# Another amateur milling/drying question



## Streamwinner (Nov 25, 2008)

So, I've checked this forum and others and have found some threads with good information on this issue, but still have some gaps in figuring out how to best do this.

I've been having a lot of fun making bandsaw/scrollsaw boxes recently, and I've noticed how hard it is to find larger blocks of lumber (2"-3"). So I called a guy selling almond firewood a few months ago and bought a few bundles. I've milled it on my bandsaw with surprising success and, after a little waste (getting past the checks), found some beautiful grain. 

The almond wood was seasoned, so there were no drying issues.

A few days ago I got several bundles (about 25-30 pieces) of walnut for free from a guy who was cleaning up his orchard. The logs were cut only about a week ago and are 6"-12" in diameter and about 12"-18" long, many of them are full rounds (that is, not split).

My first thought was to mill it first and then let it dry (using wax on the end grain), and this was confirmed by a lot of comments I've found here and on other forums. However, this advice was mostly for those who have proper mills, not bandsaws. I just tried milling one log and it was so wet that it gummed up my blade and made cutting difficult. I'm using a 4 TPI Timberwolf (?) blade. 

So, my questions: Would you recommend allowing the logs to dry first? If so, should I debark them? How long would a 6-12" round take to dry with wax on the ends? Should I just quit dicking around and take it to a proper mill? Will sawyers generally mess with such small logs?

I live in Southern California where the average temp in the winter is 60 and summer is 70 (with periodic 80 degrees). I live near the coast, so we sometimes get high humidity in the morning, but it usually clears by 10am.

Any thoughts/advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance,

-SW


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## djg (Dec 24, 2009)

Change your blade. I was doing the same thing with green wood using the Timber Wolf 4 tpi band (PC Series). I changed to a 3 tpi AS Series TW blade, and it walked right through it. I bought my on line directly from PSWood (TW blades) cheaper than other sources. Bought 3 bands (asst. types) to offset S&H. And they have EXCELLENT Customer Service. I had a mishap with my band saw, and as I explained it to her, she knew exactly what had happened. She recommended the "AS" Series bands which are made for green wood. It makes a difference.


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

djg answered your blade question, yep you are using the wrong one. You are better off cutting the chunks you plan on using oversized and letting them dry. You are not going to get them to dry in ''whole log'' form any better and it is much slower.
Give your chunks a spin in the microwave if you are in a hurry to use them. 30-45 seconds on high and 4-5 minutes out to cool, repeat several times. (let me add, I have a big old $5 yard sale nuker in the garage for this...don't ask how I know that drying wood in the wifes kitchen can cause a problem...lets just say 100 year old sinker cypress smells like a cat peed on a gym sock when you nuke it) If you have a digital scale, once the wood stops losing weight= it's dry. Just a thought, you may be in no hurry and could stick the chunks in the attic to dry.


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## Mizer (Mar 11, 2010)

Daren said:


> (let me add, I have a big old $5 yard sale nuker in the garage for this...don't ask how I know that drying wood in the wifes kitchen can cause a problem...lets just say 100 year old sinker cypress smells like a cat peed on a gym sock when you nuke it)


That could cause a problem.


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## Streamwinner (Nov 25, 2008)

Aha. Thanks for the tip on the blade. Actually, I didn't think 1 TPI would make much of a difference, though I guess that adds up to quite a few teeth per minute going through that log.

Also thanks for the tip on the microwave. I had come across a few articles talking about that, but I didn't think it would work. I may use putrid wood smells to my advantage in case my wife ever gets on my nerves. That may be the day I dry out all the wood in my shop.:icon_cheesygrin:


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## djg (Dec 24, 2009)

Streamwinner,
The way is was explained to me by TW Customer Service: more important than the tpi is the design or arrangement of the teeth of the blade. Others will be able to explain it to you better than I will, but it's got something to do with the rakers, tooth set and tooth angle. The "AS" Series bands are designed to clear the cut particles out of the kerf better than the "PC" Series. It's designed for green wood which gums up when cut and requires something extra to keep this from happening. I think, but not sure, they'll leave a slightly rougher surface, though.


