# How would you have 600bf of hard maple sawed at the mill? (Boards home! +, pics)



## AJPeacock (Jul 1, 2016)

I asked this question inside another thread and received a couple responses, I thought I might get some additional input by asking it in its own post.

I have some Maple logs that will be dropped off at the sawmill this weekend. They have been down for a couple years and probably won't be perfect clear hard maple, might have a little spalting based on the cut we made into one of the logs.

I will have these kiln dried. I can resaw with a band saw later if required.

The logs are from 22" - 16" diameter.

They are all long trunks and I'll know more when we buck them down to 8+ and 10+ footers (whether any have spalting on both ends of the log …).

If any look like possible spalted maple, I was thinking about having them sawed thick enough to make table tops … ?

So how would you have 600bf of Hard maple sawed if it was yours and you were just starting an inventory of wood for general hobby usage (book cases, end tables …)?

The mill can saw with circular or bandsaw. It will cost a little more for the bandsaw, but it ends with less waste and a bit smoother cut.

I placed a couple pictures of one of the logs we opened up in the other post here.

Thanks in advance,
AJ


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## ibewjon (Oct 2, 2010)

Don't cut so short. Leave some to remove checking after drying. And various thicknesses, don't commit yourself to constantly resawing. I would go bandsaw, less marks, much more return. I had logs cut at a circle saw once, never again. Every 4th cut turnned a 4/4 into dust.


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## AJPeacock (Jul 1, 2016)

> Don t cut so short. Leave some to remove checking after drying. And various thicknesses, don t commit yourself to constantly resawing. I would go bandsaw, less marks, much more return. I had logs cut at a circle saw once, never again. Every 4th cut turnned a 4/4 into dust.
> 
> - ibewjon


I think we have them marked at 8'4" and 10'4" lengths. I can't store 16's etc.

From a BF perspective, how would you spread out the 4/4, 5/4, 6/4 8/4 … ?

The thicker the cut, the more time and $ in the kiln also. I was thinking of having the largest log cut at 8/4 and split the rest equally between 4/4 and 6/4. The largest log 10'4" long is about 20% of the total BF.

Does that seem reasonable? I'm really just shooting in the dark here.

Thanks,
AJ


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## ibewjon (Oct 2, 2010)

I cut mine at 9 and 11 feet to be safe. Thicknesses depend on what you use.


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## Unknowncraftsman (Jun 23, 2013)

Do all the logs have a off centered pith. If I didn't know for sure what I wanted to use the wood for I would plainsaw though and though. 5/4 or 6/4. If you want table legs full 8/4 or better riftsawn. Should be able to get them out if the center 
Good luck


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## AJPeacock (Jul 1, 2016)

> I cut mine at 9 and 11 feet to be safe. Thicknesses depend on what you use.
> 
> - ibewjon


Thank you, I'm a newbie and am just getting started. So I really have no idea what I'll use.

AJ


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## CWWoodworking (Nov 28, 2017)

My supplier gave me 14 footers one time. I really enjoyed using them. Seem to be more straight than 8'. nice to put it up on the chop saw station, and not have to get another board for awhile.


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## AJPeacock (Jul 1, 2016)

> Do all the logs have a off centered pith. If I didn't know for sure what I wanted to use the wood for I would plainsaw though and though. 5/4 or 6/4. If you want table legs full 8/4 or better riftsawn. Should be able to get them out if the center
> Good luck
> 
> - Aj2


I don't fully understand what you are asking? Off centered pith? We haven't cut the logs to length yet (will do that on Saturday morning just before we load them). What decision will I make based on if the 'pith' is off centered or not?

So I could have the largest log rift cut 8/4 and split the rest between 5/4 and 6/4 flat cut?

Seems like that would give me a mix and options for usage moving forward.

Thanks,
AJ


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## ibewjon (Oct 2, 2010)

Pith is the growing center of the log, where the rings start. Growth is not always centered around the original growth. Some trees grow more to one side than the other. A tree can grow more on the side with more light. Pith is unstable.


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## ibewjon (Oct 2, 2010)

And definitely get some Anchorseal to coat the ends and a few inches up on the boards, all sides. It is waterborne wax, which is made to seal lumber. Latex paint is NOT moisture barrier. I use wood lath made from pine or cottonwood from a big box or lumberyard for stickers. Some say 1", but these have worked for me. I probably have close to 4000 board feet of ash, oak, sycamore, aromatic cedar, hard and soft maple, and black walnut drying. All but the oak have come from within a 1/2 mile of my house. I am sure you will be happy with the end product.


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## SMP (Aug 29, 2018)

I would probably have some done 16/4 to make a nice roubo bench and then the rest 6/4 and 4/4


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## Unknowncraftsman (Jun 23, 2013)

AJ the link you referenced that shows one of your logs has a off centered pith. When a tree grows with off centered pith there might be stress in the wood. So don't count on it to be furniture grade lumber.
But there's no reason to give up still lots of use for hard maple.
Workbench is a good one.
Good Luck


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## pintodeluxe (Sep 12, 2010)

I would commit to a couple thicknesses and have it sawed that way. To plan on resawing later is a lot of extra work. I generally like 5/4 best, and mostly order in that thickness. However I'm mostly using maple for drawer boxes, so 4/4 is better.

