milling 35" poplar log

[lmbeachy]

Good show Woodshop. Did you get the whole log worked Sat. and about how long did it take you. That is some nice looking lumber. I bought a piece of extruded alum. just about identical to what you have, for the guide on my mill. I am fortunate in that there is a salvage yard about three miles from me that handles a kind of alum and stainless steel. If I remember right I think I had to pay about $107.00 for it. One more question, did you put all that lumber in your van to haul it home. I bet that would have made an interesting picture.

 

[mysawmyrules]

May be a dumb question but is that just a white poplar? or something different. We have lots of white poplar and black poplar and have never thought it as more than poor fire wood and pulp wood. My curiosity has been peeked and I am going to start looking for a nice straight log to work on.Thanks.
Jon W

 

[woodshop]

Good show Woodshop. Did you get the whole log worked Sat. and about how long did it take you. That is some nice looking lumber. ..... One more question, did you put all that lumber in your van to haul it home. I bet that would have made an interesting picture.

I was at the log about 6 hours, and came home with about 300 bd ft, all loaded in my van with all my equipement. I left the bottom section of log, maybe a hundred ft left, as I was getting tired, will go back and get it after work one day this week.

Yup aluminum is not cheap... how are you going to attach your aluminum guide to the log? I think you can buy just the attaching jig from Ripsaw, but of course it would have to be a 6 inch wide guide bar. If your good in the machine shop, you could make your own. If you want close up pics and dimensions, let me know and I'll get them to you.

 

[woodshop]

May be a dumb question but is that just a white poplar? or something different. We have lots of white poplar and black poplar and have never thought it as more than poor fire wood and pulp wood. My curiosity has been peeked and I am going to start looking for a nice straight log to work on.Thanks.
Jon W

There are many trees with the name "poplar", but around here, when you say poplar, you are talking about tulip poplar. (liriodendron tulipifera). The leaves have a sortof tulip shape. It is common, usually grows tall and strait, and the heartwood is green. The best grades are the whiter parts of the log without any green in the board. It is used a lot by the furniture industry as carcass material, and also cabinet shops as framing etc. It is also one of the most paintable woods, and thus is used as trim etc.

 

[peterrum]

Nice photos Woodshop and great looking furniture Mike. Woodshop, the photos showing your first cut seem to show a bit of a wave in the board. Did you have some trouble on the first cut or is that just my bad eyes. If you did have some trouble were you able to diagnose the problem and how did you fix it.

 

[lmbeachy]

I was at the log about 6 hours, and came home with about 300 bd ft, all loaded in my van with all my equipement. I left the bottom section of log, maybe a hundred ft left, as I was getting tired, will go back and get it after work one day this week.

Yup aluminum is not cheap... how are you going to attach your aluminum guide to the log? I think you can buy just the attaching jig from Ripsaw, but of course it would have to be a 6 inch wide guide bar. If your good in the machine shop, you could make your own. If you want close up pics and dimensions, let me know and I'll get them to you.

Woodshop: Sorry I didn't let my slow dial up at home finish downloading or I would have seen the answers to my questions. As to the guide rail, I use it on the mill that I made, like a Logosol mill. Thanks for the kind offer.

 

[woodshop]

Nice photos Woodshop and great looking furniture Mike. Woodshop, the photos showing your first cut seem to show a bit of a wave in the board. Did you have some trouble on the first cut or is that just my bad eyes. If you did have some trouble were you able to diagnose the problem and how did you fix it.

I agree, in those first 5 pics I posted at the beginning of this thread, in the first and second pic, that first cut does look wavy, maybe due to the coloring of the wood and the angle it was shot. If you look at that same face in the third pic though (the one under the guide beam) you can see it's pretty flat under that beam. It is a rough surface though, as those slabs were taken off with my csm, and I don't use ripping chain since these cuts will essentially be the sides of the boards I'm not worried about smooth face. I use regular round chisel skip tooth chain. (Oregon 75JG). It cuts a little faster than the Bailey's ripping chain I was using, and doesn't get dull as fast.

 

[aggiewoodbutchr]

Nice stuff.

It never gets old seeing your work!

 

[curdy]

OK, haven't been around in a while...but had to drop in and say hey. Nice looking lumber.

Thanks again for the firewood, is this the tree that it came from?

BTW, you can always consider my place somewhere you can get rid of the firewood!

 

[johncinco]

naaah... that log in the background is too far gone, has fruiting bodies all over it, which means the inside is already starting to rot. To bad because it was the straightest log of the 5 he dropped. No noticeable taper in the whole 12 ft. Oh well, water under the bridge. If it was maple, I'd open it up and see if there was some sweet spalting going on, but poplar doesn't spalt well, a bit too soft.

