Quarter-sawn wood costs about twice as much as plain-sawn. So, why use it? In order to understand the benefits (and extra cost) let’s look at how the material is milled from a tree. Imagine this is a log ready to go through a sawmill. I’ve sketched out plain-sawn cuts on the bottom half, and quarter-sawn cuts on the
Question: In Ontario, Canada, I have free fallen trees cut down by the city to walk away with. How long is too long to consider fallen wood to be not green enough for re-sawing? The trees have been down two winters. What tools and blades will do the job? Submitted by anonymous Answer: It can
Question: Simple question maybe. How is the best way to dry wood cut from trees? I have several around the farm here, ranging from pecan to Oak. During fall we trim them up and think they would be a cheap supply. I have heard several ways using a coat of latex over the cut ends
You saw my pine logs get milled into planks, leaving me with a big pile of wet wood (about 30% moisture content). Can’t make that into flooring. It needs to be kiln dried, and that’s the next step. Stickering. The material is stickered to create air spaces between the rows of planks. If this isn’t
Like many woodworkers, I go through a lot of hardwood. Lots, and lots and lots of it. And at the $4-$8 per board foot price that I normally pay at my local premium hardwood retailer, this takes its toll on my family’s budget. I have tried buying lower grade lumber and dealing with the knots
Hardwood lumber yards offer you wood either rough or surfaced. Rough is how it’s cut from the log at the sawmill. There they use giant band saws and circular saws with very coarse saw blades, so the work happens fast. Rough lumber looks like it was sanded with a garden rake! Buying it rough, and
Tips To Help You Prep And Handle Big SlabsI take advantage of the ample supply of hardwoods that surround my old farmstead here in western Wisconsin. I focus primarily on fallen trees or ones that are slated for removal. I built a solar kiln to dry the lumber and my barn is ideal for storage.
“Can I use 3/4″ or 1″ exterior grade plywood or OSB for stickers, for air drying lumber – or do I have to use kiln-dried material?” Submitted by: harmannfamily WWGOA Editor Response: I talked to a handful of people about this and here’s the consensus. The best bet is always to make stickers from the
“I have some red-oak, hickory, cherry, red elm, and spalted maple that I want to cut into boards. I have a band saw mill. Should I cut the boards into 5/4, 11/8, or 1” material? I also want some 4″ mantel material. Should I let it air dry or have it kiln dried? Should I
“I have a barn full of red oak, some black walnut and some white oak; it was sawn by my Dad 7 to 9 years ago. It seems to be very dry and ready to be used. The material is off of our farm and I would like to use the material for tongue and
