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Thread: Beginners Question on Waiting Time Before Milling

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    Edmond, Oklahoma
    Posts
    1,749

    Beginners Question on Waiting Time Before Milling

    A friend just had a 24" diameter limb break off of his Osage Orange tree. He checked the broken off end of the limb, and there seems to be no carpenter ant damage, hollowing, or any other damage to the limb.

    He wants to have it milled into lumber for various uses. He has ordered some of the original formula Anchorseal. As soon as it arrives he plans to use his chain saw to cut off sections, the longest being about 4', to take to the sawmill. Right after cutting the limb into log sections he plans to immediately treat the ends of the freshly cut log sections with the Anchorseal.

    The questions are: 1. After he treats the end grain section of the cut off sections, how long will it take the Anchorseal to dry so it can be milled? 2. How long is it OK to wait after the AnchorSeal dries before you start to get splitting by waiting too long to have the sections sawmilled? He probably will try to have it milled as soon as is possible, but things happen so allowable waiting time is good to know.

    Thanks and regards,

    Stew

  2. #2
    Limb logs are less reliable for straight, flat lumber due to the fact that the heart is likely off-center, and they often have sweep. Check with the mill where he intends to take the 'logs', "the longest being 4' " may be a challenge for some mills. AnchorSeal will dry within an hour or so and should be fully cured in 4 hours. Osage Orange (called hedge or bodark around here) is prone to heart checks but the AnchorSeal will help. No real need to let AnchorSeal dry before milling, I have had clients buck a log and AnchorSeal it on the mill, jus be cutting, much easier than coating the ends of individual boards. Osage Orange is quite decay resistant, I have milled logs that were several years old and still got decent lumber. Keep the lumber out of the sun, completely, if you hope to preserve the bright yellow color

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2017
    Location
    Michigan
    Posts
    2,758
    Agree with all of what the other Tom said plus, it may be helpful to apply a second coat of Anchor seal after milling. And if there are any knots, coat them too. It should help them to stay tight.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    New Hill, NC
    Posts
    2,568
    Ditto what the Tom's said above.

    I highly advise against milling limb wood. If you consider the stresses on a limb, typically the cells on the upper side of the limb are in tension, and the cells on the bottom side are in compression. When milled, the boards tend to turn into potato chip shapes, and continue to move excessively even after being dried.

    It's just not a good idea for lumber. Bowl turning though... that's another story.

  5. #5
    Even for bowl turning - maybe especially for bowl turning - limb wood can be very tricky to dry properly, leading to cracks. If you were to turn something with it, you may want to split away the pith first.

    IMHO, limbs are best for perhaps carving spoons. Your osage orange would make some great tool handles.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    Edmond, Oklahoma
    Posts
    1,749
    I spoke to my friend on the phone prior to putting the post, and discussed the concerns about reaction wood with him. He advised that the limb rose at an angle of 60 degrees or more from the ground. This angle might still be a problem, but hopefully less than a limb growing at a lower angle.

    It should make great mallets, handles, etc. I also told him that quarter sawing, I was thinking in terms of the down facing portion, would also help. This may or not be correct, but I will be visiting with him again, and also told him to follow this post, so he will be aware of your comments. He will be talking with a professional sawyer, so I have every confidence that he will be given good advise.

    The comments are appreciated, and further comments will also be much appreciated.

    Thanks and regards,

    Stew

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