Cutting/Dimensioning/Milling Jarrah advice needed

[Togalosh]

Hello Gents,

I have a very large piece of 'new'/unused Jarrah that needs to be cut up & made into something but my local saw mill won't cut it up for me as they say their saws can't cope with it - hell, their machines are massive ! I'd say the width of their band saw blade is almost as wide as the laptop I'm using & on a machine that is as big as the room I'm sat in.. So what the hell can I to do with my very, very much smaller machines ? Nothing I guess. It's been air dried for quite a few years so that'll make it harder.

It'd be a shame to cut it into smaller pieces just to make it more manageable & I really don't want to use my chainsaw on it as that'd be wasteful especially as it's not that thick that I can afford to turn a lot of into dust...so can you recommend a make or type of saw blade I can buy or somewhere that could help me out?

The piece is so heavy that it takes at least 2 mugs of tea before I can work up the gusto to move it.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Togs

 

[marcros]

How big is it and what sizes are you wanting to cut. Personally, I would put it on my bandsaw and risk an m42 blade on it. Feed nice and slowly and see how it goes.

 

[Togalosh]

Hiya Marcos,

2470 x 290 x 125

I'd like to get the most out of it's length & width which means making a table I guess...but I've got no definate plans as to what I'm goin to make so no definate dimensions.

..is it good for making chairs?..I've an idea for a BIG chair.

 

[marcros]

I don't really know. We don't see much of it over here. Derek Cohen might be worth a pm to- it is one of his regulator timbers- often recycled from old (Australian)rafters.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Hiya Marcos,

2470 x 290 x 125

I'd like to get the most out of it's length & width which means making a table I guess...but I've got no definite plans as to what I'm going to make so no definite dimensions.

..is it good for making chairs?..I've an idea for a BIG chair.

There's you're starter for one - sort out what you wish to make, and cut it to length. Then, as suggested, get an M42 blade.

 

[Togalosh]

I know not to do any cutting until I know exactly what I'll do with it.. but there's no point in even keeping it if I can't cut it.

I'll price up an M42 blade.

Thanks Gents.

 

[Jaypee]

Hi Togalosh, by the dimensions it sounds like you have a railway sleeper and that could be why the sawmill won't help you although you say it is unused. Jarrah is, I believe, from the eucalyptus family and is very heavy and very durable, hence why its used for sleepers and very chunky garden furniture. Hard as the devils head apparently.
Jaypee

 

[Lee J]

i had a chunk on the lathe to turn a pen from... many visits to the sharpening station needed. It is hard as granite.

 

[Steve Maskery]

It's beautiful stuff but the hardest wood I've ever used. I have an objet d'art I made from a Jarrah burr. The bark is like needles, it's actually painful to pick up.

 

[Togalosh]

Hi Togalosh, by the dimensions it sounds like you have a railway sleeper and that could be why the sawmill won't help you although you say it is unused. Jarrah is, I believe, from the eucalyptus family and is very heavy and very durable, hence why its used for sleepers and very chunky garden furniture. Hard as the devils head apparently.
Jaypee

Hi Jaypee

No, it is unused. I bought it off the same sawmill years ago who have already banned me from taking in any wood for cutting for that same reason. Someone had imported a load from Aus to build a shed on & they cut it up but the customer had to buy new blade/s & this was a left over piece. It must've been a pretty swish shed ..or they used an understatement to describe what they were actually building, like calling a mansion a 'pile'.

I can vouch for it being damn heavy.

It would be a pity to make garden furniture out of it because I think the real colour should be shown..but it's what I had in mind when I first saw it.

 

[Togalosh]

i had a chunk on the lathe to turn a pen from... many visits to the sharpening station needed. It is hard as granite.

..oh hell.

I do make life hard for myself.

 

[Togalosh]

It's beautiful stuff but the hardest wood I've ever used. I have an objet d'art I made from a Jarrah burr. The bark is like needles, it's actually painful to pick up.

So maybe garden bench is a plan after all.

..a bench that looks remarkably like a railway sleeper.

 

[Jaypee]

Hi Togalosh, surely got to be worth risking a bandsaw blade? I googled ' jarrah furniture ' images....looks beautiful timber, far too good just for trains to run on! Let us know how you get on.
John

 

[Racers]

+1

And I want to see a picture of the beast.

Pete

 

[Glynne]

Hi Togalosh,
As I'm always on the look out for timber sources (and not a million miles away), can you let me know which sawmill you got the beast from?
Thanks,

Glynne

 

[Togalosh]

My new funky phone failed at taking even a half decent pic of the Atlas trial.. but I'll get one posted soon.

I got it at Ragley Saw Mill (Arrow/Alcester, Warwickshire) but it was a 1 off. They are very nice to deal with if you want green Oak, Poplar & Larch but not knowing much about quality I cannot swear by their products just yet. I'll know more once I've kilned my latest delivery of larch & made it into a workbench.

 

[Togalosh]

Sorry for the delay..

I was going to try & get it into the sunlight to get a better shot of it but I couldn't muster up the oomph required to shift it.

This is the blotching I have found since I sanded down passed the silver weathering

.

..man it is heavy.