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cutting juniper wood

Started by southernskyent, May 29, 2007, 08:56:07 AM

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southernskyent

I have a wmlt40  and have an oppotunity to get a large juniper tree   the main trunk is 6 ft tall and 32" across with 4 , 1 ft x20ft straight branches off the top
. I want to cut it to make kitchen cupboard doors 5/4 rough cut  i am thinking,  What is the best and most productive way to cut this. and how do i finish it so it doesnt loose its red tones over time.   Any ideas?????   Thanks

woodbeard

Hi, Welcome to the forum! :)

The only juniper I have had experience with is some sort of southwestern US species, and it seemed to be a very slow growing, twisty, gnarly sort and about as hard as oak. The color of the wood was very brown, as well, so I don't think it is much like the juniper you have up there. I would be interested in seeing a picture of it.
As far as keeping the color, a waterborne polyurethane or varnish, such as minwax polycrilic should work well. I have used it on eastern redcedar, and it seems to keep the color better than oil based products.

TexasTimbers

Not sure what kind of juniper you have up there. We have Eastern Red Cedar which is not cedar but juniper. As far as the best way to cut it we would need a picture of you are asking about an breakdown of the actual tree. I have cut quite a bit of it by now - not nearly as much as many on this forum, but there are some general rules to follow.

I like to cut any flatish, straight sides first and take a minimum thickness slab off that side first. If you look real close, juniper seems to have a side that is not as convex sometimes. Not always though, so the next thing I look for is what side has the least amount of ingrown bark, if there is one with a least amount.
Next thing, and maybe this ought to come first really, is to look at your degree of taper. If it is pretty drastic and it can be - buck your logs to the shortest length you can, plus a hair extra, and still keep it usable for your particular project. this will minimize waste from the taper and also minimize the need to resaw and edge.
Be carefule slabbing juniper. For some reason I have a tendency to take thicker slabs sometimes than I meant to with juniper. Something about the bark that just throws me off.
And of course, you always have to look at the punkiness on the bottom of the log and see how bad it is. If there is enough hollow or bad enough punkiness to render the log unusable, take you chainsaw and start cutting cookies off until you get to usable sawlog and then take what you can get.
Also look for hollow voids which appear very small around larger branches were but inside they can be cavernous. Sometime you can't know the extent of that till you open it up, but soimetimes when you inspect closely you can flip the log if it is big enough and orient it to get the most usable wood 180 from the other side instead og 90 where you might lose too much wood.
these are a few basic things common to all logs but for sure more prevelant in juniper from my perspective anyway.
Good luck and show some pics.
Oh yeah, not to disagree with Woodbeard but my own personal experience shows Minwax Helmsman Spar Urethane to beat everything else I have tried as far as UV protection.
I have recently read where it will break down after about a year in doirect sunlight so if you're just getting indirect maybe you'll got many years out of it.
The oil is all in Texas, but the dipsticks are in D.C.

treecyclers

I cut juniper all the time, and usually just plain slice it, through and through.
If it's a huge log, like yours, I'll whack it half through the middle, and then slice it up that way.
It tends to tweak when it's more than 10" wide, and I really can't use things that are more than that anyway, but it sure is pretty.
Way more fun to play with than aromatic cedar!
Keep your knots to the side as best you can, stick and stack it quickly after milling, and weight the snot out of it, and it will dry dandily.
For finishing, I use either lacquer and watco oil, or oil based poly on it.
Superdave
I wake up in the morning, and hear the trees calling for me...come make us into lumber!

LeeB

'98 LT40HDD/Lombardini, Case 580L, Cat D4C, JD 3032 tractor, JD 5410 tractor, Husky 346, 372 and 562XP's. Stihl MS180 and MS361, 1998 and 2006 3/4 Ton 5.9 Cummins 4x4's, 1989 Dodge D100 w/ 318, and a 1966 Chevy C60 w/ dump bed.

treecyclers

Quote from: LeeB on June 02, 2007, 01:27:44 AM
tweak ???

Tweaking is cupping, twisting, splitting, cracking, and the like.
Juniper, being a semi-arid tree, tends to be somewhat fragile, likes to tear out.
When I work with it, I have to be pretty gentle with it, else I get chips and other nastiness to deal with.
Superdave
I wake up in the morning, and hear the trees calling for me...come make us into lumber!

southernskyent

Thanks for all the info    What does this sell for if ??  and how long to dry before it is ok to make some projects  I have some pictures , I will see if i can post them     Dave

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