Walnut

Solomon · October 21, 2012, 11:29:32 AM

Good morning everyone. I think I may have a good line on some walnut. I know a man about 5 hours away from me and they had a storm blow through their area about 6 mounths ago. He has a good size pile of walnt logs, (about twenty - five of them he tells me and he is a straight up guy), with the crotches and stumps most of wich are over 24 inches dia. Says he has one about 40 in.
So the story goes , there are a few small comercial mills in his area but no one wants to pay anything for them so He said to me "come get'em". Obviously I am going to do just that. And this brings me to me inquirey. The crotches. I would love some advice on how to saw the crotches for gun stock blanks to get that highly figured wood the stock makers crave. Or any other ideas on what to saw them up for. And what about the stumps???
Lookin' forward to hearing from all of you. Pete

Kansas · October 21, 2012, 11:43:37 AM

The stumps can be a real problem due to dirt and rocks. We have sawed a few, years ago. Beautiful lumber, but a real pain. The crotches are easier. You will want to saw them with the two ears down. We always cut 3x6 out of them. Then we took and stickered them, put them somewhere out of the light and high wind, and partially covered them and let them dry slowly. You might get by okay with 2 1/2 inch thick. That would certainly help them dry faster.

Okrafarmer · October 21, 2012, 05:35:10 PM

I didn't realize the crotch wood could be strong enough for gun stocks. I figured it would split too easily.

beenthere · October 21, 2012, 07:48:29 PM

It's a combination of sawing so you end up with straight grain in the thin pistol grip area with figure in the butt of the stock for looks. It is the figure in the crotch that is sought after.

Sawdust Lover · October 21, 2012, 09:23:05 PM

Not sure how big your mill is but I would slab anything over 20". Make them 2" thick and leave the live edge on both sides. I have found most woodworkers like it 2" thick so they can resaw it and bookmatch doors. Some 1" boards out of the smaller stuff that doesn't have much sapwood. Here is a picture of some walnut slabs I cut yesterday and they will all be sold before they are done drying at around $200.00 each.

POSTON WIDEHEAD · October 21, 2012, 09:28:12 PM

WOW! Nice work, SL. 8)

Sawdust Lover · October 21, 2012, 09:39:41 PM

That's what my wife said when I told her how sore my back was. :D

NWP · October 21, 2012, 11:15:01 PM

Maybe he could send some pictures before you drive 5 hrs so you can see what he has.

Solomon · October 23, 2012, 08:18:50 AM

I'm not to concerned about getting pictures. I know the man well enough to know that they are what he says they are. He still has and old circle mill that wouldn't take a whole lot to get it going. New motor, some grease and minor parts. Its under a covered sawing shed. He lost the use of his legs a few years ago and drives a power chair now.
I have to figure out how to post some pics. This phone I am working with isn't working.
Sawdust Lover: My mill has 30 inches between the guide bearings and will accept a 36 inch diameter log. I should be able to cut a board 26 inches wide without to much trouble. Just never done it before. Any advise I can get on that would be great too.

Solomon · October 23, 2012, 05:11:24 PM

Yea. Gun Stock blanks around here fetch a pretty steep price too. Whenever I put them in the local trading paper here they are sold in a day or two. Right off the mill. I have $150.00 for green gun stocks that wern't that spectacular.
Im gonna follow the advise I got about laying the crotch on the mill with the ears down flat and see what happens. Its gotta be a better ides than mine cause mine. aint great.

Okrafarmer · October 23, 2012, 11:35:54 PM

Anytime I mill a walnut crotch (and most others, for that matter), I lay the ears down flat on the mill. That is how to get the best middle figure, generally speaking.

5quarter · October 24, 2012, 07:58:23 AM

I saw the crotches both ways, depending on the look I want. Sawing parallel to the "Y" will give the characteristic flame figure and sawing perpendicular to the "Y" will give you clamshell figure. both are beautiful, but very different.

POSTON WIDEHEAD · October 24, 2012, 08:33:50 AM

You just don't have to lay a crotch flat on the bed (of your mill). Sometimes I will elevate the end of the crotch to give more flame appearance 5quarter was talking about.
Be careful when elevating one end and make sure it is secure before running a blade through it.

Okrafarmer · October 24, 2012, 08:46:09 AM

Quote from: 5quarter on October 24, 2012, 07:58:23 AM
I saw the crotches both ways, depending on the look I want. Sawing parallel to the "Y" will give the characteristic flame figure and sawing perpendicular to the "Y" will give you clamshell figure. both are beautiful, but very different.

??? You mean sometimes you stand the y on its side? Sounds like a recipe for massive warping, to me.

