i think i have spring fever, or maybe a urinary tract infection? Plan to show with pictures how i processed the old elm log in the yard that was staring at me. i had posted pics in other threads, this is a start to finish how I as a hobbyist dry, can move, keep boards in order for book matching later, and from the same tree/log.
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elm cant on the mill. used my older blade to develop the cant and then changed to a fresh sharp blade. My anchorseal is tinted blue and has the winter formula. you can see the green line laser mounted on the blade guard
Here is the american elm (Siberian?) cut at 7/8th inch. yard tree, no metal.
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sawed
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secured to move to the drive way
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the cant is 16 inches wide so cut some "feet" stickers from pallet banding stock i get free from lowes.
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The board on the left was a 7/8th inch board cut early from the cant and will be used to make stickers, on the right are the free band boards to sit on the ground and allow steel or other banding to go under to apply tension.
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my barrel full of band boards.
now take the board to make stickers and cut lengths 16 inches long (the width of the cant) and then rip 3/4 " on the table saw.
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got 17 stickers from one 16 inch board, five 16 inch boards from the first board therefore est. 85 stickers
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now we stack. sweep each board, flip over to keep faces together as in the log. top board in the stack will go face down on the feet
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some nice crotch wood at one end. just need my steel banding and can move with the skid steer.
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Really great thread. Thanks for sharing. My only comment is a little handheld electric blower instead of a broom is a wonderful thing.
oh...and when would you like to stop by and do some sticker work for me :D
well got it banded. my neighbors Ron and Sharon stopped by and wanted me to scan and engrave a navy honorable d/c on some maple. i will post the on the "laser engraving" thread. here are a few shots of the banding in process and although I will move this with a skid steer and forks, if you have the "ballast" you can make moves inside with a two wheel cart. Or prob. called "playing with your dolly" if you are old greenhorn. :D @Old Greenhorn (http://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=42103)
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two ends done and preped for the middle four. looking from the front.
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from the back after pre-bending the strap
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done, from the front, you can see through the stack.
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this wet elm would be quite a load for the cart, but after dry, could at least move around in the shop as a unit. the bands are tensioned to a high C, and when air dry, you can put your fist behind them.
thanks nativewolf. i agree. the sawdust was very wet . I would sweep about 2 times each way and when the sun came out, the surface was dry in about 5 minutes. I use it by my mill a lot, but does better with dry sawdust.
Doc, just confirming your appointment is at 0700 tomorrow here at my mill to address those issues you are suffering from. See you then. ;D
I mill the boards 7/8 ", and ripped the stickers 3/4 ". you have to make sure you orient them all the same way. I put the table saw faces against the boards in case the bandsaw had a wave. with the crotch grain, it had a little wave from the prev. less sharp blade cutting though the bark and crotch wood. I make the sticker usually from the board just before the first really good board while making the cant. If you want wider stickers say 1.5", then cut that board 1.5 inches thick and rip 3/4 " on the table saw.
Thanks southside. I am feeling better now that I got the bands on. Ill try to get there by noon, I know you guys never run on time anyway. :D
So the math I use. I don't like to be less than 16", or as far apart as 24" between stickers. just like with studs in a wall, you divide by the space between centers and add 1. My cant was 96". i also like even numbers so my 2 wheel cart is centered and my forks can be outside the middle two. 96 div. by 5 = 19.2. so 5 +1 = 6 sticker about 19 inches apart. You could take a few inches off the total length since that would be on centers. i.e. the end stickers are a ways back from the ends. on my cant, the crotch end was uneven so it was back about 6 inches. there are 13 boards, so 12 spaces. so 6 stickers per space so I needed 72 stickers. My original less than perfect board made over 85 stickers. The bands were 2 x the ht., + 2 x the width + 6 ". height was 26 inches, width 16 inches. so 52 + 32 + 6 = 90 inches per steel band x 6 total bands for each sticker stack.
I am considering a change to poly banding, so the metal over time does not stain the edge of the boards. i try to overhang the top and bottom grooved "band" boards to keep the strap off the wood. poly would not stain and could be re-tensioned, but does not have the tensile strength of steel, and i would also have to re-invest in different tools.
Quote from: doc henderson on March 24, 2019, 08:20:46 PM
Or prob. called "playing with your dolly" if you are old greenhorn. :D @Old Greenhorn (http://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=42103)
I don't play with my dolly, I am dead serious with it.
