Tree slices - how can I get them smooth?

[Mike vonBuelow]

As a laser engraver, I've thought about creating items from tree slices, but I'd really like to be able to get one side sanded down, while leaving bark and natural shape on the edges.

Right now, I use a chainsaw to cut, so the sides are far from flat. How would you suggest I get a nice smooth finish?

I thought about getting a large stone grinder, as a horizontal sanding wheel, and easing it down that way, then maybe using an orbital sander once it's 'mostly level'

If I had a 12" wide coarse file, that would be awesome too - are those available?


I've attached a recent example.

[Dan Hintz]

A belt sander for the larger grits, maybe up through 120, then a ROS up through 240. Depends upon how smooth you want it. Of course, using a fine-tooth blade on the bandsaw during cutting would help reduce the sanding.

[Chris Burgess]

You could try a drum sander. Place the blank on a flat piece of MDF and use shims and Hot Glue to hold it down and keep running it through until level then you can flip it over and run the other side through to make it co-planer. I have a shop smith and I would use my 12" sanding disc as a horizontal sander. Another thing I just thought of, don't laugh, could be a floor sander (rented). You could build up around the piece w/ 2x4 or 4x4 on the ground and sand it down. Of course it would only be effective to go this route if you had several to do and could utilize the setup and justify the cost of renting the sander. Just some ideas. The thread is new and I am sure someone will come w/ some better. I thought about a bench top planer but I am not sure how it would handle cutting endgrain as I have never done that.


oh....oh.....oh...... heres another one. You could use a router w/ a flat bottom bit and build a slead for it out of some staright boards and plywood then build a frame that you set the slead on and put the wood in and slowly go over it taking a little off at a time then lower the bit down until it is flush then ROB it smooth. Again the issue w/ End Grain comes into question w/ the router. Never done it and am not sure about tearout.

Good luck and that is a great piece you pictured.

[Roger Chandler]

I would use a large drum sander [think Jet 16/32 or Jet 22/44] and use it to take off small amounts per pass until the smooth surface is gained. We are doing this for the Stonewall Jackson Prayer tree.........I have the 16/32 drum sander and will use it because sanding a slice will be much better as far a chipout with a sander, instead of a planer.

[Steve Vaughan]

+1 on the drum sander. I've got the 16/32 also and it does great for whatever I put under it. On the end grain, you'll definitely want to go with really small amounts per pass, but it will do a wonderful job.

[Mike vonBuelow]

New to drum sanders - what does 16/32 or 22/44 tell me?

Are there any sanders that are horizontal and 'open' - think Woodcraft horizontal wet grinder or a clay potters turning wheel that has sandpaper on the surface that I can lower the slice on to.

I know it would be slightly more dangerous, but I tried a planer and ended up with the wood getting caught on the blade and the resulting projectile took a good nip out of my fingertip.

[Mike vonBuelow]

Dan,

If you can give me tips on getting a fine-tooth blade bandsaw big enough to slice a 16"+ tree trunk, I'm all ears!!!

Otherwise I'm stuck with a chainsaw, and my shaky hands trying to be a smooth craftsman :)

[Roger Chandler]

Look at this youtube video.......should be self explanatory.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fkcI6s62E0

[Mike vonBuelow]

Just had a Diet Mt Dew, so my creative juices are flowing -

If I had a drill press, with a wide enough sanding disc (in lieu of a drill bit) attached, I could lower the disc to get both smooth & level :D!

[Mike vonBuelow]

Thx Roger!

[David DeCristoforo]

"Smooth" and "flat" are not, in this instance, synonymous. If you want it smooth, a hand held belt sander followed by a ROS will do the job quite nicely. If you want it flat, a drum or wide belt is the best bet. A much more costly option to be sure. There are also many ways to use a router with guide rails or even a hand held belt sander with guide rails to flatten the surface.

[Gary Max]

I use a 4 x 24 Makita belt sander with 50 grit belts-----just hang on and go.

[Rob Cunningham]

A router with guide rails would probably be the quickest and most accurate method. A drum sander would also work but will be slow.

[Reed Gray]

I asked one guy how he flattened his slab tables. He put a 'planer bit' on his radial arm saw, set the height and made the passes over the slab. Drum sanders work, but the home/hobby type will take forever on those.

robo hippy

[Dan Hintz]

If you can give me tips on getting a fine-tooth blade bandsaw big enough to slice a 16"+ tree trunk, I'm all ears!!!
How much money do you want to invest in this adventure? That changes the advice given. Initially I thought you were looking at something inexpensive, like an ROS. That stepped up in price when we started talking about wide belt sanders.

One option would be to find your local sawyer, tell him how you'd like them cut, and let him to the bulk of the work. They'll turn out much better than a chainsaw, but you'll still need to do a bit of sanding.

[Mike vonBuelow]

David,

"Flat" is needed mostly since the laser moves on a flat azmuth and is limited by focal length - shims can be used to get it parallel.
"Smooth" is a bouns - but I've actually heard from a client that the "rough look" (referencing chainsaw un-uniformity of the cut) suits her just fine.

