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Wed, 2020/06/10 - 8:13pm
#1
wbrent
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Quarter sawing
I haven’t tried quarter sawing on my LM29. When looking at directions it’s suggests cutting two or three slabs out of the Center of the log. But my saw will only allow me to cut a four inch slab which doesn’t get you close to the Center of a big log. I feel like I’m missing something simple. How do you all quarter saw?
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Thu, 2020/06/11 - 1:00pm
eddiemac
eddiemac's picture
My LM2000 will cut down 8" from the shroud, but that still doesn't help me with big logs (quartering by your method). What I have done is to actually quarter the log. You can do that with a big chainsaw or by splitting along the grain. [I have split big oak logs with black powder, actually blowing them up - very fun and not as dangerous as you might think (if you know what you are doing - check YouTube - not responsible for accidents)]. Once you have the quarters, just position them on the mill so the cuts are perpendicular to the rings (easier said than done). There are some good threads about quarter-sawing on the Forestry Forum website. It's a lot of work, but sometimes worth the effort.
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Fri, 2020/06/12 - 1:44am
r.garrison1
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What type of log are you cutting? THe best luck I've had with quarter sawing is cedar. I cut one end, force in a wedge or three or four, then get a gap that fits my little floor jack. I use that to pry it apart. Then I do the same to the halves. Then, when I put each quarter on the mill, I end up with quartersawn wood. NOTE: If you try this with eucalyptus, you'll end up screaming gibberish to yourself, and with a broken jack. The grain on that wood is absolutely crazy.
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Fri, 2020/06/12 - 5:41am
wbrent
wbrent's picture
Thanks guys. They are ash logs for a customer. I have since convinced him that it is not worth my while quarter sawing these. He agreed. Thank goodness. I don’t even mill for money. Someone just heard I had a mill and I agreed to cut a few logs for him. Then he asked about quarter sawing. Now he’s bringing along cedar logs with the ash. Hope I didn’t get myself in too deep. I’ve got stuff of my own to do.
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Fri, 2020/06/12 - 3:57pm
r.garrison1
r.garrison1's picture

The cedar bark dulls the blade much quicker than the wood; as you turn, if you can cut into wood (with the bark on the back side), your blades will last longer between sharpening.
Good luck with the logs. Hope the cedar isn't so big that you can't wrangle it onto the mill!

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Fri, 2020/06/12 - 4:37pm
wbrent
wbrent's picture
Small white or eastern cedar in these parts. Super easy to mill. And light as can be. Bark is usually easy to peel too. So I usually have a bare log on the mill.
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Wed, 2020/07/15 - 11:18am
Post Oakie
Post Oakie's picture
Just in case you do wind up quartersawing, I generally quarter big logs with a chain saw, like Eddiemac describes. You can also slab the log, and accept whatever quartersawn pieces come out of the middle. Of course this means edging all of the boards, but it will give you a fair amount. Any sawing pattern will give you some quartersawn lumber.

Good judgement comes from experience... experience comes from bad judgement.

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