Hi all,
My neighbor’s taking down a mature birch because it’s become a hazard to the house and foundation. The tree company will cut the trunk and large branches to whatever length I ask for, and actually bring it around back approximately 10 feet from my shop!
I can’t say for sure, but looking at the almost uniform creamy white color of the log, I’d guess it’s paper birch as opposed to yellow birch. Everything I’ve read indicates that yellow birch is better suited to furniture building while paper birch is better for turning and smaller pieces. Is it possible that the color of the freshly cut log is dfferent from the seasoned air-dried boards it would yield?
My plan, if I went forward with it, would be to take as much quartersawn planks as I can get out of the logs using my band saw equipped with a Timber Wolf 3/4″ AS or AS-S blade, which is especially designed for green wood.
Then I’d sticker and leave it for as long as it takes to properly air dry. By the way, can anyone tell me how long that’s likely to be? 3 months? 6 months? A year or two?
I don’t want to go to all the trouble of splitting the log segments – I’ve got a 14″ saw with a 12″ resaw capacity – stacking all that wood and taking up a lot of space if it’s not particularly nice wood for building bookshelves, cabinets, tables, etc. Finally, my saw has a 3/4 hp motor, so it’s not the strongest of beasts. But I’m told that just means I have to go slower when resawing.
Any advice/opinions you’d care to offer would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance,
Mitch
“I’m always humbled by how much I DON’T know…”
Replies
Sorry I don't have any answers because I've always purchased my lumber pre-dried. I do have a request. I've been looking for some smaller birch logs (3" diameter, 20" long) to place into a dark, cast metal Frank Lloyd Write style log holder in front of our fireplace. We'd only need about 5 or 6. I can't find anything out here in California. I'd pay you for your time and shipping. I totally understand if it's too much of a pain.
HAY! Flappy... Around here in Chicago we USE to have ALOT of that White Paper Brich logs available as firewood..
I have not seen any lately.. Well, for ALONG time..
Maybe we used em' all up?
I used to see a lot of them when I lived in Buffalo.
The closest-looking thing we have out here are aspens.
These would be purely decorative. I even stopped at a florist shop on my way somewhere in San Francisco when I saw 2 8' birch trucks leaning against the doorway. I offered to purchase one right there, but the shop owner was going to use them as a valence or something. She said she couldn't get them any more. Did you guys burn them all?
Hi Mitch - I'm far from an expert, but if I recall correctly the rule of thumb for dry time is about a year per inch of board thickness....depending on lots of variables. My in-laws have a birch tree coming down soon and I thought about doing the same thing....bottom line for me is that I'm not fond enough of birch for it to be worth my while. I did however mention that their ash and oak trees look kind of old!
As far as the type of birch, I think if the tree is less than 10" in diameter and is at least 30 years old it could be a paper birch. I am not an expert , others may disagree.
I believe you can resaw the logs into planks even though your saw is underpowered.First thing is you must be able to manage the weight of the logs, cut them into 4'-0 lengths if they are heavy. Seal the ends when they are cut down, whether you saw them right away or wait til their air dried.i would wait 2 months , keep the logs off the ground and remove the bark right away.
You must use a sled to resaw logs. The sled keeps the log from turning as you saw, if you don't you will be replacing your blade.The sled is used until 2 sides are cut, square to each other. I use a 2x8 plank with an ell shaped plywood bracket ,fixed on the lead end and moveable on the backside.Square off the ends if they are not already so, doesn't have to be perfectly square, just close. Place the log on the sled and attach the lead end with two lags screws thru the bracket. Move other bracket up to the backend and lag this too. Now the log won't turn on you. Set the fence for the first cut. Make succesive cuts until you are near the sled. I do not cut into the sled, I move the log out . Actually ,if you square up the log, you don't have to use the sled after that. I do use the sled for most of the log because it slides easily.My sled has some type of plastic , 1/4" thick on the bottom. I got this free from a store that tossed out a sign made from plastic.
