it that you loose a bunch of it by the time it makes it to the floor.

[Ironwood]

I cut up a few from a smallish straight stand, and they were flat as a pancake.....


Ironwood

[customdave]

Finally get to go look @ these logs today! Anybody have a guess as to how many logs to a six axle self loader logging truck, say 20" butts X 65's to a load?. Thanks...


                                        Dave

[barbender]

I've sawn two different batches of Tamarack. The first was really slow grown stuff with tight growth rings, and small diameter. It also had a pronounced left hand spiral, that stuff had so much tension in it that I tried to saw some 2x4s, lets just say there was some dimensional variation  That stuff was moving around on the bed of the mill like a worm getting put on a fishhook. Second batch, fast grown stuff, larger diameter and no spiral grain. It sawed beautiful, it was for a customer so I don't know how it dried but I suspect it was good.

[Sawdust Lover]

I've only pit sawn tamarack, it was pretty hard on the shoulders. :D It was for the braces in the frame in my avatar.

What does pit sawn mean? Still learning! :P

[hamish]

I've only pit sawn tamarack, it was pretty hard on the shoulders. :D It was for the braces in the frame in my avatar.

What does pit sawn mean? Still learning! :P

Its something you never want to experience!

[barbender]

Two guys, one hand saw, and a pit. You don't want to be in the pit :( It's the old way of sawing boards, by hand. I'd try to describe it, but someone else could do a better job. Or, do a search on google ;)

[Jeff]

Pitsaw example

[drobertson]

Wow, I had forgot this way they use to saw,  Might be fun in very saw amounts, and with a sharp saw blade, thanks for the pic Jeff.

[Magicman]

Wanta guess which one was called the "under dog" and which one was the "top dog"   ???

[drobertson]

Well how bout that? who woulda thunk such a thing?  I always pull for the underdog, and would rather be pulling down than pulling up! so who is the underdog? really?

[ScottAR]

It's the pits.   ;)

[customdave]

Well I don't have to worry about pitsawn! I just about started laughing when I saw this log pile? I don't how some people measure but there wasn't any 20"  to 24" butts in that pile maybe 14" was the biggest, I say the pile maybe averaged 8 to 9" All that drooling for nothing, oh well it was a nice drive threw the frosty bush....


                                Dave

[Sawdust Lover]

Thanks for schooling me on the pit sawn lumber. I guess thats all I need to know about that. Won't be doing much of that unless we loose power for a year.

[hamish]

Dave,

Bet they were measuring the circumference! Many a large log shrinks rapidly when we see it.

Any time in the frosty bush is fun.  Spent the day today hauling logs through 3 inches of fresh snow :-)