Splitting And Sawing A Big Red Oak

[DM]

Some time ago i helped a neighbor take down a big red oak that was leaning toward his house. This is a 3 part story about turning that Big Log into lumber that i can build cabinets or ? out of... As you can see i did it as weather and time allowed.

Part one,

Once cut down i found several feet of the butt of the log severely rotted. So i sawed the rot off and then tried to load the rest of the log with my tractor. I soon figured out the "rest of the log" was much too heavy for my tractor to pick up. My tractor will only pick about 3,600 pounds so the solution was to get "another" tractor to help lift it! 8)

http://www.fototime.com/BBC6F9F5F68A40F/standard.jpg

Once we had the big log loaded on my running gear, i loaded all the firewood on my wagon, picked up the top logs and headed for home.

http://www.fototime.com/5B71168D4AE9466/standard.jpg

Once home i left the butt log on the running gear to deal with later, and later is right now!

http://www.fototime.com/58DF7A39F43BC04/standard.jpg

After sawing as deep as i could go, full length of the log, (Husky 268XP 24" bar) i rolled it off the running gear and scored the opposite side with my chainsaw. Then i rotated the forks on the tractor, pushing them into the cut and used them to finish splitting the log.

http://www.fototime.com/B4EE203468B88C3/standard.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/A672CB16B9FE184/standard.jpg

Once the log was in halves, i loaded them back on the running gear.

http://www.fototime.com/83525AA94734D50/standard.jpg

and moved them to the mill site. Once there, i loaded one of the halves onto the mill.

http://www.fototime.com/617E94BDEAC9287/standard.jpg

It isn't the cleanest chainsaw cut i've ever made, but at least i got the job done... :-[ and now that the weather is waming up, soon i'll turn both halves into lumber! 8)

DM

[DM]

Part 2,

Today it was sunny out and it warmed up to 70 degrees!! By the end of the day nearly all of our snow was gone, even though we started out with quite a bit this morning.

I figured with the nice weather i'd saw up the red oak sitting on the mill that i split in the above picts.. I got started by takeing a big first cut to get down to decent width boards.

http://www.fototime.com/E0BD9BFABB0F48B/standard.jpg

Once that was done, i turned the log and knocked the "humps" off it and took a thin slab off just to level out this side.

http://www.fototime.com/921744750D4EF77/standard.jpg

With that done, it was time to turn the cant again,

http://www.fototime.com/E83B904C29F7436/standard.jpg

and then back to cutting and it didn't take too long to find a bigassed nail!! (you can see the "bluestain" in the cant)

http://www.fototime.com/F01BAA4837B5FD2/standard.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/14FDA0E8AE73E92/standard.jpg

And "yes" it dulled the band, so it was time to change bands too!

With that out of the way, i started takeing 14" wide 5/4 boards off the cant!

http://www.fototime.com/89C9A74AFF4478F/standard.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/15D30E22955B3DD/standard.jpg

I took all the wide boards i could get, as turning the cant didn't get me any better grade anyway. I left a thicker last slap as i need some of them to make 4x4 pallets to put firewood on.

http://www.fototime.com/FA47213836CCCE5/standard.jpg

And here's the tally from this half of the log.

http://www.fototime.com/5A3188B38DE81D7/standard.jpg

and now it's time to get in on stickers!

http://www.fototime.com/3FB655B747CB965/standard.jpg

Next i need to get that second half of the log on the mill and sawn, but that's a project for another time!

DM

[DM]

Part 3,

It was a beautiful day today, i do believe spring has FINALLY sprung!!! SO, i decided to mill the second half of the "Big Oak Log" ....

First, i had to load the second half of the Big Oak Log onto my Lumbermate and get it into position...

http://www.fototime.com/FA5633CD3D01C02/standard.jpg

I used my mills cable winch log turner to get it up on edge, so i could saw the "humps" off to get down to where i could get the first slab off,

http://www.fototime.com/82A4CF8181452CA/standard.jpg

With the humps off, off came the first slab,

http://www.fototime.com/25D5B1ECFDA2954/standard.jpg

Then i rolled the log with the winch again, so i could "clean up" the "chainsawn" side to get this side evened up too,

http://www.fototime.com/F8846CD0B5C6BBD/standard.jpg

As you can see, the "grade" isn't perfect, but not so bad either!

http://www.fototime.com/E7B23CA6C15C2F4/standard.jpg

Now it's time to winch the cant up on edge again, and saw out some pretty decent 5/4 by 6" boards,

http://www.fototime.com/61A8DBB50AE4895/standard.jpg

The "tally" isn't too bad, considering it all would have went for firewood, had i not brought the log home in the first place..

http://www.fototime.com/4F45CDE2DF7EB03/standard.jpg

And here is my "helper" of the day, my sawmill dog!

http://www.fototime.com/4F9217151A1305A/standard.jpg

Well, this ends the tail of splitting and sawing a Big Oak Log! Hope you liked the picts..

