Storm damage
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Storm damage
About 1 month ago, our area was hit by a very bad ice storm. To make a long story longer, every tree on my place has a lot of damage. Well I have a very nice cherry tree that lost every limb. So I am taking it completely down because tree experts tell me it won't live. Also I have 3 walnut trees that must come down. I want to send it to a saw mill and have lumber planks cut. I have found a mill that will cut, plane and kiln dry the wood for a very affordable price (65 cents per board foot). What thickness should I have the mill cut the wood? What should I be thinking about while doing this. Any thoughts will be appreciated as I have never cut my own wood before and looking forward to a lot of inexpensive wood awaiting me in my barn for future projects.
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a1gutterman
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Sorry for your loss, happy for your gain...thebear wrote:...What thickness should I have the mill cut the wood? What should I be thinking about while doing this. Any thoughts will be appreciated as I have never cut my own wood before and looking forward to a lot of inexpensive wood awaiting me in my barn for future projects.
The answer to your question really depends on future projects. If you have resaw capability, you may want some thicker boards and some thinner ones. If you do knot have resaw capability, you may want to stick to thinner stock. Boards milled to 1" thick wood be useful. Let them air dry with space all around them before you use them.
edit: I was thinking that you may want some pieces that you can turn on the lathe to use for table legs, too.
Tim
Buying US made products will help keep YOUR job or retirement funds safer.
Buying US made products will help keep YOUR job or retirement funds safer.
bear:
I have almost the same situation every year in the Upper Peninsula. When I arrive just after the snow melts, It seems as if I usually have one or two trees downed. This year, I have my eye on a large Poplar tree that was downed in the National Forest last year (we can get salvage permits).
After cutting the logs about 100 inches long with a chain saw, I call in a friend who has a portable Woodmizer. He saws the logs into boards and stickers them in a stack. In past years, I left the stacks outside with a plastic cover weighted down over the top. This leaves you with vulnerability to insect damage. Sprinkling the wood with borax helps. Be sure to have the stickers lined up vertically in the stack to keep the boards straight as they dry. I generally have him cut some 2", 1" and 5/8" thicknesses for me.
Actually, one of the reasons that I built my "Workshop in the Woods", ( http://lumberjocks.com/jocks/8iowa/blog/6298 ) was so I would have a better place to store and dry wood, as I was now approaching 2000 board feet stacked up outside.
Depending on your climate, it will take at least a year for the wood to dry suficiently to use, longer is better. Having the wood kiln dryed will of course speed up the process. In any event, as Nick Engler advises in his book "Woodworking Wisdom" let the wood selected for your immediate project climatize in your shop for at least two weeks before cutting.
I have almost the same situation every year in the Upper Peninsula. When I arrive just after the snow melts, It seems as if I usually have one or two trees downed. This year, I have my eye on a large Poplar tree that was downed in the National Forest last year (we can get salvage permits).
After cutting the logs about 100 inches long with a chain saw, I call in a friend who has a portable Woodmizer. He saws the logs into boards and stickers them in a stack. In past years, I left the stacks outside with a plastic cover weighted down over the top. This leaves you with vulnerability to insect damage. Sprinkling the wood with borax helps. Be sure to have the stickers lined up vertically in the stack to keep the boards straight as they dry. I generally have him cut some 2", 1" and 5/8" thicknesses for me.
Actually, one of the reasons that I built my "Workshop in the Woods", ( http://lumberjocks.com/jocks/8iowa/blog/6298 ) was so I would have a better place to store and dry wood, as I was now approaching 2000 board feet stacked up outside.
Depending on your climate, it will take at least a year for the wood to dry suficiently to use, longer is better. Having the wood kiln dryed will of course speed up the process. In any event, as Nick Engler advises in his book "Woodworking Wisdom" let the wood selected for your immediate project climatize in your shop for at least two weeks before cutting.
I'd have it all cut up into 1X6's and 1X8's, with some of it cut into turning blanks. But that's what I use, what do you use?
