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Drying Quartersawn White Oak

Started by Jim Spencer, July 28, 2010, 10:13:14 PM

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Jim Spencer

I am quartersawing white oak and after drying and planing want it to finish  at 1" thick.
What thickness should I cut them?
Width of boards will be 9" down to 5". I will dry them in my dehumidifier kiln.
I expect to have about 150 8' to 10' long boards.
I don't want to have to plane an excessive amount off to get it to 1" but at the same time don't want to be disappointed because I can't get it to clean up at 1".
I don't mind if a few boards end up thinner but need the majority to end up at 1".
All comments will be evaluated and appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Jim

tyb525

Jim,

1 1/4" rough should give you plenty of room. Even 1 1/8" works unless the boards warp at all.

Whatcha usin' it for?
LT10G10, Stihl 038 Magnum, many woodworking tools. Currently a farm service applicator, trying to find time to saw!

Dan_Shade

we've had these sorts of discussions before.  I would probably push it to 1 1/4, might go 1 3/16.... any warping at all you won't get an inch smooth on both sides if it's too thin.
Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

Jim Spencer

I am actually sawing it for my neighbor,  It was his tree and he gave me a few 24" white oak trees and told me he would like to build an intertainment center and I suggested quarter sawing it if he wanted me to.
  So I have a Logosol chainsaw mill and it is actually quite easy to quartersaw a large log.
I cut the log thru the middle and then quarters and lay the log on the flats and take a slab off the bottom then rotate after each cut.
Alternating this way is quite easy with my mill.  Wish I had a swing mill but this is only a hobby so works for me.
Thanks for the response, I started cutting 2 of the quarters and set my thickness at 1/4" so quess I should be O.K.
I guess the guy who will build the entertainment center will have to use what I give him after I dry and plane the boards. I have 10 more quarters to saw for him and then will saw some for myself but will finish mine at 3/4".
Jim

carykong

With a chainsaw mill,I would cut 5/4 thickness at a minimum. Your chainsaw leaves plenty of saw ridges. Need some thickness so planer can get the board smooth

Jim Spencer

Actualy you are wrong.
My mill leaves me as good a finish as a woodmizer and better than a circular mill.
The people who get a bad finish on a chainsaw mill do not have it setup properly or do not have the chain sharpened properly.  It takes some skill but if you keep the chain properly sharpened and the bar rails square you can get almost a planed surface.
Some of the disadvantages are the heavy loss in wood (thick kerf) and time it takes to cut a board.  Of course the mill needs to be level with no twist, etc.
Jim

carykong

I am thinking you still should saw 5/4 as a minimum beit chainsaw,circular, or bandsaw. My personal experience with white oak is that it will move,warp,and cup more than say,yellow pine. I would not risk your quarter sawn boards with less than a 5/4 thickness if you want a smooth 4/4 finish board.

tyb525

I agree with the previous posts, go for at least 1 1/4", the slight bit more wasted by thickness will be made up for by the number of boards that will plane out.
LT10G10, Stihl 038 Magnum, many woodworking tools. Currently a farm service applicator, trying to find time to saw!

red oaks lumber

why make  a cabinet  with1" thick mat'l. it's not a bomb shelter is it?
cut the mat'l a 5/4  if you need to finish at a full 4/4, the differance of 1/4" inch is about 2 weeks longer in the kiln
the experts think i do things wrong
over 18 million b.f. processed and 7341 happy customers i disagree

scsmith42

It has been my experience that typically quartersawn white oak that is milled at 5/4 (true) will come out of the kiln around 1-1/8" to 1-1/16" thick.  Quartersawn oak shrinks more in thickness than plain sawn during the drying process.

You can usually obtain 1" finished stock (one side) on short boards that were cut from longer ones, but it is difficult to obtain a complete 1" thickness across the entire width/length of an 8' - 12' board.

I typically mill my quartersawn oak stock at 5/4, and I can get *usually* get it to clean up at 7/8".  5/4 plain sawn oak usually will usually clean up at 1".

If it were absolutly critical that you be able to produce a 1" S2S quartersawn product, it would be wise to mill at 1-3/8" (true thickness).
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Smith - Gallagher dedicated slabber
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and a mix of log handling heavy equipment.

Jim Spencer

Thanks everyone for the advise.
  This is a great way to share info and help each other out.
1" would not be my choice for thickness but I want to make my neighbor and friend happy with what he wants.
Jim

WDH

I was thinking that 1" would look kinda heavy and clunky, but the customer is always right.
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Den Socling

But maybe your neighbor thinks that work he has seen with 3/4 is one inch. Maybe you should show the difference and save some good wood.

John Mc

Quote from: Den Socling on July 31, 2010, 10:16:59 AM
But maybe your neighbor thinks that work he has seen with 3/4 is one inch. Maybe you should show the difference and save some good wood.

It's amazing how many people think 1"x is actually 1" thick...
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

Magicman

The great majority of my customers want it sawed 4/4 so that it will plane out to 3/4.  They say that if a board will not plane out smooth on both sides, they can still find a use for it somewhere.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

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brdmkr

Scott is right on regarding dimensions.  I cut oak at 5/4 and I don't have any trouble getting a decent 8 - 10' long board jointed and planed to 3/4, but I do not think I could get that long of a board planed to 4/4 without cutting thicker.
Lucas 618  Mahindra 4110, FEL and pallet forks, some cant hooks, and a dose of want-to

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