Dan,
Lesser-expensive is better, at least while I feel out the market. Just looking for that time vs cost balance.

[Bruce Volden]

Don't forget the laser focal point stuff--ie--ideally the sides should be parallel. It won't do much good to have one smooth surface if the thickness varies and throws off the focus. Or did I miss this already??

Bruce

[Ted Calver]

One option would be to find your local sawyer, tell him how you'd like them cut, and let him to the bulk of the work. They'll turn out much better than a chainsaw, but you'll still need to do a bit of sanding.
I like Dan's suggestion. Somebody with a Wood-Mizer can give you parallel slices and won't waste as much of the log since the kerf is much narrower. Probably leave a smoother surface too. I'd think about using a low angle bevel up jack plane to smooth the end grain. Maybe the plane marks would add some character while leaving a smooth look to pop your engraving.

[Michael Mills]

I have an old power hand planer (3.5” wide) that I picked up for about $20. It would take a little while but I would set it to take a very thin cut and make repeated passes. Then sand with a random orbit sander.
I assume the piece shown is about 12” diameter so my guess would be about 10-15 minutes total.

I use mine to make one or two passes to completely flatten the area for a 3” faceplate or to remove area from the pith if I am off with my chain saw a little.

[Keith E Byrd]

Might be a dumb idea but since this is a turning forum how about a glue block on the back and turn the face?

[Mike vonBuelow]

Ted,
Wood-Mizer would be awesome, I'd do some searching here in OKC

Keith,
If I had a turner, absolutely!

Mike M,
I do have a hand planer - will give that a try tonight.

[Terry Beadle]

Ah.... A LN Low Angle Jack plane would do the job very well and would be quite a bit lower of an investment. If you do the final cut with a high tooth count band saw, the LN LAJ would really cook them out. JMO YMMV

[Grant Wilkinson]

Do you have access to a lathe? If so, glue a glue block to the back side, mount it on a face plate and smooth?flatten the front side. Then, cut off the glue block.

[Jeff Nicol]

If you are cutting these and then burning in the design, how dry are the discs? My Dad and I cut a few hundred of them from a large white oak tree that blew down in a huge storm about 25 years ago on our woodmizer mill. Some we left just the way they were and most all of them cracked radially, but my Dad got some PEG and mixed up big barrels of the stuff and soaked the rest in that for a couple weeks. Once they were dry they were given to a bunch of local artists through the university where the tree was located and where my Dad happened to work at, it helped us get the job I guess! But anyway I am trying to make sure that the discs do not crack on you after the laser has done its thing and they are in the hand of the customer. I have had luck drilling a hole in the back side of a disc about 2/3 of the way (3/4" hole) so when it drys the hole will give the wood somewhere to shrink to. you may end up with a bump in the middle, but it won't crack so bad, hopefully!

Mounting then on a lathe and turning the face would be a good way to get them smooth, but right off he woodmizer would work perfect with little sanding if any.

Good luck,

Jeff

[Scott T Smith]

In the milling industry, the log "rounds" that you are referring to are called "cookies". The biggest challenge in using a sawmill to cut them to length will be in holding down the log, but the cut coming off should be relatively smooth.

You can also cut them with a chainsaw fairly close by using an attachment. Bailey's used to sell the Isomec Beam Boss, which is a great chainsaw guide. It works on a log up to 14" od:

http://www.baileysonline.com/itemdetail.asp?item=48520&CAT=

You can get a fixture from LignaTool that is a chainsaw guide for making perfect cuts. It's pretty pricy though.

http://www.timbertools.com/Products/LignaTool-chain-saw-guide.html


A less expensive version is called The Beam Boss, and Bailey's used to sell it.

If you can chainsaw your cookies pretty close, you can finish them off in either a wide belt sander or a drum sander. Both of these would be much faster than trying to sand the cookies by hand.

[Ed Morgano]

Mike,
Where are you located? I'm in SC and we have a woodmizer bandmill which would work fine.....not counting the transportation.

[Gary Herrmann]

Educate us on the size of these slices and the tools you own. If the wood is wet, it is going to move as soon as you're done. If it's dry, and you can clamp and shim the round to a bench, and get it very close to flat with a jack plane and then finish it with a smooth plane - done. If you're not into hand tools, do you have a planer? You have to be careful with end grain, but it can be done. But you'll have to make a sled and shim the round. Go over to the general woodworking forum and look up what people do to finish cutting boards.

[Ted Calver]

Mike,
Another thought. If Tinker AFB has a wood hobby shop, check out the size of their band saw. If it has a decent re-saw capacity, make a v-shaped cradle and slice cookies as thick as you want all day long. Cutting round things on a band saw is dangerous free hand, so a cradle is mandatory. If Tinker doesn't have a wood hobby shop, maybe one of our other OKC creekers has a band saw you could use.

[jim krager]

You could try this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_z_5OmBEEk

[Dan Hintz]

You could try this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_z_5OmBEEk
Looks like a nice piece of Norfolk Pine he's got there...