Making 2” 4”s

[Wlmedley]

Need some advice on cutting 2x4s.Have been cutting quite a bit lately mostly poplar.Having a problem with boards coming out crooked.For example if I get down to a 12x12 cant (a little more for blade ) and cut six 2x12s they will usually look really good.When I stand them on edge and cut 2x4s a lot of times they will crook especially outer boards.Do you think I should cut three 4x12s and then make 2x4s?.I haven't tried that.Any advice will be appreciated.

[moodnacreek]

Cutting small stuff from hardwood is taking a spring apart. It's bad enough with larger hardwood lumber. The sapwood will be the worst, around the heart not as bad. The better 2x4 will come from 4" cants rather than 2" planks. If you need 1x take that off the sides [ the sap wood] all around and then saw out the 4" cants.

[terrifictimbersllc]

The two choices you describe won't matter if you saw the log with the same orientation. What matters is if you have the two options differing by a 90° rotation. Crook and bow Will be the same more or less, unless the orientation differs by 90 degrees.

[beenthere]

Wlmedley

Try stickering the 2x12's and let them air dry. After, then cut into the 4" widths. Or live saw the logs into 2" flitches and sticker for drying.

Called SDR or Saw Dry Rip. Yields have been shown to be better.

Yellow Poplar has this bad behavior like you are experiencing from internal growth stresses.

https://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/pdf1978/maegl78a.pdf

[Don P]

I'm final sizing some framing now to 1-1/2 x 4". We sawed 5&6 wide, dried, planed and now rip. for 8' 5" gives enough width to straighten the majority if there is crook. When possible take bow in 2x framing rather than crook. I can push bows into place as I sheath, I can't fix crook easily. You know, as you are also sawing around defects for grade. As the lengths get longer 6" can be a push to get 4" out of with some boards. I have better luck with 2x6's most of the time if the plans allow.

[JoshNZ]

That is good advice above, when sawing hardwood logs with tension, do a heavy slabbing cut all four sides before starting on cants or flitches to be edged.

Log tension is a real ballbreaker, my output from hardwood days is less than half compared to a day cutting say cypress for e.g. 

[Wlmedley]

Thanks for the help.I have been using MMS advice on how to get bow instead of crook and it works out good on sheeting and wider 2" lumber.Usually I can get pretty decent 8' 2x4s.10s and 12s not so good.I also have cut 2x6s,let them dry a little and then cut 2x4s with some success.I see all these pictures posted of perfect looking lumber and would like to do the same.The only pine I have is pitch pine which does behave better than poplar but I have a lot more straight poplar.

[WV Sawmiller]

   I generally try to cut 4" cants and then cut them in 2" drops to get my 2X4s. Often I am cutting 2-3 cants at a time. My 2" flitches are the ones I generate getting to my marks, to center/position the 4" cants based on the pith, FOH, etc. Depending on what I or the customer wants I may cut a 6" and a 4" cant to center the pith in one and cut a 2X4 and a 2X6 with each pass. Yes, I keep in mind the rules for bow and twist when making such cuts and do the best the wood will allow.

  Once I was cutting 4X4s for a customer who had a lot of small logs and wanted the pith split. I explained the bow he would get, showed him one and he said it was fine for his timber framing purposes but it was his call and decision.