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## beelzerob (May 2, 2010)

Streamwinner, I'm definitely interested in this getting wood from firewood idea, because I've got a lot of logs on the ground still from when we cleared the land for our house. Some are billets but most are still logs. I had been told not to even bother with those because of the uneven drying, but it seems that you've proven that's not an issue. Please bear with me for some questions:

1) So you're sawing up even split pieces of firewood? how do you handle that irregular shape on the band saw? Do you have a sled specifically for that or do you freehand it? (I've seen plans for log jigs here and there, though never for already-split firewood pieces)

2) What's the largest length of log you've tried doing this with? Is there a point at which the log is too long to be manageable? what is the average dimensions of a piece of wood you harvest from firewood?

3) You mentioned you have to get into the middle of the wood to get to the good stuff (not cracked). Is that just a judgement call, or are there specific things you look for? Do you basically just keep cutting it until there's no more cracks in the wood?

4) Do you have any way to tell BEFORE cutting through a log that it will have a beautiful/desireable grain pattern? I'm looking at the end of some of my logs I have down, and I was wondering if there was a way to know just by looking at the end of the log that splitting it open would show a very nice pattern. Or....does *every* log have a beautiful/unique pattern that is worthwhile to use in different crafts?

5) Can you tell just by looking at a piece of firewood, what species it is? I've definitely learned that my wood recognition is seriously lacking. I can identify Home Depot 2X4 Pine and Lowes Pressure Treated Decking species of trees, but that's about it.  But can you look into a pile of firewood and go "Hey, that's a piece of ***x wood, I bet that would look great!"

Thanks for the help so much.


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## Streamwinner (Nov 25, 2008)

I'll give you some of my opinions, and I hope others can chime in as well.



1) So you're sawing up even split pieces of firewood? how do you handle that irregular shape on the band saw? Do you have a sled specifically for that or do you freehand it? (I've seen plans for log jigs here and there, though never for already-split firewood pieces) You'll find some good information from this page: http://woodgears.ca/reclaim_lumber/index.html. I use a sled, so I don't bother using a jointer to get one slide perfectly flat, just as long as the piece doesn't rock or roll. 


2) What's the largest length of log you've tried doing this with? Is there a point at which the log is too long to be manageable? what is the average dimensions of a piece of wood you harvest from firewood? I think about 18-20" is the longest I've used, though with proper support I guess you could go a little longer. I don't have a saw that will manage a large diameter.

3) You mentioned you have to get into the middle of the wood to get to the good stuff (not cracked). Is that just a judgement call, or are there specific things you look for? Do you basically just keep cutting it until there's no more cracks in the wood? Yes, I just keep cutting until I like what I get. Sometimes I'll use a chainsaw and cut several inches from each end, since I know I'll be wasting time cutting through those parts.


4) Do you have any way to tell BEFORE cutting through a log that it will have a beautiful/desireable grain pattern? I'm looking at the end of some of my logs I have down, and I was wondering if there was a way to know just by looking at the end of the log that splitting it open would show a very nice pattern. Or....does *every* log have a beautiful/unique pattern that is worthwhile to use in different crafts? I think many on this forum will have that kind of experience, but I don't. The nice thing about milling yourself is that you can mill it quartersawn. That's how I got the really nice grain patterns on that almond. Of course, you can usually identify burl pretty easily from the outside.

5) Can you tell just by looking at a piece of firewood, what species it is? I've definitely learned that my wood recognition is seriously lacking. I can identify Home Depot 2X4 Pine and Lowes Pressure Treated Decking species of trees, but that's about it. But can you look into a pile of firewood and go "Hey, that's a piece of ***x wood, I bet that would look great!" I usually have much better luck identifying wood after I cut it.

Good luck! -SW


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## djg (Dec 24, 2009)

Just what Streamwinner said. I didn't have a piece properly supported and I ruined a blade by kinking it. As far as sawing setup with a sled, I like bugman1954's idea "Cheap Sawmill" for sawing small logs. I think this is the link.
http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f26/cheap-sawmill-9589/


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## beelzerob (May 2, 2010)

Ahh, I had never really learned what quarter-sawn was, but a little searching and this site helps explain that very well. I guess I see how having already split firewood would also lend itself very well to quartersawing.

good info and I think I'm getting quickly to the point where I just need to start cutting stuff and see what happens.

My next task is to try and identify what trees I have already on the ground. Many of them still have their bark on, but otherwise it'll only be by the wood look.


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## Streamwinner (Nov 25, 2008)

Here's another helpful thread on making sleds for your bandsaw (as well as a supporting table).

http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f27/resaw-sled-7552/


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