Milling stuff

[mdavlee]

I figured I'd put a lot of pictures of my milling stuff up in a thread of its own. This is from today. Cherry that was about 25" wide at the widest spot. Some interesting grain in it. I have a 2' chunk that I'm going to mess with as well It was all forks so I bucked it off. It may end up as bowls or something since it's so twisted.

 

[mdavlee]

Some poplar I milled for garden beds. A thick coat of natural stain and they should last several years.

 

[mdavlee]

Short poplar and some big oak.

 

[bryanr2]

Mike, what is the hardest species of wood to mill that you have encountered?

 

[mdavlee]

The oak is the hardest I've milled around here.

 

[skippy]

The oak is the hardest I've milled around here.

Steven the hardest wood in North America is locust

 

[junkman]

Nice work Mike

 

[MustangMike]

Me and another guy are planning to try and mill a big piece of Red Oak that I have. The big end is 40", and 12' long.

Any advice you experienced guys want to give is welcome.

I've made post & beam out of Ash, but never tried anything like this. Not sure what we will do with it, but possibly tables or Fireplace Mantles, etc.

Any recommended thickness to cut, or drying methods?

Thanks

 

[mdavlee]

Put it up on a slope to help it feed so it's less work for whoever is running the mill. Air dry for 3-6 months minimum before taking to a kiln. If not it's a year an inch for the most part. Mantles I would go 3-4" thick. The only problem with that is a piece 3" that big will weight 500 lbs or so. Stacking thinner pieces on their edges in the shade and out of water had less cupping than stacking and trying to weight and strap them down.

 

[Redfin]

How did you get the chunck of cherry out your truck?

 

[mdavlee]

Chained to a tree and drive out from under it.

 

[MustangMike]

Put it up on a slope to help it feed so it's less work for whoever is running the mill. Air dry for 3-6 months minimum before taking to a kiln. If not it's a year an inch for the most part. Mantles I would go 3-4" thick. The only problem with that is a piece 3" that big will weight 500 lbs or so. Stacking thinner pieces on their edges in the shade and out of water had less cupping than stacking and trying to weight and strap them down.

Thanks for the great advice. Unfortunately, we have no way to move that thing before we cut it up, the septic fields preclude bringing in any large equipment.

I'm even considering turning it into 2 - 6' pieces before we get started.

 

[mdavlee]

Hi lift Jack or even a floor Jack will lift it up some to get the slope. I just set that cherry up with a 2 ton floor Jack.

 

[MustangMike]

I was thinking of that, or getting a fold able Cherry Picker!

 

[wildroamer]

Steven the hardest wood in North America is locust

Thought it was Osage Orange.

 

[skippy]

I pretty sure its locust

 

[skippy]

I could be wrong too

 

[mdavlee]

Mesquite is about the hardest of the common woods. It's in the pecan/hickory family.

 

[wildroamer]

Heck if I know. I just thought I remembered that from some woodworking class a billion years ago. One of those weird things sticks in yer noggin'.

 

[wildroamer]

I think there are different ways of looking at "hardness" too, if I'm not mistaken. Hard, dense, heavy, etc.