How would you saw this one?

[Bibbyman]

 

Customer brought in a load of this and that to saw up.  One of the logs was this otherwise nice black oak butt cut log.  Otherwise being it was split three ways.  He wanted 2x4, 6 and 8s

How would you tackle sawing this log?

[terrifictimbersllc]

Narrow flatsawn lumber by rotating 120 degrees.  Or, if the cracks aren't parallel, cut every 18" at right angles to the pith.   ;)

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

Saw what he wants and give him a complimentary bottle of Gorilla Glue.  8)

[ladylake]

If it's big enough saw through the long crack a bit below the center turn up a get you 6  or 8''  boards, If too small  not much.   Steve

[hackberry jake]

Wedge, sledge, then saw three different pieces.

[Buck]

I'm in for 18" blocks too Bibby.

[Weekend_Sawyer]

If you go ahead and split it like Jake said, it looks like you would be half way to quarter sawing it 

[Chuck White]

If you go ahead and split it like Jake said, it looks like you would be half way to quarter sawing it 

Sounds right to me too.  ;)

[Corley5]

Do the splits run straight or do they spiral up the log  ??? ;D

[beenthere]

Not enough info.
How far do the splits go? What does the other end look like? Splits come from poor falling or ?

[ladylake]

  If the splits are spiral firewood for sure. I'd do my wedging and sledging with the mill.  No need to spilt the short crack as that would in the same plane as the blade.    Steve

[Chris Burchfield]

Bibby, I'm with hackberry jake.  First hoping it's the only one, begin the opening from the end with wedges and down the outside with wedges.  Pulling 1/3rd out of the log at a time.  I'd then put the best flat down and saw from the top down for board thickness.  I would then put one good edge on each board, flip it and see what I could get relating to the original request.  A bit of a pain for black oak.  I'd feel better about the amount work if it had been black walnut.  If I were there, I'd be glad to help.

[west penn]

  If the splits run fairly straight I would consider putting the odd split down 90degrees to the bed so the other two are nearly horizontal. then saw 2inch mat. until you get to the heart. save the split stuff so you can show the customer. then turn 90 degrees and cut 2inch mat. from the other half. The third split may well be in one 2x.  You could square it up first but if split because of tension, you may as well wait and edge after.

[LOGDOG]

Not enough info.
How far do the splits go? What does the other end look like? Splits come from poor falling or ?

These would be my questions first.....

[jueston]

Wedge, sledge, then saw three different pieces.

it could be a new kind of sawing, thirdsawing.... the Forum could apply for a trademark or patent or something, then when thirdsawing becomes the next big thing, jeff makes the big bucks and we have a FF picnic every weekend....

what we need now is someone to make thirdsawing famous so that everyone will want it.... we need a celebrity or something to say how amazing and expensive his thirdsawn oak cabinetry was....

bibby, this could be the beginning of something great....

[Bibbyman]

 

 

You're right.  Not enough info.  In fact a closer look at the end of the log tells a lot.  There are a couple of minor cracks that have not opened up yet.  Also the stain in the heart area shows it has a lot of bug damage.  Plus the fact that it was standing dead would indicate it was killed by the bugs.  Also the crack twisted a bit and had some random cracks show up as we got closer to the center.  In short, this log was firewood and should not have been brought to the mill.



 

I did indeed use a 120° , 3 face method and sawed parallel to the bark instead of the heart.  I'm sawing on face two.



 

Here I'm making the face cut on the third face. Note I had first put the cant bark side down and cut the point of. When flipped 180°, that gave me a flat to stabilize the cant. 



 

Who says you always have to start at the top and saw your way down.  Here I'm starting in the middle and taking a couple of cuts to the bed.  The upper part was pushed off and sawn the same way later.

All the flitches were ran through the edger.  We lost about 50% of the log due to cracks, bad heart and sap rot.  Not very productive or profitable.  Now if it had been an otherwise sound log and of more valuable, maybe this method would have been worth the effort.

I just wanted to see how it would work.  A guy gets bored just sawing four faces every time.

[WDH]

Definitely a challenge.

I just wanted to see how it would work.  A guy gets bored just sawing four faces every time.

I got some sweetgum that I need to send you  :D.

[tcsmpsi]

Definitely a challenge.

I just wanted to see how it would work.  A guy gets bored just sawing four faces every time.

I got some sweetgum that I need to send you  :D.

Yep.  Sweetgum has six thousand seven hundred and twenty-four faces.    :D

[Weekend_Sawyer]

Mr Bibbyman, In your first picture, what is the log on the right?

[WDH]

Hickory!

[terrifictimbersllc]

This might have been the way to "saw" that log: Wouldn't have to saw it at all!   :D

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,48660.msg701975.html#msg701975

[Weekend_Sawyer]

Ah, but what type of Hickory Danny?

[WDH]

My bet would be pignut or sand hickory because of the tight bark and small ridges.

[Ron Wenrich]

I'm thinking its the second cut on the black oak he was cutting on.  If its pignut hickory, Bibs right on the edge of the range.

[paul case]

I think i would have cut it about 16'' long and had presplit firewood. PC