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Dealing With Stress

Started by deadfall, July 16, 2015, 01:09:44 PM

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deadfall

I can guess this has been dealt with at length already, but I'm a very slow reader with lysdexia and the archives are of a daunting immensity. 

I saw a lot of red alder, as that's mainly what I have on my land.  When I take a tree for sawing, I look for the most vertically standing tree I can find, as these carry the least stress.  Red alder likes to aim for the light, and so, you'll find whole stands leaning together and the vertical tree is the exception.  So it comes down to that most logs have a gravity induced stress. 

On trick I learned in sawing this kind of wood is to make the cants oversized, see the stress in the cant, and place it on the deck with it arching up and saw the hump off of it.  Then rotate it and cut the flared ends level.  Though some stress will still be in that cant, the lion's share of the distortion has been relieved and eliminated in this way.  The boards will be an order of magnitude better than if the cant started at the dimension you wanted as the finished size.   

Yesterday I was dealing with a 14' Doug fir cant with about a dozen 2X6s in it.  It was actually taken off a large log as a 5 1/2" slab a year and a half ago.  It has a considerable warp in it, and I don't want to use the above method and reduce it to making 2X4s.  But I don't need the wowed 2X6s either.  So, I set it aside on some shaded grass with the warped center up and the weight resting on the ends.  I am hoping some ground moisture will swell the other side while the top side of it dries out some more, and it will straighten out some.  Then if I saw it while it's straight and get it in a stack and wighted, I can wind up with some straight boards.  Anyone think this might work? 
W-M LT40HD -- Siding Attachment -- Lathe-Mizer -- Ancient PTO Buzz Saw

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Happy for no reason.

beenthere

I doubt that will work, but will be interested in what you find out after you try it. There is always hope.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

drobertson

Not sure on that wood, never sawn it, but saw sweep side up and make your dimensional drops for this face. then take the 180° cuts off, and trim the stress off with the bark from there, just remember how it reacts and adjust accordingly.
only have a few chain saws I'm not suppose to use, but will at times, one dog Dolly, pretty good dog, just not sure what for yet,  working on getting the gardening back in order, and kinda thinking on maybe a small bbq bizz,  thinking about it,

WDH

I doubt that it will work, too.  Moisture moves slowly in and out of a piece like that. 
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

deadfall

Tomorrow I saw the final two cants from what was three big firs.  I will leave that one warped one to do what it does for now.  Considering how much lumber I got from them, I can't feel too bad if I have to do something else with this one 14 foot cant.  I'll get something from it.  Now I can focus on getting the shop footings in so I can start framing it up.  That framing is something an old guy can do, one board at a time, if not in a rush.  I intend to build this as if the overdue 9.5 Richter Cascadia Subduction Zone quake happens.
W-M LT40HD -- Siding Attachment -- Lathe-Mizer -- Ancient PTO Buzz Saw

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Happy for no reason.

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