I would also keep the widths in the 6-8" range. Everyone orders 12" plus wide flatsawn boards and they invariably warp. I feel like narrower boards that stay flat are more valuable.

Anchorseal or something like it is a must. I'm experimenting with Meadows 1600 on my next load of 600 b.f. of white oak. It's a concrete sealer, but recommended as a lumber sealer as well. Apparently it's a lot like Anchorseal in that it's a wax emulsion, but it dries white. It's also much less expensive. I buy it in 5 gallon buckets, and I'll be doing some side by side comparisons against Anchorseal. Seal the whole log end if you can. Otherwise, seal the individual boards immediately after cutting.

For lengths I like anything 8-13 feet.

Good luck with it!


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## AJPeacock (Jul 1, 2016)

Thanks all, I don't think I need the anchorseal at this point, as the cut lumber is being kiln dried.

The long logs are being trimmed/cut to length and brought directly to the sawmill.

Correct?

Thanks,
AJ


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## ibewjon (Oct 2, 2010)

I have never done kiln drying. Check with the mill. See how long it will be stacked before going to the kiln.


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## PPK (Mar 8, 2016)

I personally find that true random-width/random-length lumber yields the least waste on any project. I agree with those that said that the really wide boards aren't all that great; they tend to cup and you aren't really gaining anything after you have to cut them up.

Depending on your usage, I find it really nice to have some 6/4 lumber. Otherwise, I predominantly use 5/4 and 4/4.

Good luck with it all, and have fun!


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## rwe2156 (May 7, 2014)

This is difficult to advise because its up to you what you want. If in doubt and you can resaw, then keep it thick as possible.

You may find when you open up the log you want slabs.

My advice is communicate with your sawyer what thicknesses you want, be ready to alter your plans, and let him take it from there.


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## tomsteve (Jan 23, 2015)

16-22" seems rather small for table tops unless just end tables.that might even be a little too narrow for end tables.
even thento get the 16-22 would require cutting a slab right from the center and you wont want the pith in there.


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## AJPeacock (Jul 1, 2016)

> 16-22" seems rather small for table tops unless just end tables.that might even be a little too narrow for end tables.
> even thento get the 16-22 would require cutting a slab right from the center and you wont want the pith in there.
> 
> - tomsteve


Yes, I was thinking of making tabletops from multiple pieces. I'd assume the thickness would be the deciding factor for that.

Also, not thinking about kitchen type tables. Just small tops for end tables, coffee tables …

Thanks
AJ


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## Tmanpdx (Mar 11, 2019)

If you plan on doing any type of table, I would recommend 12/4 at a minimum. You are going to lose 1/2 - 1" depending upon wood movement during drying - the cupping / twisting that needs to be planed out will result in nice 8/4 stock for a good table.


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## KYtoolsmith (Oct 13, 2018)

Don't neglect sealing the logs before milling or the lumber after milling. Kiln drying does not change the fact that the end grain losses moisture faster than the face and edges. Unsealed ends are a major cause of end checks and splitting while drying… It doesn't matter if air drying or kiln drying! Seal the ends! Unsealed ends result in less board footage realized from a given log. Normally lumber from a fresh log is air dried for a period before going to the kiln to slow the drying and to prevent case hardening which can occur if dried too fast. Your logs have already been down for some time, I'd be expecting some loss from end checks, radial splitting on the outside of the log or possibly deep splits that will affect the quantity of usable lumber. Save what you can! Seal end grain as you cut the logs to length for milling, and re-seal the freshly cut lumber before drying.

Just my experience…
Regards, The Kentucky Toolsmith.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Id mill for a workbench if i didnt have one. Maybe some for the saw horses id need to build said bench too

Id shoot for a final dimension on the top at 3" thick. So mill 14/4? 16/4? as wide as ya can. Less glueing up. Bookmatch opportunity.

Mill some 16/4 (final dimension) for legs.

Cut the coolest piece you got at 8/4 for a leg vice.

The rest ….. a mix of 5/4 for tabletops, 8/4 for legs, 4/4 for thinner tops and keep the random 2/4 stuff for odds and ends and random crap.

Mill on the thick side though. Better more than less.


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## AJPeacock (Jul 1, 2016)

Here are some pictures of the logs up on the trailer before we sealed them. It looks like about 1/2 of them will be pretty stained, a couple may have spalting and a couple may be pretty clear. Time will tell.

The sawmill wont get to them for a week or 2, so I have a little more time to decide how to have them sawed.

I'll definitely have enough wood to learn a lot about wood working without needing a second mortgage or worrying too much about messing up a piece of wood. We estimate around 500 BF. The logs all ended up 8'+ once we trimmed the bad off the ends of the logs and cut out a couple big limb joints. About 68' of logs total on the trailer.

Thanks again everyone for your inputs.

