From Log to Lumber - Neander style

[Matt Sauber]

Ok, I've searched for this but haven't found much - perhaps because I might be crazy for wanting to do this.

I have a nice log of black walnut that is laying down in some woods next to my house. It's about 8-10 ft long and 18in diameter. It's straight with no branches.

My question is: what is the best way to get this thing sawn into 4/4 plainsawn planks for making some furniture? The kicker is I want to do this all by hand. I'm not afraid of hard work and realize that is what it is going to take. I just want to know the proper way of going about this project.

Thanks!

[Ed Griner]

First dig a five foot deep pit,acquire a large rip saw and a sawing partner.Just kidding. I would contact a local Woodmizer rep.
Good Luck/Ed

[Matt Hankins]

First dig a five foot deep pit,acquire a large rip saw and a sawing partner.Just kidding.

What Ed said, but not kidding. Start by getting yourself a broad axe and hew some flat faces, then grab your buddy and your pitsaw and go to town! You shouldn't need to hew your log perfectly square. Some wane won't hurt. Just give yourself some flat surfaces for reference.

Matt

[John Eaton]

How about splitting first then working down the splits to usable widths?

-- John

[David Keller NC]

My question is: what is the best way to get this thing sawn into 4/4 plainsawn planks for making some furniture? The kicker is I want to do this all by hand. I'm not afraid of hard work and realize that is what it is going to take. I just want to know the proper way of going about this project.

The simple (simplistic) answer is that you can't do this without power. The reason is that as other posters have mentioned, a rip-filed pit saw is necessary to get plain-sawn boards out of a log, and it's very unlikely you're going to find a pit saw. You can have one custom made by someone like Wenzlof & Sons, but it's going to really cost and you'll have to wait quite a long time for it. You -might- stumble into one of these at an MWTCA event or tool auction, but you'll be lucky if you do, and whether it will be in usable shape instead of just a wall decoration is iffy.

The next best thing is as Matt Sauber noted - you can buy a few wedges and split the log lengthwise into bolts, then plane these square and true. However, the result will be quarter-sawn wood of perhaps 7" wide at the maximum.

If you decide to give on the "no power" aspect, then you've a lot of options - you can contract with someone that has a Woodmizer bandsaw mill, you can buy a large chainsaw and a chainsaw board-cutting jig from Granberg International, or you can buy a portable band-saw run by a chainsaw motor (they're called "Rip-Saw")

[Mark Roderick]

I'm not on expert on milling wood from a log, but I think you should take care with the drying process here. If you mill 4x4 boards initially, I have a feeling that once the wood dries and moves around a bit, you're not going to be able to salvage a 4x4 board. I'd think you would have to mill a board at least 6/4 to end up with long pieces that are 4x4. Calling on the experts here, is that correct, or if you stack and dry it correctly will everything stay straight?

[Jerome Bias]

From what I hear Black walnut rives really well. And I have seen a bit of late 17th century stuff that used the stuff. It looked great. From what I understand working the rived stuff is nicer than working quarter sawn wood. I have been look for a butt of a log that a saw yard was afraid to touch, because of nails and such to rive.

Good luck.

Jerome

NORMAL is just a setting on the washing machine.

How about splitting first then working down the splits to usable widths?

-- John

[Matt Sauber]

So is a pit saw the only option for hand work?

What about a big 'ol frame saw? Could I cut this into 4'-5' lengths, hew it square-ish, prop it up on some saw horses and saw it up with a wide frame saw?

[Pam Niedermayer]

So is a pit saw the only option for hand work?

What about a big 'ol frame saw? Could I cut this into 4'-5' lengths, hew it square-ish, prop it up on some saw horses and saw it up with a wide frame saw?

No, a pit saw isn't the only hand work option. The much better option of riving is there, far superior, involving only an axe/sledge and wedges. See riving method, skip past shaving horse stuff.

A frame saw? Nah, way too much work.

Pam

[Steve Friedman]

I wouldn't discount the riving knife (froe) idea.

http://www.countryworkshops.org/froes.html

[Jared McMahon]

I can't find it at the moment, but there's a YouTube clip floating around of a Japanese village and a guy going to town on a log with a maebiki, a big PacMan-looking saw. Hope it's not taboo to link to other forums, but here's some pertinent info:

http://www.japanesetools.com/phpBB3/...6&t=5&start=15

It might be one way to avoid digging a pit, but you still might need some extra hands.

And definitely let us know if you manage to find a way to do it without either using electricity or giving yourself a heart attack.


EDIT: Need to clarify the URL. Most of that thread is unrelated, the maebiki info and pics start near the bottom of that page.

[David Keller NC]

So is a pit saw the only option for hand work?

What about a big 'ol frame saw? Could I cut this into 4'-5' lengths, hew it square-ish, prop it up on some saw horses and saw it up with a wide frame saw?

The specific answer to your question is "it depends". Most certainly workmen in the 18th century used 2-man frame saws to slice a fairly small piece of wood lengthwise into veneer. But for what we would typically think of as "lumber" - yeah, the pit saw was the method of choice.

Regarding a frame saw, though - you can probably get this to work on a piece of log about 4 feet long, but it will be necessary to have a 2nd person helping you - guiding a frame saw down a line with the grain's very difficult without someone on the other side of the log to steer.

[paul cottingham]

Read up Roy Underhill.

[harry strasil]

Matt, its not necessary to dig a pit, you can make some real tall saw horses and use a frame saw, it takes 2 people one on top and one on the bottom with a big hat on. and a couple of planks on the sides for the top person to stand on, You mark the log with a chalk line for the sawing lines. And I have a 5 ft frame saw I made you can borrow.



It also takes a couple of log dogs to hold the log steady while you saw.

[harry strasil]

from Diderot Vol 2