log size worth cutting for lumber?

[wooddawg]

hello again,
have trees want to make own lumber
   I just want  hardwood boards to make projects(furnature)
wouldn't need anything over 72 inches 4 to 6 inch wide unless I wanted to make a 7 or 8 ft table someday.
what is the smallest diameter log worth cutting for this purpose?honestly wouldn't try glueup on any thing over 4 inch wide.
so for my own use ideas?
does it make any difference in tree type?lets say do you get more usable wood from red oak compared to persimmon.
thanks

[Fla._Deadheader]

Here's my 2 cents. I am always on the lookout for different kinds of wood. You mention furniture. Is it sittin type, or cabinets, or curios or wooden boxes or ????
   Finding a way to cut the stuff is not so difficult. I once had a 24" table saw rigged up, and sawed a LOT of small pieces of Cherry and Red Cedar. My saw is set up for 28" long logs, up to 24' long. I have a specialty wood thing going here. Why not call woodmizer and a couple other manufacturers and see if someone in your area has a mill. That way, you get some boards and can start saving for yer own mill. I plan on sawing anything from 8" on up, because, I get "Pecky Cypress", and it's worth it to me.
  Finding someone that will take the time to saw short logs might be yer biggest problem.  Good luck and let us know what you make.  GOT PICS ???

[Tom]

Wood type makes a lot of difference.  Some woods are real stable and some aren't.  Some have straight grain and some have locked grain. Some are easy to dry and some aren't

A lot of the size question has to do with the mill that you are using to saw the log.  It has to be able to clamp the log securely or the log will go a-flyin'.  When that happens somebody or something(sawmill) could get hurt.

On most of the bandmills, it is difficult to clamp a round log that is less than 6" in diameter.  I prefer that my smallest logs be no less than 9 inches.  The reason is that a 9" log may produce a square 6" cant or at least square enough to get a couple of 6" boards.  That's a lot of work for a couple of  6" boards.

When you take into consideration the pith being in the wider boards and needing the full diameter of the log to produce a 6" board then you are dealing with a lot of "immature" wood.  That is the first 3-10 rings in the middle of a log and its quality is inferior to the mature wood you will find laid down beyond these first years.  It's got nothing to do with the age of the tree but with the age of the piece of the tree that you cutting.

Most mills are also designed to saw a minimum of 8' long.  Folks like Deadheader that have been around a mill some will know that shorter pieces are more available and will design their mill to handle them.  Most of us have rigged up some kind of Jig to handle shorter logs but they aren't cut in a production atmosphere. You will be cutting all day for pennies.  You can find some really pretty wood in a firewood pile or stacked beside the road so it behooves you to make a Jig if you are cutting for yourself.  

[MrMoo]

Tom,
I noticed you mentioning logs that go a-flyin. We see herds of them flying overhead in NH during the fall. They're pointed south so I kind of figure they're heading your way for the winter ;D

You must be catching them though as I don't see them flying back in the spring 8)

[Tom]

Is that where those things keep coming from?  DanG,  I was wondering.  They litter up the place sometimes, specially after a clear cut.  :D

[J Beyer]

Tom,

What is locked grain?

[GarryW]

I caught one of those flying logs last Sunday.  :D A 6 incher of pitch pine that came down and spun while I was cutting it.   I could not have created a nice curved cut if I had tried. It made for some interesting slabs.  8)

[Ron Wenrich]

Another thing you may want to consider is how much defect you will allow in your lumber.  The nicer quality boards are on the outside of the log, and the hearts generally yield a board with knots and other defects that will greatly reduce your yield in clear lumber.

We sell lumber to a large wholesaler that has a cut up shop.  They rip all the boards into 2 - 4" pieces and glue them into panels.  But, they won't buy dimension stock - or clear shorts.  They need the wider boards to be ablet to get those 4" cuttings.

They will put small defects on the back side of some panels.  Drawer and door fronts have to be clear on both sides.

You may want to consider buying shorts off of a local mill.  They can pull stuff that is 4 or 6 foot and shorter, which may have limited markets.  We can't sell anything shorter than 4 foot, so, it goes into the chipper.  Nice clean wood with no home.

[Tom]

J Beyer,  Locked grain is twisted and runs everywhich-a-way in the log as if it grew one direction one year and the other direction the other year.  Sweet Gum, Black Gum and Live Oak as examples.  It will split with difficulty and is difficult to dry straight.