I'd have to give it a try. I have some ash that got spalted, looks pretty cool and I am sure I can use it for something along the way. I am trying to get a guy to run some of my ash through his moulder to make me some T&G flooring.

 

[English Oak]

Hi woodshop. Fanatastic pictures as always. Really enjoy the story in your photo's.

I live in the u.k and wanted to ask do you know if the company that makes the 'Ripsaw', ships them to Europe? Is it a worthy investment? I have a csm a the momment and it runs really well, but the combo of the 2 seems to work well for you. Also I'm visiting the states (L.A) in Sept so I could bring one back with me then.

Tom

 

[scottr]

Hi woodshop. Fanatastic pictures as always. Really enjoy the story in your photo's.

I live in the u.k and wanted to ask do you know if the company that makes the 'Ripsaw', ships them to Europe? Is it a worthy investment? I have a csm a the momment and it runs really well, but the combo of the 2 seems to work well for you. Also I'm visiting the states (L.A) in Sept so I could bring one back with me then.

Tom

Tom, I did not see the email address on the website. http://www.ripsaw.com When I ordered my ripsaw it took a month to get it so you might want to call or write them. You said (L.A) are you talking about lower Alabama, Los Angles, or Louisiana? The ripsaw is now built in Grant Alabama.

 

[Burlhunter13]

Nice job woodshop!

Heck of a lot of work.....but sure feels good at the end of the day !

 

[woodshop]

Tom, I did not see the email address on the website. http://www.ripsaw.com When I ordered my ripsaw it took a month to get it so you might want to call or write them. You said (L.A) are you talking about lower Alabama, Los Angles, or Louisiana? The ripsaw is now built in Grant Alabama.

Ripsaws email on their contact page on their site says [email protected]

I've also emailed [email protected] and gotten response for things. She is the one I sent my story and pics to that are still featured on their website. Not sure if she is still active though, as last few times I've contacted them I've just called and talked to the owner, heck of a nice guy by the way. Not sure if they ship out of country, but a quick call would settle that.

 

[Brmorgan]

I think I can get some cable tray that is very close to that. Im gonna look as soon as they let me out of the house.

I thought of cable tray too, but the stuff we have at the sawmill I work at is way too flimsy as is. Maybe there's something sturdier though.


Am I incorrect in thinking that a tulip poplar is not a true poplar of the Aspen family? For some reason I remember reading that somewhere...

 

[woodshop]

...Am I incorrect in thinking that a tulip poplar is not a true poplar of the Aspen family? For some reason I remember reading that somewhere...

You are correct, tulip poplar (liriodendron tulipifera) is not the stringy soft wood like other poplars, cottonwoods or even aspen is. It is harder, more homogenious.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulip_poplar

 

[stonykill]

been too busy to pop in in a while. Nice pics woodshop.

I am sure you are right about the saw being fine if run non stop / full bore in a big log for 8 or 10 minutes. Been there done that with my 1982 Pioneer P51. Doesn't phase it in the least. Pro saws were built to be abused.

 

[woodshop]

been too busy to pop in in a while. Nice pics woodshop...

...was wondering where you disappeared to Stony. You been busy in your woodshop?

 

[stonykill]

...was wondering where you disappeared to Stony. You been busy in your woodshop?

the workshop has been pretty busy again this year. Tables, tables, and more tables. Quite a few orders for custom turned legs as well. I like lathe days.

Then there was the week of hauling free pine logs. That was a tiring week. I got so many given to me that I sold off a bunch of the large logs, that were nearly imposible for me to unload with my equiptment, at least in a timely manner, to a local mill. I think I have a few pics of some of the logs...somewhere . I'll have to look.

Then there is upkeeping the 30 acres. Brushhogging the feilds, clearing an old orchard to add grapes, berrys, cherry trees....etc to the apples that are there. Thats all good fun. The only thing I like better than chainsaw time is seat time on one of my many garden tractors.

Putting in fmore flower gardens for my wife. Well....running my loader and woodchipper, etc. She does the planting.

before the topsoil was added with the loader, this was basically a big hole full of weeds. I posted all the pics on a garden tractor site if anyone is interested.

 

[stonykill]

...was wondering where you disappeared to Stony. You been busy in your woodshop?

of course there was the vegetable garden. My favorite garden. Had to plow and cultivate that before planting.

plus the new to me garden tractor mini project

built this

and a 40 mph minibike

for my son....well......for me as well

I love summertime. So much to do. So little time.

I am sure I forgot 2 dozen things....but you get the idea.