Quarter sawing question

[mrector]

I have a decent size wild cherry log I'm going to quarter saw for a client.  I have quarter sawed a few times before on the WM. My question is, the log is 30"  diameter and about 6' long. It has center pith where it came off the stump, but off center pith by 5" on upper end. I am going to chainsaw rip it into quarters for sawing. My question is when I chainsaw it, should I just quarter it exactly or should I quarter it following pith?
Mikey

[terrifictimbersllc]

 I'd cut parallel to the bark  and then parallel to the pith when discarding the juvenile wood.  This is after making sure the customer wouldn't mind tapered boards.  That way it's all there.

But make sure the client likes the appearance of qs cherry, I'd say most i've interacted with don't prefer it.  I usually only give it when "cant-sawing" smaller logs.

[Ianab]

The grain is going to follow the pith, not necessarily the centre of the log.

If you split it on the exact centre you will end up with the pith in the middle of what should be some of your best q-sawn boards on one side, and loose potential board width on "wider" side.

It might mean tapered boards, but that's how the boards are sitting inside the log.

[Brad_S.]

But make sure the client likes the appearance of qs cherry, I'd say most i've interacted with don't prefer it. 

X2!
Most times when I got a request to QS cherry, it was because my client was a beginning woodworker and had read that quarter sawn lumber was more stable than flat sawn and so that's what they wanted; stability. Not always....but usually. Generally, when I explained that "cathedrals" are more appealing in cherry and that cherry was one of the more stable woods anyhow, they understood and agreed.

[GeneWengert-WoodDoc]

The grain in cherry is most beautiful and interesting when the wood is flatsawn rather than quartersawn.  Note that when q-sawing, every piece will have white sapwood on the edge of every piece and the pith and juvenile wood on the other edge which often means side bend in drying.  Both issues can be corrected by edging heavily, but this reduces the volume of lumber, without an increase in appearance (compared to the enhanced appearance with a wood like oak).  I do agree with Ianab that quartering parallel to the pith is best when q-sawing.  When flat sawing, sawing parallel to the bark will produce more clear, long pieces of lumber on a good log face.

[customsawyer]

X2

[Peter Drouin]

x3

[drobertson]

Flat saw, unless the thick ones are for legs.  There is too much pretty to quarter saw the cherry, 

[Magicman]

Cherry almost always has a pith check.  Be sure to split the log following this natural pith check to avoid having the check ruin some of your lumber.


 
The pith check is shown vertical.


 
That pith check was contained within a couple of boards.  Of course this log was not QS, but you have to be aware of the orientation of the pith check within the log before opening.

[scsmith42]

ALWAYS reference the pith, in both planes when quartersawing.

[mrector]

Thanks guys I was figuring on following the pith for quarter sawin it. The customer knows what he wants. He carves spoons, spatulas, etc from these pieces and for this he says he needs str8 grain for them to stay together. Hmmm how many spoons can you make from 650 bd ft of cherry and walnut?  Haha
Mikey

[LittleJohn]

Thanks guys I was figuring on following the pith for quarter sawin it. The customer knows what he wants. He carves spoons, spatulas, etc from these pieces and for this he says he needs str8 grain for them to stay together. Hmmm how many spoons can you make from 650 bd ft of cherry and walnut?  Haha
Mikey

Depends how big of a spoon you need :D

[mrector]

Thanks guys I was figuring on following the pith for quarter sawin it. The customer knows what he wants. He carves spoons, spatulas, etc from these pieces and for this he says he needs str8 grain for them to stay together. Hmmm how many spoons can you make from 650 bd ft of cherry and walnut?  Haha
Mikey

Depends how big of a spoon you need :D

Haha   that's a big un for sure!

This guy makes these spoons and takes them to shows all over eastern US.  When he first contacted me from my ad I thought he was a scammer. I decided to check him out further and glad I did.  I couldn't understand him because he is from Czechoslovakia,  really nice older gentleman that bought $300 worth on first visit and put $500 cash deposit on this next order kf 650 bd^ft. I'm happy he's happy
Mikey

[Ianab]

Thanks guys I was figuring on following the pith for quarter sawin it. The customer knows what he wants. He carves spoons, spatulas, etc from these pieces and for this he says he needs str8 grain for them to stay together

Definitely follow the pith / grain then. I'm guessing he wont be worried about tapered boards either as he's going to slice and rip the board into smaller blanks. Leaving a board wider on the fat end gives him a few more blanks from each board.

