Grade sawing Whack of Walnut

[Stephen1]

 

 
I have landed a real nice sawing job, turning a Familys walnut into lumber to make furniture. They have sold the property to the developers and want to make something to remember the property by.
I have been a carte blanc to do what ever it takes to turn this whack of logs into useble lumber so that a carpentry shop can make furniture.
My question to everyone is what is the best size, 4/4 or 5/4 to turn the grade logs into.
The big log crotch has a chainsaw mill coming to turn it into slabs for a table tops, and any other ugly logs will go the same way.
I will turn some smaller peices into 4"x4" peices for turning legs and spindles.
This gentleman has agreed to pay me by the hr to make this happen. Also time is not a problem.


  

 

[Magicman]

Since this will be for general woodworking with no specifics in mind, I would want both 4/4 & 5/4.  There would be nothing wrong with even some 3/4 or thinner for panels and small boxes, etc.

[fishpimp]

Nice ... I can smell that from here. I would have to slab a log or 2 in 8/4 live edge slabs.
Would A large slab table would make them happy?


 

[fishpimp]

Hahahaha my bad


 

[Stephen1]

 

 
Yes we will be slabbing this log with the crotch.
This pic is from the other end of the log, from the 1st post

[drobertson]

I was kinda thinking that a thick live edge cut for a mantle or two would be a nice heirloom, as well as the mentioned usual dimensions, lots of options when there's no specific list, looks like this will be a fun job with a little bit of head scratching,  david

[beenthere]

I'd keep stickering and air drying in mind, and likely saw most, or all, into 5/4. A carpenter can easily make whatever out of that, including glue-up for legs. The extra work keeping track of the different thicknesses would lead me to this 'one thickness' approach. But enjoy what you will while you whack at that whack.  ;D

[Stephen1]

That is a good thought, on the stickering,
I like the idea of concentrating on 1 thickness. 5/4 would make some great lumber. There will always be some byproduct of different sizes.

[mesquite buckeye]

Cut the crotch stuff thicker than you think you need so it can tweak around and still be usable. I would also for sure cut some 8/4, maybe some 10 and 12/4 also. Seems like every time I make furniture the thick stuff is the first thing I run short on.

[WmFritz]

That is a nice whack! 

I got a hold of a walnut tree this past spring. In fact, I just pulled the first load from my new home built DH kiln yesterday (160 bf). I cut most of it 5/4 for trim and 4/4 for window jambs. I also cut some  8/4  to make a few Poston benches.

I wish now that I would have cut my jamb stock at 3/4 to finish down to 5/8 or 1/2. The 4/4 I sawed is too much waste for window jambs, I realize now. The walnut dried straight and flat. I'm used to leaving a little extra, to allow for cupping on the other wood I've been sawing. That's what I get for not asking for advise.  ???

[WDH]

As a woodworker, I would cut a mix of thicknesses.  About 25% 8/4, about 25% 6/4, and 50% 4/4.  Cut the 8/4 from the very best grade wood.  It is easier to deal with knots and defects in 4/4.  Stack the best wood on the bottom of the stack and let the lower grade provide the weight to help keep the good stuff flat. 

[Stephen1]

I have been doing some research on grade sawing or quarter sawing this wood.

Am I right to think Walnut is not quarter sawn?

[beenthere]

You are right, IMO.

[Ianab]

There are 2 main reasons you would quarter saw.

Appearance and stability.

Most people think walnut looks better flat sawn, and it's naturally a pretty stable wood. So flat / grade sawing is the normal method

[drobertson]

there will be some q-sawn in the mix, as far as grain goes, and width of the board, but, flat, or plain sawn is normal, it will have to be sawn out by edger or other means to get the q-sawn unless an intentional technique is used in the sawing,   david

[Martha White Nelson]

Beautiful walnut!!!

[Brad_S.]

I hope the chain sawn slabs turn out as all parties hope they will, but that log has two strikes against it going into it.
The crotch is showing a sharp V shape (as opposed to a desired U shape) with overlapping bark and will most likely have a severe bark inclusion through the crotch.
It also appears to have been hit by lightening which may also cause a split along the seam it followed.
Or not!
Best of luck!

[beenthere]

Brad
Should be worth a good shot at it... and then we'll know.

[KnotBB]

Walnut make wonderful guitars and for that it is quarter sawn

[Stephen1]

Well this job turned into a whack of work.
we sawed the big log into 6 nice slabs, and Brad is right, there was bark, it will need butterflies to finish, we put straps on it to hold it all together as 1big log with stickers in it.
We had other nice crotches to mill but the owner did not see the benifit in live edged peices, everything else but 1 was squared  up. His daughter showed for the last crotch and saved it after I had sliced  8)
There was a lot of small stuff that dissapointd this gentlemen, as I think he was thinking at lot more wood for his furniture. We ended up with about 750 bd. ft. not including the big slabs.
I do know now to hire my own helper when a pile of wood that looks like it did, as I did all the work of sawing,  cleaning and sorting to get to the good logs. the owner did not help as much as I needed. He did repile all the wood,
I only pulled them off the mill.  I also am going to upgrade my website and adds, suggesting I am called before the arborists cut the trees down, I believe with a little help before I would have saved this man about 2 days out of the 4. Other than that it was a great job.
The old mill worked flawlesly, up to 924 hrs now ;)I have almost everything replaced that needs replacing. The hydraulic handles need the springs replaced now, 1 is bad so I will do them all and the contact springs as suggested by Dave at WM Canada suggests. I am also going to put rollers on the top of the backrest.
Thanks guys for your comments, always makes the jobs easier to have FF in the background. :P

[Magicman]

It certainly sounds like you made the best out of what you had to work with.   ;D

I often tell customers that you can not make "chicken pie out of chicken mess".  In other words, you can not make good lumber out of bad logs.  Having the customer present while you are sawing allows him to actually see what you are working with and is generally an eye opener for him.

[Jemclimber]

What is it you would have had the arborists do differently?

[Jim_Rogers]

For one, try and cut straight logs. That is make the cuts where the bends are. Next would be to cut to a standard length, if possible. 8' 6" being the shortest.

I've had tree service owners tell me that they should send their workers to me for a day to see what happens to the logs they cut. And to learn how and where to make the cuts in the stems to make straight logs.

Jim Rogers

[Stephen1]

Hi Jem, I would have had the arborist thinking of the final outcome, meaning on my sawmill for lumber, and ease of getting them on the mill. Cut the curved logs at the sweep, firewood left out of the pile, crotches cut off at a useble coffee table length, and or a 5' length, I think that is the loading arms span. Use a tape measure to cut, not your eye,  ;), I have had other arborists cut the logs at what he thought was 8' and were at 7' 9" . I think they look at the ease of getting the saw into the log without pinching. I am not painting all of them with the same brush, bur some arborists have never seen a sawmill. They are used to cutting wood into liftable chunks.

 

[Stephen1]

 ;D Sorry Jim we think alike, and I must have clicked at almost the same time.