Cherry lumber how to saw by hand?
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- This topic has 16 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 7 years, 8 months ago by Igor Kerstges.
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4 July 2016 at 7:43 pm #138240
Have come across some really nice cherry that had been chopped up where I work and quickly scooped up the biggest pieces (after asking) and brought them home. Was wondering how I would go about chopping this into boards to dry out. Some could be split but the thickest section is burled and so sawing seems to be the only option.
Ive looked into getting a 48 inch log cutting saw but most of these seem to be blunt and require a lot of skill to sharpen correctly.
Any help would be much appreciated.
Just to add size wise the largest section is about 4 foot x 2 foot and the burled section is about 2 foot square.
- This topic was modified 7 years, 9 months ago by Edward Kopczyk.
4 July 2016 at 8:11 pm #138242Wow. I just came across some cherry too; someone cut a tree down in their yard. I’m also not quite sure how to process it.
I took a rip saw and sawed down the center of a few pieces that look twisted, and I’ve split a couple of short ones with a hatchet. I then hewed the round back off, and left them in roughly shaped 1″ x 3″ pieces to dry after removing the bark and sealing the ends with glue.
I’ve never done this before, so we’ll see if it works. Most of my pieces are fairly small in diameter though; not much larger than 4-5″, and most around 2-3″. You might want to make some wooden wedges to help with splitting larger diameter pieces. Be sure to process them promptly and seal the ends; they’ll tend to crack when drying, and the cracks tend to emanate from the pith, which should be removed if you split/saw it.
Also, leave them to dry outside. If you bring them inside, the humidity change is too rapid and may cause them to crack.
That’s about the extent of what I know. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable can chime in and help us both.
4 July 2016 at 8:17 pm #138243indeed. i could get a massive handsaw to do this with but dont want to buy one and find that they were only really meant for cross cutting and that I would need a load more tools to sharpen it. The smaller logs have been waxed and are drying out. I know people will say chainsaw but that isnt an option for me as they are dangerous things at the best of times and being a pianist and guitarist I need my fingers.
4 July 2016 at 8:24 pm #138244Look online (Craigslist.or local equivalent) for someone offering portable bandsaw mill services. There are a few guys near me who do it for a reasonable price.
Questions to ask:
1) how do they charge (board foot or hour)
2) when do theybsyart charging? Some (who charge by the hour) include driving time)
3) is there a setup fee?
4) is there a minimum quantity needed? This one is key. Some won’t even bother for less than a full days work. If that is the case(and you can) ask if you can bring the log to themAs an alternative check with your local woodworking group. There are a few guys around me who offer services to mill lumber. I have done it a few times and usually pay $50/hr with a minimum of 30 minutes. Well worth 25$ if you can have him cut it into rough stock on a bandsaw 🙂
4 July 2016 at 9:07 pm #138246Unfortunately here in the uk I have tried asking local timber yards if they will do this for me however they cannot / will not
I would definitely go with a chainsaw myself. I know you say it’s not an option for you but I wouldn’t even consider trying to rip cut that bad boy. I’ve used chainsaws from a young age, they are dangerous if you are reckless. There are a couple things to remember when using them. Unless you really need to avoid using the tip. Do most of your cutting with the under side of the saw as its pulling towards the engine. Being that it’s 2 stroke you can run a chainsaw in any direction without worry. It’s super easy to sharpen with a round chainsaw file but keep in mind that it bites harder when freshly sharpened. There’s no risk of losing fingers as your hands are well away from the cutting edge. It’s more your legs and feet that you need to be conscious of because the saw wants to run down towards the ground if you use the tip.
Other than that maybe a huge frame saw with an aggressive blade under tension so you can have a thinner kerf equaling less energy to cut?
4 July 2016 at 9:25 pm #138248maybe if i got in touch with a tree surgeon they might be able to cut me something up but i really dont mind the hard work of doing it by hand just wondered what saw if any it could be done with and where i could get one. Can the log saws be sharpened for rip cut like other saws or is that just madness?
4 July 2016 at 9:40 pm #138249basically like this one http://www.toolnut.co.uk/phpThumb/phpThumb.php?src=/images/products/870_fullsize.jpg&w=600&hash=94a761b324f1967c715db4744c9d3278
6 July 2016 at 10:05 pm #138327any other tips? surely I cannot be the only person who has wanted to try this by hand
I used a saw similar to the one linked above with my dad to hand-mill a large walnut log about 15 years ago. I can’t say that it is officially the “correct” way to go about the job, but it worked for us. I asked him earlier today, and he said the saw is marked as a crosscut, but appears to be sharpened for a rip. He says he doesn’t remember specifically modifying it for a rip, but he has sharpened it several times. He thinks the teeth are far enough apart that the rip/cross shaping of the teeth wouldn’t make a huge difference (again, not an official expert, just speaking from an engineering mindset).
We held the saw from either side of the log with the blade cutting parallel to the ground. I remember using several wedges through the process. It’s also important to have some way to elevate the log in order to allow for power in the stroke. Our log was about 500 lbs., so definitely a two-man job, and it took the better part of a day to finish even with two of us. I hope you can find a buddy…good luck!
8 July 2016 at 6:31 pm #138375I’ve seen these to re-saw (rip) lumber. Hope it’s what you’re thinking of.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRBL3EsEb9c – Tom Fidgen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_E2iitIHgw – Tom FidgenNever tried it myself. I’ve used both western and japanese rip saws for lumber, but largest thickness was 1 inch with these.
8 July 2016 at 10:05 pm #138378If it was me and I had to do it by hand, I would buck (cross cut the logs into 4 or 6 foot sections. Depending on how straight the grain was, I would split it in half or quarters. Then rip the rest of if to 8/4.
Just a warning, it is a lot of work to do it by hand. Last fall I cut up a small maple tree that blew over. The grain was really wavy and to be honest, it was not fun at all. I made a saw horse from a half log and a couple boards and said the heck with it. I rather purchase lumber from a local mill. But it was a learning experience. I am sure if the tree would have been larger it would have been easier to split. But for now I am gonna use the experience to talk my wife into a small band saw mill from Harbor Freight. I figure that it would take my just as much time to talk her into it as it would resawing that whole maple log by hand.
9 July 2016 at 10:07 pm #138393Id love a horizontal bandsaw mill but no room for it im afraid.
I have used a resaw frame saws and I have found them to have a lot of downsides.
I think benhavo has convinced me that the logging saw is the way to go. For the amount of lumber I come across it shouldnt be too much hard work but when I get round to getting it i’ll post something up about how well it goes 🙂
Thanks for your help everyone.
25 July 2016 at 3:59 pm #138793Just to update this I brought a couple of hand saws to see how good they were. The log saw was ok but didn’t cut as quickly as my final saw. I purchased a spear and Jackson 24 inch cheapo saw and then sharpened the blade turning every tooth into an aggressive cutting angled tooth. The end result was the log saw would cut through my cherry in about an hour of hard sawing…. the spear and Jackson gets through the same wood in 20 minutes and leaves a much better finish.
Hopefully this will help anyone else who wants to cut wood that won’t spit by hand.:-)
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