Learning some

[Timo]

 Well, though I had made a good deal on some suppressed second growth fir that the local log buyers didn't want. These are sort of semi old growth, trees left when the area was burned/ logged about 50 years ago, and have new growth over old, tighter rings. I bought about 7 cubic meters with a bunch of big leaf maple that I have been picking away at for flooring. A few of the fir logs are quite large - 30 to 40 inches or so, and I've been eyeing them up with anticipation as I battled it out with the maple, which has been an education in its self.

It turns out that the two large logs have a pitch ring at about the half way mark, or about 6-8 inches from center. Also, the sap wood is more contaminated then I thought, and the bugs have been busy while the logs have sat. It was a good exercise in patience working around the pitch lines, while trying to get mostly face grain 1 1/4 by 5 or 7 inch boards for flooring. Now I know why the log buyers weren't that interested, it's just to much waste and work for the few nice boards you do get . I'll have a healither respect for imperfections in the wood next time around.

Anyway, at least I didn't pay to much for them, and I suppose it is better to learn this early in the game. Back to the maple later this week!

[Brucer]

You talking Douglas-Fir Timo? If so, it sounds like they might have been standing dead -- fairly common to see insect damage deep in the sapwood in standing dead D-Fir. The hearts will stay sound for years after the tree is down.

I was lucky. I got to saw a lot of "inexpensive" wood last year. Louis, my boss, was footing the bill, but I got to open those logs up and find out why they were so cheap. I learned a lot and even got paid for the experience .

[Timo]

You might be right about the standing dead part, I didn't see the trees up, just the logs lying on the ground at the loading area. Anyway, some of the fir logs seem good - but I'm sure I've got more bunk to learn on before it is finished.

Brucer, are you sawing a lot of pine in your area? How do you find that to work with? We don't get much of it here, and it is a bit different then interior pine anyway. I've been wondering if it would make stable beams, or if it moves much after cutting....

[Brucer]

I've done a fair amount of pine recently.
 
Boxed heart timbers and 1 x 6 from Lodgepole pine. Cuts well, very little tension release, sap builds up quickly on the blade.

In August I did a bunch of  24" - 33" diameter Ponderosa Pine. All FOHC timbers, with 2" side lumber. It was great to work with. No tension release, at all, even though the timbers were essentially pith to surface. Also no sap buildup on 90% of the logs.

Last week I milled a 28" Western White Pine into 1 x 6. Again, hardly any tension release. I basically cut a 12" x 18" cant centered on the heart, sliced it right down the pith into 2 - 6" x 18" cants, turned them together, and sliced them into 1" x 6" from top to bottom. No movement at all. Relatively little pitch buildup, and that cleaned up easily with a shot of water from time to time. I also recovered a couple of FOHC beams from this, which I promptly sold to a timber-framer.

All three species have very dense knots, so you have to watch your speed. Too fast and you'll get waves. The sharper the blade, though, the faster you can go and still keep a straight cut through the knots.

The White Pine and Ponderosa Pine were very stable. The local timber framer loves working with beams from these two species -- he's trying to "train" the design engineers to specify more of this stuff  .