Sawing beams, and the hardest wood I have ever sawed to date/advice UPDATED

[Magicman]

Happy Birthday Jake.  I never realized that you and our Son, Marty are the same age.   

[Brucer]

When sawing other peoples' logs, I charge the same per BF for timbers as I do for lumber. Yes, there are fewer passes with the saw when making a timber, but:

• You still spend time opening up the log and dealing with slabs.
• Those opening cuts are usually harder on the blade.
• It takes more time and effort to get big timbers off the mill.

[Magicman]

Regardless of which billing method I may use on a particular job, I have often kept up and figured it myself after the job was completed.  It is amazing how close the resulting charges are when comparing the two methods. 

[Jim_Rogers]

Sawing two 6x12 out of one log would have been a wrong move for timbers. The reason why is, if it is hickory it would distort real bad.
Whenever the two dimensions of a timber are over 5" then that timber should be cut "boxed heart".
If you don't you'll end up with some lumber that will move a lot when it starts drying out.

Some customers "NEED" to be educated about timbers.
For sawing timbers out of customer's logs I charge the same price as sawing boards for the previously mentioned reasons. Basically handling the timber.

In order to figure out what diameter log you need to saw out a 6x12 timber you just take a framing square and measure diagonally across from one leg at 6" to the other leg at 12".
The answer, which is 13 7/16", will tell you what size log you need.

I have made up a drawing to show you this.
See attached pdf drawing.

Jim Rogers

[Brucer]

Arky used the "half-again" rule to figure what size log you needed to cut a square timber. I modified it to use with rectangular timbers.

Average the the two dimensions ... (6+12)/2 = 9 ... and multiply by 1.5 (half again) to get 13.5". It works until you get above a 2:1 ratio of width to thickness.

[123maxbars]

My local forester came by today, he looked at the log and came to the conclusion it is hickory.  This was the first/last hickory I have had at the mill since opening last year. Lesson learned, thanks for the help!

Majicman, at first look however he said Elm, and also said it was a very odd color of hickory he thought, 

[WDH]

First/last hickory  ???.    :D :D :D

I am in the same boat Max  ;D.  Hickory was made to produce nuts for squirrels  :-\.

[LorenB]

if you cut that board down here it would be so bent, if the customer threw it away it'd hit him in the back of the head - even more so with a very dense timber. so over there is it not the same?

Sigidi,

It's almost the same up here.  The difference is that here the trees bend counter-clockwise. 

– Loren

[LorenB]

I'm glad that none of you like to cut hickory.  More for me. 

Okay, I'll admit that it's really hard, but it's also really strong.  When I need a piece of wood to do a tough job, I think of hickory.  It usually comes through for me. 

There's lots of shagbark hickory on my place, and I like it.  The squirrels do too. 

– Loren

[Charles135]

No one has mentioned the best thing to do with Hichory; cut it into chunks and toss it on the grille or in the smoker for that wonderful hickory smoked meat taste!