Ash log cut plan

[forrestM]

hello, 

Wanted to post a picture of this ash log and see what you guys think about a plan of attack. Customer is thinking of getting multiple 7x9 beams from it. I have had the best luck with boxed heart beams, and am not sure how to get multiple straight beams from one log. Maybe over size them by an inch or 2 and then cut the bow back out? It also has that crotch to contend with, which may cause some trouble. 

This log is 12' to the orange line and about 42 inches in diameter. I have a 6 foot Alaskan mill, an lt15 wide, and a small skid steer. 

WWYD?

Thanks,
Forrest


 4

[Southside]

You have two logs there if it is lumber or beams you desire.  The first one ends before the crotch, my guess is it's a 9' stick of wood, and the second one begins about where the orange line is. How long of a beam do you need?  Not sure I see multiple beams in that bottom log, there is a lot of flare to that crotch coming down so the grain will have compression and tension for a while.   That's assuming the feathering does not come down terribly far, if it does then you have a structural defect to deal with.  Not knowing how much is heart wood on the top log, again, not really sure there are multiple 7x9's in there either.  Myself I would be very hesitant to do as you propose.  The risk of good keel material is quite high.  

[Brad_bb]

Well we don't know what he wants the beams for?  Mantle?  Timberframing?

If the butt log is really that big you could probably cut two, one from each side of the crotch.  I'm assuming this was a standing dead Ash.  Although I prefer to cut posts and beams boxed heart in hardwood, I would not hesitate to cut brace stock (4x6 or 4x8 ) free of heart.  I would oversize it a little bit and see how much it moves as it dries and plane it down later after most movement is done.  I have an advantage with a woodmizer MP100 beam planer that runs on the mill tracks.  I don't know why they don't retro fit it for the LT15wide as it can also be used to flatten slabs.  Brace stock I'd cut 1/2 inch over in each direction, 4.5x8.5 for example.  For a 7x9 FOH I'd probably go 8x10.  Being that it's only 9 feet long, that will probably be ok.  if not, you'd need to take more off.  The upper log I'd box heart that.  You'll have a bunch of side wood to take off too.  Is the butt really 42" or were measuring the spread of the crotch?  If the butt is not 42, then you'd have to determine if you could get two FOH sticks from the butt.  Also, if it really is 42 at the butt, you'd have to probably chainsaw the butt log down the middle so you have two halves to work with.  I'm not sure how large a wide mill can bibby down to a workable cant.  I know the throat opening for the wide is 34".  

[Gere Flewelling]

forrestM- If that ash tree is anything like I have come across here in NH, there is likely a big crack across the center of the butt as well as one starting at the upper end as soon as it is cut for length.  This will certainly dictate where you are going to cut.  If using a chainsaw mill, you will want to have a plan so as not to waist time sawing.  A band mill cuts pretty quick and you can flip and roll the log to work around cracks.  A chainsaw mill, not so much.  An old sawmill guy told me that he has found that you don't want to saw ash until you are ready to nail it up.  I have found that to be especially true on ash lumber that is more than 8' long.  Tried sawing some 2x8x16' for trailer decking last spring.  They looked perfect when I took them off the mill and stacked them.  Two months later I had to put them back on the mill to trim them to 2x7's to get them to come close to laying parallel on my trailer deck.  Good luck!  Ash does make some pretty lumber.

[offrink]

I cut some 50" at the butt ash on a csm. It had sat in a swamp for a number of years. Power company cut it down and the farmer dozed it off the field. It was bark free when we cut it so it was there for a lot of years. Wood turned out nice. After milling it air dried for a couple of years and then in the kiln and leveled. Sold the slabs for $1500 each nice cut. Still have some of them. The are almost as wide as they are long. They really can dull a chain in a hurry! I think we got 2 cuts per chain and it was dull after the first 1 1/2 cuts.