Replies

1. 
   woodman2263 | Feb 07, 2007 04:48am | #1

   Quarter-sawn into 4/4 and 6/4 boards.  White oak is pretty boring when plainsawn.

   (not you alan!)

   Jeff

2. 
   MikeHennessy | Feb 07, 2007 03:39pm | #2

   "Quarter-sawn into 4/4 and 6/4 boards.  White oak is pretty boring when plainsawn."

   Yep. It will not maximize your yield (just the opposite), but still worth it, IMHO.

   Mike Hennessy
   Pittsburgh, PA

1. 
   KD7NKN | Feb 07, 2007 07:22pm | #4

   Thanks for the advice!  I'm on may way now to have it quartersawn!

   Cheers!

   Cliff

3. 
   jeanlou | Feb 07, 2007 06:38pm | #3

   KD7NKN

   It has also been posted previously in another string fairly recently...paint/seal the ends of the log and the lumber that you cut. If you do not, the wood will split much more than you want while you are waiting for it to dry and acclimatize. . Don't forget to sticker the wood to help achieve an even drying process and keep it in an environment where it is not artificially dry. The most stable lumber comes from proper air drying and storage, with good air movement and enough humidity to allow a continuos process of drying/humidifying of the wood. When it is too dry and it is done too quickly, the process collapses many of the wood's cells and gives less than optimal figure in the final product. The kiln simply speeds up the process, at a cost in final look and stability. If you have the time, air drying is the best way to go. You are looking at about 2 years per inch of thickness in good conditions.

    Boring  white oak? If you can be present when the mill starts on your log,  the first cuts will tell you if it is boring or not. I have never seen boring flat sliced material. I have seen lots of boring quarter cut and rift cut material. I do realize it is all a matter of taste.

   If you want visible rays, there have been some excellent FWW articles that I am sure another poster can direct you to. (I do not remember the issue #s)  A simple quarter cut will not even come close to giving the rays you can have by proper orientation of the cut. (angle of cut relative to the orientation of the growth rings)  If you set up a sled assembly at home, you could probably let the mill do only the broad stroke cuts and then you could do the fine tuning / finish lumber cuts on your bandsaw using the right resawing blade. (assuming you will be airdrying yourself and you are so inclined and equipped.)

   Don't simply leave it up to the sawyer, unless you know the individual and trust that he will give you exactly what you want and you also trust yourself to be able to communicate clearly, without room for interpretation, exactly what you want.  JL