How to mill this log?

foragefarmer · Jan 12, 2019

How should I deal with the crack in the one log? As you can see it carries through the whole log at least part way.

mdavlee · Jan 12, 2019

My experience with cracks like that go parallel with them. If you cross it they will split the board in half had a cheer log like that separate as I was milling it. By the end of the 9’ cut it had a 4” gap on one end. Quarter sawing it would work as well but more work

jmester · Jan 12, 2019

Impressive size on those hickory logs

Wolverine · Jan 13, 2019

Try and saw the crack as one waste piece. Like Mike mentioned, it will pretty much make whatever piece it’s in split.

foragefarmer · Jan 13, 2019

Wolverine said:
Try and saw the crack as one waste piece. Like Mike mentioned, it will pretty much make whatever piece it’s in split.

I thought that was the answer but not the one I wanted.

Wolverine · Jan 13, 2019

I had similar experience with this maple. The wood was not connected down those cracks. As soon as I lifted the piece, they fell apart.

JB-PlantHeirloom · Jan 18, 2019

That crack in another good reason for never paying for wood unless it is down, del-imbed, and cut up into logs.

I tried telling one person the quality of the person felling the tree and how it hits will determine the quality of the log. Logs from trees that were topped by a tree crew generally fair worse then one dropped complete with branches because the limbs cushion the fall and prevent the trunk from absorbing the full force of the fall at 60+ MPH and bending upon impact.

imho, If you want to make sure the best part of a big log is junked, have the hinge right in the middle of the log and make sure the angle cut is below the horizontal cut.

foragefarmer · Jan 18, 2019

? The tree was blown over in a wind storm. The farm manager said I could have any part of the tree I wanted as long as I did it on my time independent of the work I am doing for the farm.

foragefarmer · Jan 18, 2019

On a side note; I think the coil on my 394xp is going bad, but the symptom is strange. It is a black coil but is acting like a limited coil in that at the moment it won't tune above 11800 or so. If I lean it out it will go over 11800 for a second but then fall back down to 11800ish and blubber like it is rev limited and dies in the cut when I lean on it.

jmester · Jan 18, 2019

JB-PlantHeirloom said:
That crack in another good reason for never paying for wood unless it is down, del-imbed, and cut up into logs.

I tried telling one person the quality of the person felling the tree and how it hits will determine the quality of the log. Logs from trees that were topped by a tree crew generally fair worse then one dropped complete with branches because the limbs cushion the fall and prevent the trunk from absorbing the full force of the fall at 60+ MPH and bending upon impact.

imho, If you want to make sure the best part of a big log is junked, have the hinge right in the middle of the log and make sure the angle cut is below the horizontal cut.

That depends on the species of tree/timber you are felling. I have topped many of walnuts/red oak/black oak and poplar. With included bark crotches to keep the tree from splitting in half all the way down to the stump. You are correct on the person felling the tree can really mess up a money log. But limbs can help you and hurt you in production felling. But there are many variables the ground the you are laying the tree in. Humps/dips/stumps/rocks,etc can destroy logs.

jmester · Jan 18, 2019

I should also mention that big hickory is notorious for having shake and stress cranks in the wood. They usually have a lot of limb mass and catch a lot of wind.

longleaf · Jan 18, 2019

I’m with mdavlee quarter sawn might be a good option. It has a fork at the top so it might be wanting to bow out from the fork. you could saw down the crack then pull a board off one side and see if it bows. If the boards want to bow quartersaw it. Most of the white oak I have had done was quartersawn because white oak is bad to cup warp and crack. When quarter saw you have to straight edge it after it dries because it warps along the edges but at least that’s fixable. Warped on the face is firewood.

JB-PlantHeirloom · Feb 1, 2019

jmester said:
That depends on the species of tree/timber you are felling. I have topped many of walnuts/red oak/black oak and poplar. With included bark crotches to keep the tree from splitting in half all the way down to the stump. You are correct on the person felling the tree can really mess up a money log. But limbs can help you and hurt you in production felling. But there are many variables the ground the you are laying the tree in. Humps/dips/stumps/rocks,etc can destroy logs.

I dropped a 43" red oak (that was topped in May) that had a trunk 33-34 feet long before Christmas because I was afraid it might freeze, crack, and then fall on the house. I got it down without it landing on the driveway, except where I dropped it on top of more wood at the base of the tree, it dug a branch stub about 8" into the ground as planned.

BUT, once I cut about 8 feet from the butt end I found a big stress crack through the middle of the trunk. I do not know why it cracked, it might have been there all along or maybe from the the earlier freeze, but, I gave up trying to make any more slabs out of it and turned it into beautiful figured firewood.

jmester · Feb 2, 2019

I would guess it was there long before you ever got involved with it. I have cut oaks and poplars that have open up cracks in the butt log after it has been felled. I think wood holds tension and once they are cut it can release that tension. Hard to say for sure a big crown can hurt a good log for the stress it puts on the trunk.

How to mill this log?

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