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Saw Milling Experiment

PostPosted: 09 Jan 2017, 13:02
by Commander
I hope starting this tread under the WIP section is the correct place, if not please move it mods. :)

I recovered a small tree stump from a fallen tree behind the beach house and decided to see if I could manage to cut boards from it. Unfortunately I don't have access to a band saw so i was forced to use a hand saw and my table saw where possible.

The first cut was made by hand:
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The aim was just to see what the inside of the stump actually looks like, it turns out I was more curious after doing the first cut :lol:. I cleaned up the one side of the cut with the belt sander just to see what the grain looks like and it seemed rather interesting:

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Those are not cracks but appears to be the grain.

After a lot of head scratching I managed to cut 3 full boards ( I didn't measure but they are probably about 300mm x 90mm x 15mm) as well as a number of off-cuts.

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The grain looks really interesting, so I'm quite keen to see what I can get out of the other half of the stump!

The big limiting factor is the max cutting depth of the TS, I could also see it was working hard to cut through a log at full depth.

Thanks for looking!

Re: Saw Milling Experiment

PostPosted: 09 Jan 2017, 14:43
by Mike G
Blimey, Erich, that looks like hard work using the tools you did.

Re: Saw Milling Experiment

PostPosted: 09 Jan 2017, 15:44
by RogerS
You have some nice spalted timer there, Erich.

Re: Saw Milling Experiment

PostPosted: 09 Jan 2017, 17:20
by Malc2098
Is that ripple effect the same as zebra striped maple, caused by the compression of the trunk? Or are my eyes going off again?! :)

Re: Saw Milling Experiment

PostPosted: 09 Jan 2017, 18:58
by Andyp
Erich, well done. I know how hard it is to rip logs by hand.

You might find it easier with a frame saw. Easy to make.

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Re: Saw Milling Experiment

PostPosted: 09 Jan 2017, 19:21
by Pinch
Brilliant frame saw Andy! 8-)

Erich, how dense is the wood?

Lovely quilted grain. 8-)

Re: Saw Milling Experiment

PostPosted: 10 Jan 2017, 05:25
by Commander
Thanks guys, I actually made the first cut while still down by the seaside, I have always wanted to try cutting lumber from a stump and when I saw the tree had fallen over eventually (it was on its way out for some time) I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to try! However I didn't want to try and haul back the stump if it was going to be of no use, so I decided the best course of action was to try and saw it in half length ways (well a portion at least) to see if the insides look worth while.

The saw we have at the beach house is ancient and not in great condition to say the least (a number of teeth are missing) so it did take a bit of time to do, but in the end I'm very happy that I gave it a try!

Roger, I believe you are correct, I had no idea what "spalted" meant so I googled, and the photos that come up look the same, the spalting on my log isn't that heavy but I like the look of it, thanks for teaching me something new! :text-bravo:

Malcolm, I'm not sure, you may be completely right, it wasn't a very big tree and this portion comes from close to the base of the stump, it was however very slanted, so that could account for additional pressure.

Andy, that looks like it would be a very useful tool to have, what blades do you use for it? I think clamping the wood down would be a challenge in my case as it isn't very straight and the cuts aren't square either, I have asked to borrow my brother's reciprocating saw and will try using that as I'm not overly keen on sawing the log in half by hand again! :lol: That being said sawing by hand does leave a pretty straight cut where other methods may not...

Paul, I would say it isn't extremely dense, probably more so than the Pine we have over here, but not properly hard like the Emboya I have worked with before, in fact it feels lighter than expected when you pick up the log. My grandfather always used to say it was a "Manatok" tree, so I googled a bit and the closes I could find was Manatoka, which apparently is an alien invasive species in the Western Cape. The photos don't look quite right though, so I'm not entirely sure if this is even the same type of tree.

Re: Saw Milling Experiment

PostPosted: 10 Jan 2017, 07:22
by Andyp
Erich, IIRC Ibought my blade from here:-

https://www.fine-tools.com/gestell.html

Not the japanese one, the cheaper rip cut about €7 or €8

Re: Saw Milling Experiment

PostPosted: 10 Jan 2017, 07:49
by Commander
Thanks Andy, I wonder if they will ship to SA... :eusa-think:
It may be worth while to put a frame saw on my to-do list as it doesn't look super complicated.

Re: Saw Milling Experiment

PostPosted: 10 Jan 2017, 10:48
by Andyp
It isn't Erich. Here is a quick guide

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread. ... (a-tutoral)

Re: Saw Milling Experiment

PostPosted: 10 Jan 2017, 12:39
by Commander
Thanks! very interesting, I think the only tricky part is the blade tensioners, those would probably have to be bought instead of made.

Re: Saw Milling Experiment

PostPosted: 10 Jan 2017, 13:05
by Tusses
text deleted ...

oops .. wrong post ... :oops:

Re: Saw Milling Experiment

PostPosted: 10 Jan 2017, 13:19
by Andyp
Commander wrote:Thanks! very interesting, I think the only tricky part is the blade tensioners, those would probably have to be bought instead of made.


Not at all. You just need to cut a slot in a suitably sized bolt. I'll take a close up photo of mine later.

Re: Saw Milling Experiment

PostPosted: 10 Jan 2017, 16:25
by Andyp
Here you go Erich. 2not very good photos but I think you can see the idea.

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Re: Saw Milling Experiment

PostPosted: 10 Jan 2017, 18:27
by Commander
:eusa-whistle: I should have thought of that... :oops:

Re: Saw Milling Experiment

PostPosted: 14 Jan 2017, 08:44
by Phil
Commander wrote:I recovered a small tree stump from a fallen tree behind the beach house and decided to see if I could manage to cut boards from it. Unfortunately I don't have access to a band saw so i was forced to use a hand saw and my table saw where possible.




Erich, some nice looking timber.

You do realise you have destroyed what was potentially some wood turners masterpiece! :shock:

Re: Saw Milling Experiment

PostPosted: 14 Jan 2017, 20:56
by Commander
:o :oops: well Phil now that you mention it you may be right, unfortunately I don't own a lathe so it didn't even cross my mind! I think it would be challenging since the wood is pretty twisted, but I think it would also look rather good if done properly. Are you keen to try? I do still have a piece left...

Re: Saw Milling Experiment

PostPosted: 15 Jan 2017, 06:20
by Phil
Commander wrote::o :oops: well Phil now that you mention it you may be right, unfortunately I don't own a lathe so it didn't even cross my mind! I think it would be challenging since the wood is pretty twisted, but I think it would also look rather good if done properly. Are you keen to try? I do still have a piece left...



Erich, thanks.

My lathe skills are worse than my woodworking skills which are at Grade 1 level. :shock:

Re: Saw Milling Experiment

PostPosted: 18 Jan 2017, 04:56
by Commander
Phil, I don't think you give yourself nearly enough credit! ;)

Re: Saw Milling Experiment

PostPosted: 18 Jan 2017, 04:57
by Commander
Phil, I don't think you give yourself nearly enough credit! ;)