DM

[AlchemyAcres]

Great pics DM, you have a very nice set-up there!

I miss my bandmill. :'(


~Martin :)

[Vidman]

I have a 42 horse Cat diesel powered LogMaster and a sawdog as well. Our sawmill pays the bills...it is our fulltime occupation.

[DM]

I have a 42 horse Cat diesel powered LogMaster and a sawdog as well. *Our sawmill pays the bills...it is our fulltime occupation.

Hey Vidman,

I've looked those Log Masters over at shows, they look like well made sawmills.

I've also noticed that since CAT bought out Perkins, i'm seeing more and more "Perkapillars" on all kinds of things. It was a good way for CAT to get into the low hp diesel market.


DM

[taynormom]

wow that is really cool
We just cleared an area and have a huge tree pile of oaks.I have no idea what to do with
I am on the look out for someone with a bandsaw.
not to mention we have 37 acres of woods too. ;)
thanks for sharing
i learned alot
taynormom

[Vinland]

Very impressive.....Im just saddened at all those lost bowl blanks.....that would have been fun to chuck up in the lathe!! ;D

[huckelberry]

mee tooo,i sold my sawmill when i left alaska...im in the process of building another one...i miss that tool more than my ex wife,and will never be without one again....huck

[carugoman]

it pains me severely, to see a beautiful big red oak, butchered in such a fashion! Good God, man what were you thinking? You turned such a thing of God's creation into flatsawn,plain Jane lumber. The third picture down from phase one should have screamed at you that this wasn't the right cut to make. You even had a second chance when you had the log sitting on the cant. You could have had a full pallet of FAS quartersawn North American Red Oak with a fair market value of $US 22K instead of that pallet wood. The best piece you turned into pallet wood? How much of that flatsawn checked on you? How much cup and twist? It's not so much waste to quarter saw a log considering how little you lose when you air or kiln dry that wood. Also, quartersawn red oak has a much more interesting grain figure than flat and plain. That's why QSRO commands the high price; especially in the veneer and cabinet grades.

[DM]

it pains me severely, to see a beautiful big red oak, butchered in such a fashion! *Good God, man what were you thinking? *You turned such a thing of God's creation into flatsawn,plain Jane lumber. *The third picture down from phase one should have screamed at you that this wasn't the right cut to make. *You even had a second chance when you had the log sitting on the cant. *You could have had a full pallet of FAS quartersawn North American Red Oak with a fair market value of $US 22K instead of that pallet wood. *The best piece you turned into pallet wood? *How much of that flatsawn checked on you? *How much cup and twist? *It's not so much waste to quarter saw a log considering how little you lose when you air or kiln dry that wood. *Also, quartersawn red oak has a much more interesting grain figure than flat and plain. *That's why QSRO commands the high price; especially in the veneer and cabinet grades.

I'm so sorry to have put you through so much pain... lol But, if you would take the time to look at the picts better, (please take the time to adjust your glasses) you will see that "this" log,

http://www.fototime.com/58DF7A39F43BC04/standard.jpg

is far from anything but a "pallet" grade log to begin with... If you think otherwise, you haven't ever seen a "quality" log!

This log was an "upper" log with the entire butt rotted out. It was a "yard" tree, and had nails in it... NO mill around here would EVER even consider taking it for FREE, let alone actually paying good money for it... So, instead of it being turned into firewood, it ended up flat sawn, and "saleable" to the few amature wordworkers who stop around here. They don't have pockets full of money to buy lumber, and are looking for something decent enough to make things for there kids or their wifes.

Now, seeing as how i have several acres of "quality" red oak tree's out back to choose logs from, and seeing as how i have a big pile of wide "Q.sawn" red oak lumber on stickers already, i guess i did this "firewood log" a pretty good service... And "yes" this pallet wood i sawed out air dried nicely, and is flat and looking good...

DM

[Penny_Plinker]

That's right DM, and you know how to saw! Good save on the log and it's a worthy project to save a tree from firewood. I've seen enough of your pictures on this forum to know you know what your're talking about!

Penny

[woodzman]

That's a nice operation you've got there DM, I'd like to have that eqiptment myself. I see you've got a helper there in the next to last picture too.

* * * * * * * * * * * Bob.

[Kyhome]

Nice pictures there DM. Wish I had some of those oak boards to play with. but then I would have to add that planer that I still haven't found shopping the yard sales or cheap enough at auction yet. Thanks for sharing, and keep on posting them. Rick