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How rough is rough sawn lumber

Started by warren46, July 24, 2015, 08:27:07 PM

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warren46

I quoted a customer 9ea. 5/4 X 6" - 16' white oak boards for $11.00 each.  Got a call a few days later explaining that he really needed 3 of them to be 6 1/2" wide and 6 to be 5 1/2" wide.  OK; I can deal with that.

I sawed the boards from a very nice log.  Most were clear on both sides and straight grained.  As is my habit I sawed with a 3/16" kerf allowance. Since I run .055 bands my lumber is slightly oversize to allow for shrinkage and to make certain the customer get full thickness.

Customer wanted 5/4" plus 0 minus 1/32.  I put the boards back on the mill and took off a kerf thickness.  Customer was happy but I worked a long time for my $100.00.  I was fortunate the lumber was clear and straight or I would have had a hard time taking it down by a 16th.

How accurate do you saw your lumber?  Do you saw a little oversize or shoot for the exact dimension?
Warren E. Johnson
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Dave Shepard

On my WM Super, I program the computer to the thickness I want, usually 1" or 1 1/4", or whatever the customer wants. I don't, normally, get out the calipers, but that is close enough. The mill at work doesn't have a computer, so I saw on the quarter scale, so my "one inch" lumber is actually 1 1/8". whatever the scale or computer comes up with is what you get. The spec your customer was asking for was for planed lumber, and unreasonable to ask for at rough sawn prices.
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Magicman

I had a customer that owns a large commercial sawmill pull out a caliper and check some Walnut lumber that I was sawing for him.  He nodded and put the caliper back into his shirt pocket.  After I finished sawing the logs I had to ask him why I was sawing his logs.  He said "because I was more accurate plus less kerf loss".  I have sawed for him several times since.  :)
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Ianab

QuoteThe spec your customer was asking for was for planed lumber, and unreasonable to ask for at rough sawn prices.

This. You can't expect a sawmill to produce consistently at 1/32" tolerance. Logs move due to tension, blades follow grain and knots, then once it's sawn and drying, it's going to shrink and move to some degree.

Now if you mill is all tuned and running sweet, you can get pretty good consistency, but it's still "rough sawn". +/- 1/16" is really pretty good.
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POSTON WIDEHEAD

Warren, evidently this guy has never been to a circle mill where authentic sawmill lumber comes from.
Like Ian said, plus or minus a 1/16 IMO....is excellent sawing. But I don't care who you are, ALL of your boards WILL NOT BE within 1/16.
But I gotta give you credit, you stuck with it and did what you had to to make him happy.
The older I get I wish my body could Re-Gen.

justallan1

When I ran a re-saw in a commercial mill we would shoot for 1/8"-3/16" over on green lumber and 1/16" on kiln dried.
At one of the cut-up mills I was at they got a new GM who, in an effort to show his knowledge and that he was boss, kind of rudely was telling me that I wasn't leaving near enough to account for shrinkage on some kiln dried fascia boards. About then the foreman came up to see what was up and he gets an earful too. What could I do but flip a board over and point to the grade stamp. Off storms the new GM and the foreman and myself were just about crying we were laughing so hard. Kind of strange, but I didn't work there very much longer. :D

drobertson

again Ian pretty much nailed it, + or - 1/16" with the rest inside that is normal.  stress can cause variations, but for the most part these numbers are the target.
only have a few chain saws I'm not suppose to use, but will at times, one dog Dolly, pretty good dog, just not sure what for yet,  working on getting the gardening back in order, and kinda thinking on maybe a small bbq bizz,  thinking about it,

snowshoveler

I toured a local sawmill a few years back and they always tried for 1/16 I think but they were more concerned with production.
Once it was dried and run through the planer it was all the same size although they would sometimes loose a huge amount on grade.
I always wondered why they wouldn't slow down just a bit and they would be able to get better grade all the time.
It doesen't matter now the mill closed a few years back.
Chris
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Delawhere Jack

Um...... did the client understand that wood shrinks when drying? Tangential shrinkage in hardwoods can be 8% or more, much more than 1/32".

I aim for perfect, and when there are no tension issues can usually stay well within 1/16".

petefrom bearswamp

1/16th deviation is OK in my book.
When customers ask about thickness, I say well this is sawed to Pete's thick and thin lumber specs.
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dboyt

If the customer didn't explain the tolerance before you cut, you'd be justified in charging by the hour to bring the wood within his specs.  A cabinetmaker would work to those tolerances, with kiln dry wood, but it is just plain wrong to expect that from a sawmill.  Even a small change in moisture content is going to throw the wood out of spec, plus the variation radial and tangential shrinkage will make the boards inconsistent after they're dry.  But, to your credit, the customer is happy for now.  Any problems down the line will be of his own making.
Norwood MX34 Pro portable sawmill, 8N Ford, Lewis Winch

scleigh

Green lumber off the mill is either temporarily right or temporarily right.

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