[mrector]

Yea I'm pretty sure I am liking this quarter sawn cherry!! And the pic is not blurry btw
Mikey

[5quarter]

Hey Mike...Nice looking board. Doesn't look like cherry though. Rays are prominent enough to look more like sycamore. but then again, it is early and I haven't had my Wheaties yet.  ;) :D

[pineywoods]

Sycamore ? ?

[Brad_S.]

Sycamore rays are more pronounced.
Cherry, Maple and Beech all have that look when QS.

[mesquite buckeye]

I see the appeal of the flatsawn cherry, especially at a distance. The figure can be seen clear across the room.

If it is something small or something people are close to, I love the ray figure of qs cherry. There is also increased chatoyance with qs in lots of woods, including cherry. ;D 8) 8) 8)

[terrifictimbersllc]

I see the appeal of the flatsawn cherry, especially at a distance. The figure can be seen clear across the room.

If it is something small or something people are close to, I love the ray figure of qs cherry. There is also increased chatoyance with qs in lots of woods, including cherry. ;D 8) 8) 8)

OK, see here.   It's raining today and I'm still in my chair by the fire. 

In gemology, chatoyancy (/ʃəˈtɔɪ.ənsi/ shə-toy-ən-see), or chatoyance or cat's eye effect,[1] is an optical reflectance effect seen in certain gemstones. Coined from the French "œil de chat," meaning "cat's eye," chatoyancy arises either from the fibrous structure of a material, as in tiger's eye quartz, or from fibrous inclusions or cavities within the stone, as in cat's eye chrysoberyl.[2][3] The precipitates that cause chatoyance in chrysoberyl are the mineral rutile, composed mostly of titanium dioxide. There was no evidence of tubes or fibers in the samples examined. The rutile precipitates were all aligned perpendicularly with respect to cat's eye effect. It is reasoned that the lattice parameter of the rutile matches only one of the three orthorhombic crystal axes of the chrysoberyl, resulting in preferred alignment along that direction.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chatoyancy

[mesquite buckeye]

So there. ;D

[mrector]

I assure you that it is cherry   I would try and take a pic of the cherry smell the boards emit, but that's going to be tough.    Btw he also had me quarter saw some walnut. Its nice but no flecks in that stuff. 
Mikey

[FarmingSawyer]

Thanks guys I was figuring on following the pith for quarter sawin it. The customer knows what he wants. He carves spoons, spatulas, etc from these pieces and for this he says he needs str8 grain for them to stay together. Hmmm how many spoons can you make from 650 bd ft of cherry and walnut?  Haha
Mikey

Hmmm..."carves" must be a liberal use of the term. When I carve spoons I uses a hatchet and knives and use limb wood. Cleaving pieces for spoons makes them more stable, but it takes a certain degree of x-ray vision to "read" the piece of wood and see the spoon/bowl inside before you begin. All that use of limb wood and smaller pieces saves the nicer logs for much better furniture grade use.

[WDH]

That is one fine cherry board.

[backwoods sawyer]

Hmmm..."carves" must be a liberal use of the term. When I carve spoons I uses a hatchet and knives and use limb wood. Cleaving pieces for spoons makes them more stable, but it takes a certain degree of x-ray vision to "read" the piece of wood and see the spoon/bowl inside before you begin. All that use of limb wood and smaller pieces saves the nicer logs for much better furniture grade use.

I mill quite a bit of Myrtlewood for a spoon maker. He starts with 2 1/2" slabs 4" for the salid fork and spoon. Then chunks up the slabs to a manigable size for sawing out the curve of the spoons and forks the rest is done with sanding equipment. Also makes  three legged square bowl sets out of the slabs. For those he uses a chainsaw style nibler on an angle grinder. Makes a bunch at a time.