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Thread: Cutting Maple Slabs

  1. #1

    Cutting Maple Slabs

    Hello all,
    My father and I are taking down some very large maples on our land. We found a portable sawmill that will cut these large ones into slabs. We have never cut slabs before. Is there anything I should be aware of before we do it? Should I do it in the winter time so the sap does not stain the wood? How thick should I cut them? We were planning on just stickering them afterward with weight on them. Is this the right thing to do? I just don't want to do it and then find out we should have done something else and they are no good!
    Thanks!
    Chuck

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Griswold Connecticut
    Posts
    6,923
    Charles

    I am by no means an expert on the subject at all, but there are quite a few on the board that make their living milling wood.
    The walnut logs I have were cut by James White, here on the board. He cut them 2" thick snd anchored sealed the ends as soon as possible.
    I have had them stickered ,and banded, for almost three years.

    I'm sure you'll get some more informative responses.
    "The first thing you need to know, will likely be the last thing you learn." (Unknown)

  3. #3
    Long and thick, Chuck, long and thick. Unless you already have something specific you intend to make with this maple, then you can mill them to match and save extra re-sawing with its attendant waste. You should do it in the winter for the reason you mention and more, (see black moon topic), Of course then all that stuff about stickering, sealing end grain, keeping the wood out of direct sun, rain wind and too much drifting snow and other extremes, one year per inch for drying is a decent broad way to calculate it but of course always erring on the safe side and not rushing things.

  4. #4
    Thanks for the feedback. When you say thick, are you talking 2 inch or more like 4 inch?
    My family lives in the UP of Michigan. We get huge maple all the time and people here just cut it up for firewood. So I decided since slabs are so expensive to buy, I would make my own. And then figured if others wanted at a better price, I can sell them at a much more reasonable price! My father has a large pole bard we would sticker them in and keep out of all weather.

  5. #5
    The standard I stick to for thickness is what I might need for making the legs for a fairly big table. Not that I care to do this kind of work, still I can't rule it out that someday I might want to. But my wood needs are my own and so my standard, though fairly close to what the miller uses are not widely applicable if it's your plan to sell the wood on and I have no idea what the typical thickness, for maple, in UP Michigan are. This is something the sawmill in your area could tell you were you to make contact.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    Winston Salem, NC
    Posts
    133
    Hi Charles

    I have an opinion, as does everyone else. So my suggestion is depending on how many maples you want to slab up - why not have a variety. I wouldn't do anything thinner than 5/4, so that after drying/planing/cleanup you will still wind up with a 1" thick board. But I'd also do some 9/4, and a few 13/4 just to have the option. If you want to do table legs like Ernest was saying, a few 4x4's wouldn't be out of the question. Ultimately it's up to what you envision your future projects might need, or what you've heard people in your area wishing they had.

    Just my .02 opinion

    Jason.

  7. #7
    Whatever you decide, you MUST seal the ends of the logs THE DAY YOU CUT DOWN THE TREE. Each time you re-cut the length, RESEAL. If not, you will get shrinkage cracks that will start showing up within hours.

    I too, agree that 5/4 is minimum. I normally also cut 9/4 and 13/4.

    Air drying of 1" per years is only an estimate. You should get a moisture meter that can read the center of the board.

    I once was given a 20 year old oak log. It was still as wet inside as the day it had been cut. I had it milled 13/4 and 17/4. Took 4 years in the dry California valley to dry the 13/4 down to 12%, and I am still waiting on the 17/4 to get there [6 years].

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    New Hill, NC
    Posts
    2,568
    Charles, I mill a lot of wide, live edge slabs. Good advice above from others.

    Keep in mind that the wider the board/plank/slab, the more that it will move during drying, so your targeted milling thickness changes based upon the width of the slab.

    As an example, if I want to net a 1-3/4" thick plank after drying and surfacing, if the log is 16" on the small end I will usually mill it at 2-5/16" green if flat sawn, and 2-7/16 green if quartersawn.

    If the log is 72" across, I'll mill it at 4" green in order to allow for shrinkage and surfacing.

  9. #9
    After the boards are stickered in your barn, be sure to inspect them regularly. Watch for any dust falling out of the underside of boards. The dust is caused by powder post beetles, and unless you get the boards sterilized very soon after finding the dust, your boards will be ruined and have to be burned.

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