Logs

[Sapper]

Hi, I'm a relative novice in woodworking compared to a lot on the forum so I wondered if I could seek some help from the professionals amongst us please. Whilst I'm capable of doing a basic dovetail or mortice and tenon some of the basic things I just can't get my bonce round.

I've got some Ash and Oak logs for our wood burner the Oak ones are pretty green but the Ash are dried out to about 9% and I would like to get a couple of 9" long x4"x4" blocks out of a couple of them. I've got a bandsaw capable of cutting these but my question is, after cutting them to roughly this size and then using the bandsaw only, is it possible to square these on all sides? If it is, could anyone explain the basic method of doing it please. The fence on the saw is a dead 90 degrees and also the blade also is.

Appreciate any help.

 

[Fitzroy]

With power tools it is pretty easier, flatten on side on the planer, then using a fence at 90degress flatten one edge. You now have face side and face edge, pass the block through the thicknesser using face side and face edge as the reference. You now have a four side square block. Trim ends square on the mitre saw or cross cut sled.

By hand flatten one side with a hand plan, using winding sticks to ensure no twist in the face, and a straightedge to ensure the face is not convex which is easy to achieve with a short block. Mark up the block all round from the flat face with a line at fixed height, plane to the reference line, you now have a block with two parallel faces. Plane an adjacent face at 90 degrees, using square and straight edge. Mark up a fixed height reference line from this adjacent face and plane to it for the last face. Trim ends square with a hand saw, or plane square with a shooting board.

I've done the first method many times, I've done the second method a few times and it was way more difficult than expected to get good results. I expect practice is what I need!

 

[niall Y]

This is the basic preparation of timber. First select a good face and plane it flat. In long lengths of timber you would check for flatness with winding strips, though in this case try it out on a known flat surface ( your saw table) It will wobble or rock if it's not flat This is marked as the Face-side.

Now plane an adjacent face until it is square with the Face side. Check this with your square, and adjust till square. This is marked as the Face-edge.

Use a marking gauge to mark the thickness of the stock with two lines, running it off the Face-side. If you plane to these lines you will now have two parallel faces.
Repeat this operation off the Face -edge, to bring the stock to width.

 

[Graham Brazier]

There is a nice planer thicknesser in the for sale section ( not mine)

 

[Jacob]

Hi, I'm a relative novice in woodworking compared to a lot on the forum so I wondered if I could seek some help from the professionals amongst us please. Whilst I'm capable of doing a basic dovetail or mortice and tenon some of the basic things I just can't get my bonce round.

I've got some Ash and Oak logs for our wood burner the Oak ones are pretty green but the Ash are dried out to about 9% and I would like to get a couple of 9" long x4"x4" blocks out of a couple of them. I've got a bandsaw capable of cutting these but my question is, after cutting them to roughly this size and then using the bandsaw only, is it possible to square these on all sides? If it is, could anyone explain the basic method of doing it please. The fence on the saw is a dead 90 degrees and also the blade also is.

Appreciate any help.

Flatten one side with a plane, cut two sides @ 90º with your band saw, then the fourth side.
What is the problem?
n.b. your dry ash is probably not as dry as you imagine so be prepared! It could read 9% on the surface if it's been kept somewhere very warm and dry, but still be in the 20s in the middle

 

[Sapper]

Thanks for all the help

 

[mudman]

The reason people are saying to flatten one side first with a plane is because if you try to pass a round thing through a bandsaw, then the bandsaw will try to rotate the round thing and very quickly. If you've never done this before it is quite likely you've not got a very good grip on it and the result is a loud bang, possibly bruised fingers and a need for a clean pair of trousers. Once you have a flat side, you can feed it through with that side down and cut the other round sides off to make it flat on all sides. You can construct jigs so that you can start the process on the bandsaw which, if you are going to do this regularly can be useful.

 

[Sean Hellman]

Are these round logs or logs that have been split. With round logs I cut along the pith first, make flat with hand plane. Cut again and flatten with plane as this may be a bit wavy. Cut the other 2 sides.
With a split log I feed the flattest surface on the table to produce flat cut, again clean up with a plane and continue to cut the other 3 sides.

Always best not to have the pith in the wood.

 

[Sapper]

Thanks, they are split logs

 

[Adam W.]

Probably easiest to plane one side with an electric planer first.

 

[TheUnicorn]

take this with a pinch of salt as I don't use a bandsaw at all, but I would have thought that having split the wood down the grain, you could hot glue that rough surface to a board, run it through the bandsaw, which would give your first reference face, then cut a 90 to that face

 

[Orraloon]

Go with Adams suggestion of flattening the first side with an electric plane first. You can not put anything without a flattish base through the bandsaw. Basically if it rocks on the table then dont do it. Round logs are a big NO NO unless held in a log sled. Ruined blade and perhaps injury can result. As to getting perfectly square from the bandsaw its possible to get close but it will still have a rough sawn look. I kind of look at the bandsaw to cut out timber / boards that will get squared later. Avoid having any pith in the cut timber. Any board can develop cracks but its almost a given with the pith left in.
Regards
John

 

[Sapper]

Some really great ideas, can learn a lot from you pro’s

 

[MikeJhn]

Just using the planner with a accurately set fence, getting the first face flat is the secret.