If you resaw from the right of the blade, cut a 2x4 prop placed under the table, this keeps the table from going out of square from the weight of the log.Lubricate the blade, I spray Dri- spray lubricant on the blade when I start cutting. When I feel it needs it I respray.Hard to say how often to spray lube, depends on the blade condition, how dry the wood is,( greenwood cuts easier than dry)species etc.
I make stickers 1" square from anywood that does not stain. Set the first planks in the pile at least 18" off the ground. I use concrete blocks and pallets on top to hold the first row. Place stickers 16" apart or closer, place next layer on top. I start the first row with heaviest planks,usually 12/4.Keep the stickers in the same vertical line as you stack planks.When done cover the pile with heavy stuff, thick planks tree butts, etc.Cover the pile with plastic or something that will keep the weather out. I built a frame out of junk and covered it with plastic sheeting.The drying time to relative humidity will vary with the species.I would think 9 months to a year for most species in thickness to 6/4 stock. Most advice is one year per inch of thickness.Depends on where you live.
Go easy on the saw,keep the blade sharp. Learn to sharpen your blade, it is easy. My post is too long now, if you like i can email or post how to do this.Anyone can resharpen a resaw blade,easy learning curve. I showed an older lady how to do it,she's an expert after 4 blades.
mike
Mike,
I can't thank you enough for your post. It really helped me decide whether or not to take the logs - I will, and whether or not I could successfully cut planks from the raw logs. I hope you don't mind a few additional questions.
First, based on your comment about size, the trunk is somewhere around 2'+. Also, the ends look more yellow now than they did when I first saw them. So I'm going to assume that this is in fact yellow birch. Now to the questions:
What would you use to seal the ends with?
How would you remove the bark?
How would you approach splitting the log into manageable pieces that can fit my saw's 12" height? Can it be done to optimize the amount that's quartersawn?
When you say that you would wait two months, are you saying you would wait that long to saw them?
I have Lonnie Bird's "The Bandsaw Book," and he recommended a fence that also got lag bolted to the log, but got cut up with each slice. Does your sled's back side (the vertical side) move forward as you approach the sled? If it does, how do you do that? Clamps? T-Track? Something else?
Would you mind sending me via email your sharpening method? I'd very much appreciate it. Also if you had a sketch of the sled that would be helpful, but I don't want to be a PITA so if you don't already have one, describing how it works would be just fine.
Finally, I got the sense that once logs were cut into planks, you would leave them outside, 18" off the floor and stickered, and covered with a tarp to avoid the elements. Is that right? I'd love it if it is, since interior space is at a premium. Does the tarp not affect the air drying?
Sorry for so many questions - you obviously know what you're talking about and I want to learn all I can so I don't screw it up.
Thanks again,Mitch
"I'm always humbled by how much I DON'T know..."
Mitch no problem with the questions, I use paint to seal the ends. Two thick coats, You can buy anchorseal or other products just for this purpose, I have only used paint myself.You can use a drawknife, hatchet , on some woods even a digging bar( the thing you may use to chop ice with in january on the driveway.)The digging bar works on scaly loose bark. Don't be too concerned with getting all the bark off, most of the big stuff will come off with just a hatchet .
You can mark the endgrain for the cuts with a marker or crayon, try to split the logs along the grain . If the bark is straight this will work.If the bark swirls up the log, do not attempt to split,saw the log instead.A rip chain is best for this,although your regular chain will do it slower and with more effort.You want to get the log to a size that fits under the blade guides on the bandsaw, including the sled. I would think about 11" tops.The width is not a problem as long as you do not get a hernia lifting the log.Don't forget about the prop under the table to keep the log from moving the table out of square.
I wait two months because then the log is lighter, but not dry. Dry logs are harder to cut.
I use a highly technical way to hold the back bracket , a couple of screws.Just kidding, works fine, sometimes clamps get in the way so I screw the bracket to the side.
I built a lean to type of shed covered with plastic on the roof and down the sides and front a couple of feet. Keeps the rain out but leaves plenty of ventilaltion.
E- mail coming on sharpening the blade, I'll make a sketch tommorow on the sled and send it with the blade sharpening info.
mike
mike
Mike,
You the man!
Thanks,Mitch
"I'm always humbled by how much I DON'T know..."
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