most efficient way to process a log?

[GarF]

Little experience using green material. Could anyone advise the least wasteful way to divide this up? It's just shy of 11inches across and about 16 inches long. I can fit 9inches over the bed . Would it be best to just split it down the centre to get 2 bowls of 10 inches diameter?

Secondly, any recommendations for reading on the subject of processing fresh stock into blanks--ie different sections to take for different grain effects?
Cheers
G

 

[CHJ]

There is always the Help sticky at the top of the forum, Some notes on the subject

And this, Iformative leaflet on growth ring patterns

 

[Steliz]

If you are limited to 9" max the just quarter it so that you have 4x 8" blanks.

 

[Lonsdale73]

I'm curious about this too. Reading the op's remarks and using his photo for reference, it suggests he'd take a line halfway between top and bottom and slice horizontally to produce to round pieces, which would mean the exposed face would be the top or bottom of the finished bowl. Can that be done?

From Steliz's comment, I'm reading one cut from top to bottom across the diameter giving two semicircular pieces which are then cut in half along their length to give 4 'D' shaped pieces. Would you then hollow out the the exposed faces that had once formed the centreline across the diameter?

 

[GarF]

Sounds about right. The largest possible pieces would be by splitting straight down the middle, but would waste away about three inches from either end. There might be some advantage to this, as though it is freshly cut, there is already very faintly visible shrinkage in the cut ends.

The greatest possible yield is probably as Steliz says, but splitting down the middle and then cutting each half in two widthways. I think this is the way I'll go, taking care to trim off any sign of splitting.

Time to break out the bowsaw, my supplemental exercise for the day! Since that's as much as I'm likely to achieve I'll have to slop some pva on once I'm done.
Thanks for helping me clarify this in my mind.
G

 

[CHJ]

If you are not going to turn those cut green pieces within a couple of hours then expect to loose them from splitting,
The fact that the ends are not yet sealed and checking has started makes me suspect that doing anything other than splitting straight down the core and sealing the ends of the two halves today is going to loose the bulk of the log.

The halves being about 1/3rd. longer than the available diameter likely to be recovered in a bowl is a minimum length to try and avoid loosing the blanks to end splits.

What species is the wood?

 

[Dalboy]

Just to show how I cut mine smaller logs and larger logs cut different, please note this is how I do mine

 

[Lazurus]

I get out the chainsaw mill and cut into planks around 3 -4 inches thick, then seal and lay in stick untill required.
https://arbtalk.co.uk/forums/topic/9821 ... nt-1466130

 

[CHJ]

I get out the chainsaw mill and cut into planks around 3 -4 inches thick, then seal and lay in stick untill required....

I too slab or plank similar green wood these days to recover as much as possible and limit the risks of loosing to splits.
As I'm more into constructed pieces these days, planks, even short ones are the norm.

This is some of my garden harvested Beech that I'm currently cutting into short planks and sticking under cover to dry out, should be ready to use in 12-24 months time.

 

[GarF]

The plan was to rough turn it now and finish in a few months. So I'm planning a couple of bowls, really just for the practice getting to a pleasing shape.

The log is now in two pieces with the ends sealed with paraffin wax. That was a couple of hours effort with a handsaw, hammer and wedge- hence the need for efficiency/greatest yield for least number of cuts. Hoping I'll get chance to tackle one over the next week. If anything it's harder to engineer time in the garage around home school and what remains of work than normal. At least I should be able to use the bandsaw to trim the ends and round off the corners. If this was to become a regular occurrence I would definitely be thinking about acquiring a small electric chainsaw.
Cheers
G

 

[Trainee neophyte]

I get out the chainsaw mill and cut into planks around 3 -4 inches thick, then seal and lay in stick untill required....

I too slab or plank similar green wood these days to recover as much as possible and limit the risks of loosing to splits.
As I'm more into constructed pieces these days, planks, even short ones are the norm.

This is some of my garden harvested Beech that I'm currently cutting into short planks and sticking under cover to dry out, should be ready to use in 12-24 months time.

I'm new to this, and cutting planks about 35mm thick, because the weird Heath-Robinson mill I have made does it that way. I have put all my sticker sticks at 90° to the grain, but I see you haven't.. Does it matter? You would think not, but...

Rapidly running out of scraps to cut into thin strips, and no new wood purchases possble - will the sky fall and the world end if I use green wood to make sticks to sticker the green wood? Currently battling my way through a huge pile of olive logs, before tackling the walnut. It turns out that Lidl electric chainsaws can't do this work without catching fire. Useful lesson learned. Back to petrol power.

 

[CHJ]

…... I have put all my sticker sticks at 90° to the grain, but I see you haven't.. Does it matter? You would think not, but...…..

On longer planks 90° is obviously the norm, those in the image were just what were to hand (planter support canes) and being round proved unstable when stacking the pieces, hence angled all over the place to stop pieces rolling.
That particular small stack is due to get moved around in the near future as other stuff is sorted and rearranged to take up less space.

If you are preparing planks for furniture work you do need to take care of what wood species you use to avoid surface contamination, staining/chemical reaction can leave marks across the boards to quite a depth. I have not had any significant problems in the crude plank pieces I dry for turning, any minor discolouration invariably gets cut out or turned out.

One thing you will get if the wood is dried in a location that is exposed to sunlight, after a couple of years there can be a distinct fading or darkening in exposed surfaces so try to avoid the shadow line running across the middle of a piece.