Large Dia. logs

handhewn · March 17, 2025, 11:19:53 PM

Six months ago the park fire took out my 60" circle saw. Because of same fire I ended up with 44 butt logs mostly cut at 8'-6" lengths. Average dia. at small end 34.7". Smallest end 30", various large ends over 60". Biggest small end 48". Two good friends in town have Wood Mizer mills, I took half the logs (mostly sugar pine with a few YP, DF, and cedar) to each mill. I have cut up logs like this before (see my gallery) but only for a few logs for my cabin interior, not for this many logs. We intend to cut these logs for large 12" thick cants to be stacked and stickered then cut to order later. Does this make sense?
Couldn't wait, I just ripped two of the large dia. logs in half. Used 372 husky with 32" bar. Two hours each including set-up. Now I roll them 90 degrees and do it again. A couple of the largest quarters will need one small cut to fit in Wood Mizer depending on taper.
Again, Does it make sense to cut 12" thick cants for later orders. Not hardly a knot in the bunch, way to nice to make 2X4s.
It is nice to be back on this wonderful site for first time since the fire. See my gallery for big log cuts.

rusticretreater · March 18, 2025, 12:45:15 AM

First, sorry that you lost your main piece of equipment. As for resawing, whatever makes money I say.

customsawyer · March 18, 2025, 06:55:28 AM

There are some folks around here, with the same mind set, because of the volume of wood on the ground from the hurricane. I am not a fan of putting the same log on a mill multiple times. It is a waste of time and energy. Make the things you know you will use or can sell. Logs like you have would have been great for large timbers but that market is limited and not many customers want them at 8' long.

Magicman · March 18, 2025, 07:20:41 AM

Sawing cants for later resawing is generally a bad plan because cants check which will reduce your recovery. Sawing the lumber that has the highest demand would be your best option.

beenthere · March 18, 2025, 12:02:23 PM

Quote from: handhewn on March 17, 2025, 11:19:53 PMSix months ago the park fire took out my 60" circle saw. Because of same fire I ended up with 44 butt logs mostly cut at 8'-6" lengths. Average dia. at small end 34.7". Smallest end 30", various large ends over 60". Biggest small end 48". Two good friends in town have Wood Mizer mills, I took half the logs (mostly sugar pine with a few YP, DF, and cedar) to each mill. I have cut up logs like this before (see my gallery) but only for a few logs for my cabin interior, not for this many logs. We intend to cut these logs for large 12" thick cants to be stacked and stickered then cut to order later. Does this make sense?
Couldn't wait, I just ripped two of the large dia. logs in half. Used 372 husky with 32" bar. Two hours each including set-up. Now I roll them 90 degrees and do it again. A couple of the largest quarters will need one small cut to fit in Wood Mizer depending on taper.
Again, Does it make sense to cut 12" thick cants for later orders. Not hardly a knot in the bunch, way to nice to make 2X4s.
It is nice to be back on this wonderful site for first time since the fire. See my gallery for big log cuts.

Would you link us to your gallery, pls.

Used to be we could get to your gallery at your profile. Not sure how to do that, at the moment.

handhewn · March 18, 2025, 01:10:28 PM

How do I attach the gallery?

panhandle · March 18, 2025, 05:27:55 PM

Find someone with a swingblade sawmill. Seems like a lot less trouble than quartering for a bandsaw.

handhewn · March 18, 2025, 06:30:36 PM

Only a few will need to be quartered. Mostly I can get by cutting fewer sides, one or two mostly. At least these are at each mill now, not down in a very remote/rugged canyon where my virgin big timber is/was. It is so steep I had to square two each out of 4' dia. sticks to keep my weight down lower to keep from going over backwards with uncut logs. Good pics of these loads in my gallery if I can only figure out how to post them.

doc henderson · March 18, 2025, 07:28:24 PM

If you can copy and paste a url into the post from your gallery, we can then look forward and back. I use the second one down in the group of 3 at the bottom after you select a pic.

handhewn · March 19, 2025, 01:09:00 PM

Thank you! Let me know if this doesn't work.
Book matched ceiling

doc henderson · March 19, 2025, 01:35:48 PM

this is a copy and paste BBCode (normal) from below the pic after you click on one in your gallery (it enlarges) and yes, I could flip through your photos.

nice trucks.

handhewn · March 22, 2025, 03:38:09 PM

Since starting this thread I have received great insight. I also received good information from the "Pine milling business" thread as I just happened to end up with 44 lg. dia. short logs (mostly 8'X6" long) and I don't know what to cut for. Since they are so big I need to know what I want before I saw them down to fit on the Wood Mizer. I do know what I want out of the biggest. I want as many consecutive book match 1"X12"s as possible cut through the heart of each. Possibly 45 or more consecutive book match. This sure makes pretty walls/ceilings. It's getting harder to find (or get) such logs. anyway, due to your comments I will saw up each and avoid stacking/stickering thick cants for later orders. If I am sawing for clear wood, what else might I saw out of Sugar Pine besides 1"X12" ? I added some new pics to my gallery dated 3/21/25. The first pic is of a LARGE Live Oak the fire killed. Not sure how to deal with that. That is a five gal. "jerry can" at the base for perspective.
https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=lastup&cat=62460&pid=358506#top_display_media

doc henderson · March 22, 2025, 04:25:36 PM

nice logs and noodles.

doc henderson · March 22, 2025, 04:26:22 PM

How do you have time to mill with all those old trucks around.

this must be one of the ceilings you speak of.

handhewn · March 22, 2025, 05:10:31 PM

That was one of the ceilings until the fire

!

KenMac · March 23, 2025, 04:44:36 PM

Are those logs "good ole bigguns" or "big ole gooduns"?

doc henderson · March 23, 2025, 05:48:47 PM

Is this KenMack OR Al Bundy?

SwampDonkey · March 23, 2025, 08:04:55 PM

Sorry to hear about your fire. I'm not a sawyer, but those brutes must take some serious equipment to move onto a mill. And a rugged mill to hold them up.

handhewn · March 23, 2025, 10:12:29 PM

Whittle them down with chainsaw until they do fit. In all my years sawing with various saws, I always found sugar pine to cut like butter given a decent log. I still do not know what to cut for besides the book-match. What do I cut if I'm into clear? Do I cut wider than 1" X 12" if it's clear? What industries use clear sugar pine?

thecfarm · March 24, 2025, 05:28:52 AM

Yes, those are big ones!!!!

SwampDonkey · March 24, 2025, 05:39:58 AM

Seems to me, if you have no use or a market for what your going to saw, sell the logs or make firewood.

If we all had crystal balls, we might see that we need 1x's 5 years from now for a barn. Just sawing for sawing sake thinking you're going to save the wood from rot and fire reminds me of all the people that thought they would save a loom from being tossed and never use it to weave. Just store it in a shed to curse about being in the road for 50 years. And I do know of such looms, in fact friends stored one for a lady saving it from being tossed but it sits in their shed, not the lady's who wanted it. And been there for 30 years or more now. She never was a weaver. It's just wood. Sawing can be expensive, so isn't weaving.