Sawing posts and a couple of other questions

[Dakota]

I can always count on @beenthere to express what I'm thinking.

[Magicman]

And usually in a very diplomatic way.  To answer with a question invokes thought. 

[acrosteve]

Good info guys.  on my drive home from work today I was thinking about these logs.  I still have to wait to get them opened up, but I think my game plan will be to get one beam out of the center of each, and possibly just cut 2x stock from the jacket boards to laminate into posts on the faces where the knots are prominent.

The building will be enclosed and the only water the posts will be subject to would be a rare spray from a water hose while washing a vehicle inside.

[acrosteve]

Finally!

In addition to some misc 1x and 2x stuff, I got 7 6x6's and 3 4x6's out of these three logs.  Let's see how straight they stay, but I have my doubts about one or two of them.  Also, there is a 18' long 4x10 that would go great for the header over the opening to a future solar kiln.









Had to do quite a bit of bibying to the butt end of the one with the largest knots.  Ended up with just one 6x6 and a few of 4x6's from it.




Final whack of the big wood.  Still a pile of 2x and 1x to edge, but I had a full day with this and some other excavator work I needed to get done while I had it.




I hove one more long log to cut, which will yield only one 15' 6x6.  Some sort of pine, but definitely not white like the others.  This is the 7' but cut of the log.

Anybody identify it?

[Chuck White]

Looks like Red Pine!

[Magicman]

Looks like you have been quite busy.   8)

[dboyt]

I can already see the stress in your 4th photo.  Always amazing how much better the lumber looks once it has been cleaned up.  Looks like you did a good job boxing the heart.

[Ox]

Looks like Red Pine!

2x

[acrosteve]

Let me say that now that I have sawn some red pine, I hope I never saw any more.  While I did get 3 marginal 6x6 posts from the log, there was massive pitch buildup on the blade and wheels.  And a tendency to produce wavy cuts.

Lots of pitch pockets throughout the whole log.  I still have the 8' long but end, but have doubts on if I want to process it or not.









But it does look nice from a distance

[Ox]

I must say I've never seen those pitch pockets in the red pine on this here hill.  I wonder why the difference?  What actually causes them?

[acrosteve]

Well, I finally have an update.  After letting the posts air dry for a few months, I tossed them back up on the mill and trimmed them to a final size of 5-1/2 sq.

I must say that they held up better than I thought they would, and my builder was very pleased.  They all cleaned up very well and stayed square.  The worst one of the bunch was one of the red pines, but the pitch was fairly well centered in the cant.




And the rest of the project





And one post I did not cut - other than to cut 24' off the end of it.  I just used the bottome 16' :lol: