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maple

Started by xlogger, April 12, 2018, 06:54:17 PM

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xlogger

I pickup a 16ft maple today, 32" on small end. Going to cut it into two 8ft logs. I've always saw my maple into live edge slabs but was thinking for at least half or maybe both I would saw just lumber. It's a good clean log. How would you suggest sawing it. Keep rotating it to keep boards from bowing?
Timberking 2000, Turbo slabber Mill, 584 Case, Bobcat 773, solar kiln, Nyle L-53 DH kiln

xlogger

Would it help keep the boards flat if I saw it like you would ¼saw it?

update
done a little reading and see where flat sawn might be the best, maybe cutting 5/4. Also getting most of the sapwood off and burning the pith.
Timberking 2000, Turbo slabber Mill, 584 Case, Bobcat 773, solar kiln, Nyle L-53 DH kiln

YellowHammer

If I was sawing for live edge and also 4/4 out of the sawn log, which if how I saw out most of my live edge slabs, then I would take a maybe a couple sidewood 4/4 boards to get to a decent width on the faces for the slabs, then one, maybe two 2 3/8 live edge slabs, making sure I stayed out of the heartwood, then rotate 180° and repeat, getting a flitch or two then the sawing the live edge slabs, stopping at the heartwood. Then I would be left with a rectangular cant so would rotate 90° to where it was standing tall, saw 4/4 down to the edge of the pith (or this is also where I cut 8/4 edged stock), rotate 180° and repeat, sawing to the pith, then rotating the pith cant taking narrower and narrower 4/4 until it runs out or they are junk.

Most logs only yield a couple, maybe four, good live edge slabs that have the proper growth ring pattern to keep cupping and twisting down.  Through sawn maple, one board cut passing through the sapwood to heartwood, through the pith and out again will move like crazy when it dries.  Try to take all the boards, if possible from one region, either all sapwood or all heartwood.  Much better behaved boards.
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

xlogger

Thanks Robert, this is a really nice clean log. I finding out that most people like rougher edges on live edge. I was thinking about cutting the whole log into lumber. I do have a good supply of air drying live edge maple waiting for the kiln now. I believe this one will produce some nice clean lumber. But you are correct on sawing the log as you said. I'm moving more that way in the future when I sawing live edge slabs.
Timberking 2000, Turbo slabber Mill, 584 Case, Bobcat 773, solar kiln, Nyle L-53 DH kiln

GeneWengert-WoodDoc

With hard maple, most, but not all, woodworkers like the flatsawn grain patterns, rather then the more plain pattern we see in Quartersawn hard maple.

Flatsawn cups more; Quartersawn has more sidebend.
Gene - Author of articles in Sawmill & Woodlot and books: Drying Hardwood Lumber; VA Tech Solar Kiln; Sawing Edging & Trimming Hardwood Lumber. And more

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