Slab Loss

[woodweasel]

How many inches will I lose off a 20" log just squaring up the cant? (Average off all 4 sides) Read this before someplace! Never really measured it while I was sawing? ???

[WellandportRob]

With a perfectly straight log you will pull a 16" X 16" out of it.

[dgdrls]

Use the tool box lower left below sponsors choose "Log size for cants"option.

DGDrls

[landscraper]

I use .70*diameter as the rule of thumb for largest square (cant) that can be inscribed in a circle (log) and I estimate *down* from there.  Oval logs, sapwood, sweep, etc. cut into that yield a lot.  That's from the small end diameter too.   Realistically it is a good bit less, and varies by log.  Depends on if you edge jacket wood as to whether that is "loss" or not.  Neat cuts on a perfect round log with a 2' inside bark diameter would yield a 3.5" slab off each side and leave a 17" cant.  Rarely happens that way.  On your 20" log, .7 =14", so there would 3" loss to slab on each side. 

[woodweasel]

I thought 4'' per side was close but wasnt for sure. thanks

[Magicman]

There is at least one more narrower board inside each of those 4" slabs.   ;D

[drobertson]

I ran into this today, on some cedar logs. He(customer) said wack em'.  I ended up with some nice 1" before it happened.  He said," glad you are doing my pine next"  the tool box will give you a great starting point, just plan on you outside lumber before you get there.

[Dave Shepard]

Divide by 1.4141. You will get a 14.14" cant from a 20" diameter log.

[Magicman]

How many inches will I lose off a 20" log just squaring up the cant? 

Remember that any sweep in the log will affect what size cant can be sawed.  Also, just squaring it up looses the side lumber that I mentioned in Reply #5 so it need not all be a loss.

[backwoods sawyer]

18"x18 with some wain. How much wain allowace is there? ;)
A 1" slab on the small end will give a square cant with about a 6" open face. Tapper and alignment minimize the effects of mild sweep.
If the target is 1x6 or 2x6 a six inch open face is all that is needed and a 1" slab will give you a six inch face.
Cant imagine off loading slabs that are 3" thick on the small end 3" slabs makes the firewood pile out grow the lumber pile 

[Dave Shepard]

That's a lot of wane!

[ET]

With us Lucas millers that little piece of premium, under the bark, o defect wood, although small, is recovered. Takes a few more cuts but as long as the log does not have, wane, it will provide a very nice stick for sure.

[woodmills1]

radical 2 or 1.414 is the number, and ifin ya try for a 16 by 16 it is gonna have a lotta bark.

[stumpy]

If you look up in extras, there's a tool box with a calculator for determining log diameter for a given cant size.

[shelbycharger400]

Good logs,   24 or so big end cut live edge at 2 inch on a band mill,   two logs netted me 13 nice slabs,  two bench slabs and I left the dunnage