SS 500(09/1980), DC3300, jointer, bandsaw, belt sander, Strip Sander, drum sanders,molder, dado, biscuit joiner, universal lathe tool rest, Oneway talon chuck, router bits & chucks and a De Walt 735 planer,a #5,#6, block planes. ALL in a 100 square foot shop.
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Bob
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Bob
Full 1" thick, and I'd leave at least one live edge, preferably both, if you are comfortable with the process to straighten the edges after it's dry.
It would be better to bring the walnut home and air dry it rather than KD because, kiln drying walnut severely reduces the contrasts in color making the wood look washed out ....IMO.
Sticker the walnut and work the KDed cherry while the walnut dries.
It would be better to bring the walnut home and air dry it rather than KD because, kiln drying walnut severely reduces the contrasts in color making the wood look washed out ....IMO.
Sticker the walnut and work the KDed cherry while the walnut dries.
Gene
'The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.' G. K. Chesterton
'The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.' G. K. Chesterton
I find that most of my Woodmizer sawn boards dry up with an edge straight enough to run against the fence for the first sizing cut, and then they can be run thru the jointer to get a true edge.
However, some of my boards do not have any edge at all, some even have bark adhering. I have found that I can scribe a straight line down the length of the board, and with a wide blade in the bandsaw, I can cut an edge freehand that is remarkably straight. If I place ball bearing roller stands on infeed and outfeed, I can even guide 100 inch long boards. the board is then ready for the table saw.
However, some of my boards do not have any edge at all, some even have bark adhering. I have found that I can scribe a straight line down the length of the board, and with a wide blade in the bandsaw, I can cut an edge freehand that is remarkably straight. If I place ball bearing roller stands on infeed and outfeed, I can even guide 100 inch long boards. the board is then ready for the table saw.
Just out of curiosity, why would you not shorten a 100" board before slicing it on the BS?
Heck, I have problems wrestling an 8 footer:o and most of my work with hardwoods requires less than that. Well...except for some moldings I've made.
Heck, I have problems wrestling an 8 footer:o and most of my work with hardwoods requires less than that. Well...except for some moldings I've made.
Gene
'The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.' G. K. Chesterton
'The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.' G. K. Chesterton
Gene:
In our U.P. home, I had a closet project that called for several shelves, 98 inches long x 14 inches wide. Thus I had to plane these long boards, true the edges, and glue them.
This was also an interesting application for the 4" shopsmith jointer, which as we all know, has a combined infeed and outfeed length of 28 inches. I purchased a really great "rock solid" roller stand from Rockler (their #43399) and placed it about three feet beyond the outfeed table. Using the Veritas 50" precision straight edge (Highland Woodworking #177036) I was able to get the roller "dead on" with the outfeed table. I then set another roller stand about three feet in front of the infeed table, and also "zeroed" it level. I had adjusted my cut at 1/16" and did not change it during the cutting. This set-up takes a little time and attention to detail, but it works just fine. If I had to do long boards like this day in and day out I would probably want a long 10" jointer. But for occasional applications, the 4" jointer can do the job on long boards.
In our U.P. home, I had a closet project that called for several shelves, 98 inches long x 14 inches wide. Thus I had to plane these long boards, true the edges, and glue them.
This was also an interesting application for the 4" shopsmith jointer, which as we all know, has a combined infeed and outfeed length of 28 inches. I purchased a really great "rock solid" roller stand from Rockler (their #43399) and placed it about three feet beyond the outfeed table. Using the Veritas 50" precision straight edge (Highland Woodworking #177036) I was able to get the roller "dead on" with the outfeed table. I then set another roller stand about three feet in front of the infeed table, and also "zeroed" it level. I had adjusted my cut at 1/16" and did not change it during the cutting. This set-up takes a little time and attention to detail, but it works just fine. If I had to do long boards like this day in and day out I would probably want a long 10" jointer. But for occasional applications, the 4" jointer can do the job on long boards.
