I love bookmatching!

[scsmith42]

Several years ago we slabbed a white oak crotch section from an oak tree that grew by an old 1700's vintage farmhouse located outside of Pittsboro, NC.  The tree was dying and the bottom log was full of metal, but the upper crotch looked solid.  After kiln drying, the 12/4 thick slabs were stacked on some pallet racks in my shop for the past 5 years or so.

A customer recently approached us for some thick WO slabs that he could use for a kitchen island project.  I thought of this old inventory and discounted it so as to move it.  The customer and I collaborated together on the layout and he followed my recommendations for where to resaw the slabs in two and bookmatch them.  

When resawing, I'm reminded of that famous line from Forrest Gump.  My modified version is that "resawing for bookmatches is like a box of chocolate... you never know what you're going to get"!

I'm really pleased with the resulting figure. 

Here is the boule that we started with




 






The overall boule length was around 7' and 36" wide at the narrow end.  The width at the crotch was was 60".  

The customer needs bookmatched widths in the 46" wide by 50" long range, so we laid out somewhat rectangular pieces that were 25" wide (so as to be able to run though our jointer / planer) and around 5' long.  We aligned the edges - not parallel to the trunk but instead took an educated guess about where they might yield the highest figure.  After the initial layout we resawed the 25" wide piece into a bookmatched pair on the Baker sawmill.


And here is what it produced.









No matter what angle you look from, there is some really stunning figure displayed.

For me, one of the joys - and challenges of milling is to determine how best to mill the log in order to obtain extraordinary figure.  Crotch logs in particular can be real gem's.

I don't think that I'll be discounting the rest of the slabs in that boule!

[PoginyHill]

Looks awesome!

[Magicman]

Yup, I also love to saw bookmatched for customers:


 


 
It's looking at you !!! 

[Ljohnsaw]

MM,
And below the Picachu is a pair of Rinos staring at each other and below that is a pair of wild-eyed chickens!  Cool stuff.

[HemlockKing]

Kind of looks like a fella looking at you through binoculars lol , really came it great, thanks
For sharing. 

[customsawyer]

Stunning figure. Lots of work goes into these. I kick myself too, every time I've given a discount. I have now decided not to anymore. It never seems to fail that when you discount something, because it's been on the shelf for a while, you get another request for it with in a month of selling it.

[Tom the Sawyer]

My old B-20 (2007) pre-dates the bulk of the wide, live-edged slab trend.  It's 24" cut throat was fine for grade sawing, construction lumber, etc.  Wide tables have been popular for hundreds of years, as glue-ups.  Book-matching lets me supply woodworkers and artisans who are going after that ooh-ahh tabletop or counter.  Book-matching lets me provide two piece, live-edged tops for tables 42-46" wide if needed, most only need 36"or so (but they can always cut them down).  Plus, I am someone who really appreciates symmetry.  

Another factor, for me, is that 70 is now behind me and those super wide cuts are also usually requested at 10/4 or 12/4 (necessary for flattening after drying) and those suckers are heavy.  Getting them off the mill, stacking, restacking, flattening, planing, even just showing them to a potential buyer is a chore.  Fortunately, my focus is on custom milling so clients and their helpers do most the heavy lifting but I still get involved.  I often get asked whether I had considered buying a larger (wider cutting) mill... yes, but the answer is no.  I stay busy enough with logs up to 30" diameter and will leave the big ones to those with more ambition and less years. 

[Magicman]

 



 
Sometime slabs with bookmatched bullets/bullet holes become tables.

[Larry]

I've done a lot of book matching the past few years.  Something I've learned is book matching works best with dramatic figure like you guys are showing.  Without the dramatic figure the book match tends to go away after the slab is flattened and surfaced.

[Magicman]

Yup, I love bookmatches that tell a story.


 
Another bullet.


 
Interesting Cherry.


 
Or where you can see strange figures.


 
Another bullet plus figured.


 
Sometime it is amazing what can pop out.


 
I will saw for this customer again next week.