Sawing beams

[Woodfarmer]

If someone wanted 6x6 I guess you would just box the heart of a log correct?
If sawing a 4x8 would you saw an 8x8 and then cut it right down the middle?

[terrifictimbersllc]

You would box the heart on both of those timbers. One always comes out of the center, if the log is big enough you can get additional ones off the sides. If you split an 8 x 8 that's heart centered into two 4x8s, you're likely to get bowed wood.

[Iwawoodwork]

Depends on the log, how large, how much sweep/curve and defects such as large knots, etc. 
I am a rookie at sawing so just cut what I want, such as 4 6x6 from one log or I have a Doug fir log that is big enough that when all of the cants are cut up I will get 8 6x6 and no twisting yet, but summer is coming so will see if I get twists when hot.  I don't think it can be worse than what the stores like HD sell. 

[Southside]

What TT said. Unless you have giant wood with perfect grain you may as well gamble in Vegas as the odds of success will be the same.

[terrifictimbersllc]

In Vegas the house always wins. 

At the sawmill the tree gets even with you one way or another.

:new_year:

[terrifictimbersllc]

Check out Customsawyer's post in the how things are done at my mill thread: https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=118011.msg1888203#new

[Woodfarmer]

Sawing Ash.
 I can use 10" logs for 6x6.
For whatever reason my fireplace mantle is 7 1/4"x 7 1/4" pine.
I plan to make the beams out of the smaller diameter logs.

[DaleK]

Best to take a 2x8 off each side of the 8x8 and the 4x8 out of the centre if you need them to stay fairly straight

[Brad_bb]

If it's hardwood, terrifictimbersllc is right on.  Large doug fir or white pine, you might be able to cut free of heart(I don't ever get those species where I live).  If the hardwood is large enough to get your 4x8 from outside of the boxed heart timber, I always leave some extra material in case it moves that I can joint straight later.  If oak and you don't want it to warp, consider quarter sawing pieces out.  More waste, but holds it's shape better.  If Walnut, Ash, or Cherry, I'll cut 4x8 from the outside and add 1/2" of material in order to joint it later.  Most people don't have the ability to easily straighten/joint timbers.  I use the woodmizer MP100 which does a great job.  More people should have it.

[Brucer]

When cutting FOHC, I always made sure the pith was at least 1" away from the face of the timbers (with Douglas-Fir). For wane-free timbers, I would start with a 14" log (small end) and saw a boxed heart 8x10, with the pith exactly 5" away from the 8" faces at both ends of the log. Then I would clamp the cant securely and saw two 1" boards out of the middle, giving me two 4x8's and two 1x8's. The 1x8's would be low quality because they'd have the pith on one face.

In sawing the log down to 8x10 I'd get 2 high quality 1x8's and 4 variable quality 1x4's or 1x6's off the outside. That's assuming the pith was well centered and there was no significant sweep.

I couldn't pull that off with Western Red Cedar because the FOHC 4x8's would move too much. I haven't sawn a whole lot of other species but I found that Trembling Aspen and Birch also move a lot when you don't box the heart. Western White Pine was very stable.

An interesting footnote. I used to throw low quality 1x's into the slab bundles to be sold as firewood. Later I discovered I could stack and sticker them more or less randomly and sell them for half price to people that were looking for "cheap wood".