Need suggestions on best way to saw these walnut logs

[DR Buck]

I have a customer that dropped off a load of walnut logs for milling and drying.  The trees were still alive when cut down last week.   Two of them have some old damage where they were hit with something in the past.  The customer thinks there may be some unique character in the wood caused by the damage and subsequent healing and scaring.   I've already end sealed them to minimize degrade.

He wants them slabbed at 8/4 but I'm not sure the best direction to mill them.   I was thinking 90º to the damaged area. that way  if there is any character grain, some would show in most of the pieces.

Log #1







Log #2








Any suggestions?   I plan on milling them Tuesday (2 April) as I need to get them in the kiln to meet his schedule.

[Jay C. White Cloud]

Sorry Brother, but I have not had got luck with "including scars" when milled, perhaps others will tell a different experience.  Yes, you can get, on rare occasions, some really neat effects, but for the most part, they split, just like a wind shake.

Now to mill these fellows, I would get them on the mill the best I could, with the inclusion pointing straight up, or, as you said turned 90°.  It is really a toss up.  The first way you could (might) get some interesting pattern and a solid fletch (though with the cracks I see, maybe not.)  The second way (90° perpendicular to the inclusion)  you could get wider boards.  This should be a "through and through" milling, with each fletch coming off, and the fletches stacked as they came of the log.

Hope that helps so,

Regards,

jay

[mesquite buckeye]

There is rot evident at the top of the log just above the wound. I would expect more rot or other degrade like internal cracking below the wound. My guess is at least a third of the log will be waste. Make the best out of the non-degraded side. If you are looking for cool figure, this isn't the place to look. Look for crotches, crooked logs and  root swell at the base of the tree.

[Sawdust Lover]

I would slab it with the large knot at 90 deg. I think it would give those first few slabs more character. But you would be gambling with the scar.

[Magicman]

I would consider that more of a salvage job than a sawing job. I doubt that you will get any figured wood from the damaged area because the damage was so severe and the tree was not able to cover the scar.

There is only so much "good" lumber in the logs so the only decision that I see is whether you want wide boards (sawed flat) or narrow boards ( sawed 90°) to the sawmill bed. 

I sawed several ERC logs such as that last week, and since the customer wanted wide boards, I squared the cant up and sawed through from the scar.

[drobertson]

You might try a log one way and another  the other way, and see whats there, then finish the rest the way that looks the best?  Not much to lose, it should turn out ok either way,

[fishpimp]

This was a freebie log! Sawed around the split . Turned out some decent boards and some nice 6/4 slabs.
I'd start out the damaged side up and wrk from there. That's what I did on this ugly! 

  

  

 

[mesquite buckeye]

40% loss between the catface and the spiral grain, no ??? ???

Even ugly walnut is nice walnut, though, isn't it? 8) 8) 8)

[Peter Drouin]

Cut them and get what you can is all you can do some times ;)