Quote from: POSTONLT40HD on October 24, 2012, 08:33:50 AM
You just don't have to lay a crotch flat on the bed (of your mill). Sometimes I will elevate the end of the crotch to give more flame appearance 5quarter was talking about.
Be careful when elevating one end and make sure it is secure before running a blade through it.

How much would you elevate it? Also sounds like a good opportunity for board movement while drying. Some species, like red cedar, you can probably get away with it more. I usually get plenty of "spinal column" figure when laying the Y down flat.

POSTON WIDEHEAD · October 24, 2012, 09:04:43 AM

I will saw a customer's crotch wood any way he wants me to. Then it's his responsibility.

But when I saw crotch wood for myself......I experiment. If I mess it up......well so what, I've learned something.

But generally, if I saw Walnut crotch wood and elevate one side, I saw the slab 2 1/16 inches thick. The thickness will hold down the movement. Then I store the crotch wood slab for air drying and forget about it. After it air dries, I can then re-saw it into two 1 inch slabs. Just have a good pre-plan before you start sawing.....know what you want your finish slab to be later down the road.

As far as elevating.......first think safety in being able to hold an elevated crotch. The more you elevate, the shorter the finished slab.

Play around and experiment. But no matter how much you plan, you NEVER know what in the inside of a piece of wood will give you until you saw it.

Sawdust Lover · October 24, 2012, 05:56:08 PM

Quote from: POSTONLT40HD on October 24, 2012, 09:04:43 AM
I will saw a customer's crotch wood any way he wants me to. Then it's his responsibility.

But when I saw crotch wood for myself......I experiment. If I mess it up......well so what, I've learned something.

But generally, if I saw Walnut crotch wood and elevate one side, I saw the slab 2 1/16 inches thick. The thickness will hold down the movement. Then I store the crotch wood slab for air drying and forget about it. After it air dries, I can then re-saw it into two 1 inch slabs. Just have a good pre-plan before you start sawing.....know what you want your finish slab to be later down the road.

As far as elevating.......first think safety in being able to hold an elevated crotch. The more you elevate, the shorter the finished slab.

Play around and experiment. But no matter how much you plan, you NEVER know what in the inside of a piece of wood will give you until you saw it.

Then sounds interesting Poston! I'm going to try that. Can't believe I'm going to take advise from a guy with a mug shot. :D :D

POSTON WIDEHEAD · October 24, 2012, 06:05:46 PM

Okrafarmer · October 24, 2012, 11:13:54 PM

Better show us some pictures of how you do that elevated milling, so those of us with the ~~atrophied~~ distrophied imaginations can understand what you mean. :-\

5quarter · October 25, 2012, 01:08:47 AM

Okra...On the contrary. There's no apparent difference in the amount of drying defect between the two. It helps that walnut is very forgiving, but I have also cut crotches through the Y on BurOak, american Elm, KCW, red maple, Sycamore and catalpa. with the exception of the sycamore, they dried really nice. Oh, I did cut a cherry crotch that way once and it shelled out and fell apart. I will also saw that way sometimes when I know a crotch has included bark. you can still get nice figure to either side of it.

Okrafarmer · October 25, 2012, 01:16:40 AM

My main experiences have been with cherry, walnut, and red maple, but you're right walnut is forgiving. Red maple, fairly forgiving too.

Solomon · October 25, 2012, 11:19:05 AM

Well.... We shall soon find out. I am going to go get'em by thanksgiving. There's more than a half dozen good size crotches to mill. I think I will try milling one according to one members' instruction and the second one to another members instruction and so on. Should be interesting. After I get it home, we'll figure out exactly what I have and whos' idea to try first. Does that sound like a fun expieriment? We will need a panel of say... three impartial judges. I have my lap top up and running now so pictures are comming.

Okrafarmer · October 25, 2012, 09:22:24 PM

Where on earth do you expect to find impartial judges????

POSTON WIDEHEAD · October 25, 2012, 09:24:42 PM

Quote from: Okrafarmer on October 25, 2012, 09:22:24 PM
Where on earth do you expect to find impartial judges????

On the FORESTRY FORUM. 8)

Okrafarmer · October 25, 2012, 09:44:10 PM

Quote from: POSTONLT40HD on October 25, 2012, 09:24:42 PM
Quote from: Okrafarmer on October 25, 2012, 09:22:24 PM
Where on earth do you expect to find impartial judges????

On the FORESTRY FORUM. 8)

It should be people from Australia and New Zealand, where they don't have much if any walnut.

Or are they judging the people's ideas, rather than the wood?