We have had the discussion about where to get stickers. These are not dry, but could be if you stayed a few boards ahead. In my experience, the nice thing when doing one big log, is that 1 sacrificial board has always been able to sticker the whole log. If you do it while making the cant. it should be a board with a bit of sapwood and not a premium chunk-o-wood. I assume a wider stack might be more stable and combat twisting and warp better. this is good for a hobby guy doing a log at a time. i can remove stickers and stack tight when dry, and if I re-flip the boards while stacking, i have reassembled the log, and can still bookmatch if desired. Or sell/give the whole log at once. some stickers and band boards can be reused on a same width cant, if they do not twist.
Doc, it might take quite of ballast to move a stack of freshly milled lumber like that with a two-wheeler/hand truck. Check CL or local ad papers and you might be able to find a pallet jack. They are usually around $100 used and can lift 4-5000 pounds very safely... and are very maneuverable if you are on a smooth surface.
that is a great idea Tom, and I have one, but it barely fits under the stack depending on the thickness of the bottom "band" boards. i use the skid steer with forks outside, and only use the cart to move stacks en-mass in my shop. looking forward to meeting you at Sawing project 2019.
Very nice!
You're lucky to get the "band boards" for free. They won't even sell them at the big box stores out here. I see them sitting in a trash can (just them) by the loading dock, so I'm thinking they go back to the mill?
Great thread! Lots of useful info here.
You did a good job cutting and stacking, But with the green stickers, you're going to have sticker stane lumber. You have to use dry dry stickers.
Peter you are correct and that would be better. I so far have never had a mark that would not plane out. Dry is better, and this is sorta the Sunday afternoon, get er done.
If things work for you well, then keep it up. ;)
Doc thanks for taking the time to put this post together complete with pics. I enjoyed it greatly!
Very neat and organized, Doc. Impressive.
Bob
Hope your ok. From my experience elm should not be cut less than 5/4".
A little tincture of time and all my urinary symptoms are gone!!!. I planed a live edge slab of elm last night. air dried under top cover for a year. MC 17%. planed out nice starting at just over 2 inches and ended up 1.75". for a buddy to make a TV stand with pipe "industrial" legs. no smell now.
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the check was in the log before I milled it, in the log.
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I have another 6 slabs from this tree 10 feet long and the widest is 31 inches wide.
Nice looking wood Doc! Do you have a pic of the wood wet/finished? I have a couple elm trees in que, and I thought they looked more orangish to me? But then again maybe they ain't elm ??? The top one has been cut for a year, but was similar to bottom left in color.
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Your top one is the same color these were when I got them and milled them, had sat for a few years. I gave several pieces away after planning, and no one wanted me to dump water or finish on them! :D
Oh gotcha ;D
A nice post on how you do it.
Thanks cfarm, works for me and my small scale "operation". Still enjoying the jelly we won and you so generously donated last Christmas.
This is a nice write-up @doc henderson (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=41041) ! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks
Came looking for something exactly like this write up! Greatly appreciated.
Currently, with CSM'ing, I mill, stack and sticker without machinery. While you have a forklift, @doc henderson (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=41041) its still nice to see a basic setup from start to finish. I recently read about using plastic banding and tooling up for it was well worth the cost for the quality of flat lumber. Would you agree with that statement with your experience with metal banding? I don't do anything except stack and sticker. I stack in the Euro-style, but don't use any restraining.
When I make the jump to BSM'ing, I'd like to improve the quality of my air-drying operation and this post is a great starting point.
thanks for the kind words, and welcome. I have used metal and plastic. the metal can stain the wood where there is contact, and they get loose as the wood dries. The plastic develops a tension (like a spring) that helps keep it tight and the buckles can be re-tensioned. weight on top is the best as gravity remains constant as the wood dries and is working against the flat surface below. Even in the straps, a whole stack can twist within the banding. that is resisted best under weight on a flat surface. My method is how I did all my stuff before making pallets. It keeps the log in order for book matching and color/grain matching. when it is ready, I un-band it and put the boards from that log in the same stack. good luck.
@doc henderson (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=41041)
I didn't see anything in your process related to dealing with bugs. Perhaps the information is in another thread, but how do you get your wood project ready?
I try to sticker soon, and under 20% most stuff is not going to do well, I store it on concrete, and try to have good log yard Hygiene. I do not sterilize on a large scale, I have Timbor to spray but have not used it much. I am mostly a hobby guy, and not selling to the public. I have sterilized small amounts at 160° overnight in a warmer I have. good call.
persimmon holes and powder in Drying and Processing (forestryforum.com) (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=112493.20)