AJ


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

Since you don't have a specific project in mind, I'd still advise milling it to a heavy 8/4 QS for the whole lot. You can resaw to 4/4, 5/4, 6/4, what ever you need. Most QS boards will have some rift sawn on the edges that you can use for legs. Resawing to 4/4 has the advantage of yielding a pair of bookmatched boards.


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## AJPeacock (Jul 1, 2016)

FYI,

After talking with the sawyer. The 4 largest will be sawn at 8/4,6/4,6/4 and 5/4. The rest will be cut to finish at 3/4-7/8.

I should have a nice selection.

AJ


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## ibewjon (Oct 2, 2010)

That will be a nice mix, and you won't need to resaw every board.


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## farmfromkansas (Jun 16, 2019)

Would you post some pics of the boards? 2 years is a long time to wait to saw logs. And anchor seal is a good thing but best when you first cut the logs down.


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## Unknowncraftsman (Jun 23, 2013)

This is just a learning experience for Mr peacock. 
I wouldn't mind to see what some of the boards look like after the sawyer is done.Then a year or so air dried.
Wood is both Mysterious and Amazing.
Good Luck AJ


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## AJPeacock (Jul 1, 2016)

I will post pictures of the boards. I'm having them all kiln dried, so it will probably be end of August or so before they are ready for pickup.

AJ


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

A few years ago I found a deal from a large scale cabinet shop going out of business, of soft maple. It was all 12/4×12ft x 8-10"W. The wider boards (11-14"W) my buddy took, because I only have an 8in jointer. He got ~400bf and I ~200bf of this maple. That said, I was and am very happy with having 12/4 lumber.

The reason for all the joy, is that by "BOOK MATCHING" chosen 12/4 or 8/4 maple boards, the sky is the limit on creativity, particularly for table/bench tops and even cabinet sides!, particularly panel inserts. IMO, I would never have it any other way. I also had great success with book matching 8/4 White Ash in at least two panel projects.

And, as mentioned above, 12/4 & 16/4 allows one to make some nicely turned legs and such. As far as workbench tops, IMO, laminating 8/4 stock to 3" or so, would be much more stable than a single wide&thick board top. Just my 2-cents… ;-)


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## AJPeacock (Jul 1, 2016)

If I need thicker stock for a specific project, I can get it directly from the sawmill (they build furniture … onsite).

Since this wood is really a shot in the dark and will be used for learning, I decided against the really thick boards.

Thanks again for all the inputs,

AJ


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## AJPeacock (Jul 1, 2016)

Thought I'd post an update now that I have my wood home from the sawmill/kiln.

Ended up with 544bf, most sawed 6/4 The rest 5/4 and 8/4.

Took the narrowest board in the entire pile and ran it through my planer (picture below).
Some of the boards are also obviously spalted. I didn't want to run anything else through the planer before I get a jointer.

Now I need to complete my shop with a Bandsaw and Jointer (probably going to be a G0858 8")



















Thanks again for all the great input, I'll be opening a new thread re: which Bandsaw.

AJ


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## ibewjon (Oct 2, 2010)

Looks like you did well. Now to use it!!


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## Unknowncraftsman (Jun 23, 2013)

Good looking wood AJ.
I like it a lot.


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## Wraypau (Feb 28, 2019)

what did the sawmill charge you to cut these? I have about 200 Black walnut trees on my farm, they range from 22-29" in diameter.


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## AJPeacock (Jul 1, 2016)

> what did the sawmill charge you to cut these? I have about 200 Black walnut trees on my farm, they range from 22-29" in diameter.
> 
> - Wraypau


They charge hourly rate to cut, a little more to cut on the bandsaw mill vs the circular mill. I think it was $125-$175/hour if I recall. I don't remember what the kiln drying cost, but it is by board foot.

I have a little under $2 / bf in the wood. I did pay to have the logs hauled over to the mill, which worked out to 20 cents/bf. So I think I paid around $1.45/bf to the mill (I had it run on the bandsaw mill).

The hours it takes to cut depends a lot on what / how you have them cut it.

Hope this helps, I wish I had a little walnut to mix in with my Maple.

AJ


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## ibewjon (Oct 2, 2010)

Check with woodmizer.  They may be able to help you located a bandsaw in your area. The guy I use most charges $50 per hour if I help, and the other one charges $60 per hour, but comes to my house. I am an hour south of Chicago. I only used the nearby circ sawmill once . 1/4" kerf so alot of loss.


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## Wraypau (Feb 28, 2019)

> what did the sawmill charge you to cut these? I have about 200 Black walnut trees on my farm, they range from 22-29" in diameter.
> 
> - Wraypau
> 
> ...


If you are anywhere around Alabama, lets meet up and get some of them. I have a few, that was blown over by tornado several years ago, and are laying on grounfd, still growing green. that one is as thick as a truck tire.


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## AJPeacock (Jul 1, 2016)

> what did the sawmill charge you to cut these? I have about 200 Black walnut trees on my farm, they range from 22-29" in diameter.
> 
> - Wraypau
> 
> ...


Too bad I'm not closer, Michigan is a bit far. But if I find myself in the neighborhood I'll stop in for a cup of coffee!

AJ


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