Black Walnut, Log to Lumber

Very cool! I’m planning to do the same with a bunch of white oak trees I had to down on my property! When you were free-handing the first cut down the middle, did you wish that you had gone with a sled to keep the cut straight, or did you find that it was plenty good and straight to begin making subsequent cuts?

-- If it ain't broke, take it apart and find out why

its always fun to make your own lumber, and even more exciting to have some walnut, , to bad there was not much heart in there…but i always try to find something to make of it…what do you have in mind for it.

-- GRIZZMAN ...[''''']

I didn’t find it all that hard to keep a straight line dpop but I did have a brand new 3/4” blade. It seemed plenty straight enough to flip around onto the fence. Grizz I’m not sure what I’ll do with it. Maybe some small boxes. Do youthink I could use it with the sap wood on it?

-- Ken --------- never try and put 5 lbs. of tenon in a 3 lb. mortise.

I have some logs to do also, great post, thanks.

oh yes, the sap wood will be just as good as the heart, just make sure it dries well and keep it flat, you dont want it to warp, i dont know if you have done this before, so no insult meant, but make sure you put stickers in between each piece or layer, and put some weight on top to stop it from warping…you may already know this, but the sap wood is very pretty and just lacks the color of the heart, otherwise its just as good….you can get quite creative with those pieces..if you want some inspiration, just go to the projects here and look at all the things made with walnut…you might see how others used the same kind of wood…good luck and enjoy…

-- GRIZZMAN ...[''''']

Thanks alot Grizzman. I’ll check it out. It is my first resawing of logs but I do know about the sticking and weight. Do you think 27% humidity is to dry to dry wood? Thats what my basement is at in the winter.

-- Ken --------- never try and put 5 lbs. of tenon in a 3 lb. mortise.

well the rule of thumb here is to dry it one year, per one inch of thickness. so depending on how thick your slabs are, if it is warm and dry, they your basement for now will be fine, if you do have a place to move it to during the summer, where it will be covered, from the rain, then it would dry even faster, but for now with winter here, your basement is good…......i hope i was of some help…did you ever sell thos tables you made, they are beautiful..i would have a hard time letting go of those…you did a wonderful job…

-- GRIZZMAN ...[''''']

I get totally fired up when I see this stuff. It’s my favorite part of woodworking but surprising to me, I don’t enjoy doing it! I’m still a bit intimidated by the process of milling from a big log. I’ve done it on a smaller scale but I aspire to move up to your league. Very nice.

-- My dad and I built a 65 chev pick up.I killed trannys in that thing for some reason-Hog

Grizzman, Thanks for tips on wood drying. I’ll move it outside this spring. The tables are at a reproduction furniture shop here in York, ME. They haven’t sold yet but I’m keeping my fingers crossed. Thanks again for the kind words. Al, don’t be intimidated. It’s really not that hard to do. You just need a well tuned band saw with a nice wide,sharp blade on it and take your time. I’m not sure how I’m going to handle the main trunk because it’s just me by myself but I’m thinking short lengths. Like maybe 3 or 4 footers.

-- Ken --------- never try and put 5 lbs. of tenon in a 3 lb. mortise.