milling fiddleback maple

[artie__bc]

Been lurking here for a while, and thought I'd jump in. I have salvaged a big maple (western) from the firewood pile where I work. It's a beautiful log, 30" diameter, 12' long, all fiddleback. Now, I've never milled fiddleback before and am wondering does it need to be quartersawn to bring out the figure, or can you flat saw it? I quartersawed the smaller top section of the log for an experiment, and it came out great, but quartersawing's a pain with an alaskan mill and no bunks or dogs. Any advice you all have on this would be appreciated.

artie

 

[woodshop]

Don't have enough experience sawing up whole logs that are curly. I have gotten curly figure milling both flatsawn and quartersawn, but more often a flatsawn board is the way to go if your looking for any kind of figure other than ray fleck. I have found that slicing crotch on the same plane as the limbs are gives better crotch figure than through and through starting on one limb and across to the other. Somebody here with a commercial mill might be able to steer you strait.

 

[artie__bc]

I guess I'll try taking a thin slab off, and see what shows when it's flat sawn. If the fugure is still good, it'll sure be a lot easier milling! Thanks for the advice.

artie

 

[woodshop]

I guess I'll try taking a thin slab off, and see what shows when it's flat sawn. If the fugure is still good, it'll sure be a lot easier milling! Thanks for the advice.

artie

I'd run it through a planer or jointer first (or just run a hand plane over one section), and then wet it down with mineral spirits of just water to see what you have. It's often tough seeing figure in roughsawn boards unless its VERY curly or very pronounced.

 

[artie__bc]

Yeah, I did that on Saturday with some I milled out of one quarter. I tested a quarter sawn board and a rift cut one from the same quarter on my freind's planer (don't have my own yet), and there wasn't a whole lot of difference in the figure on those. Tonight I'm going to see if I can do the same with a flat sawn one, and then hopefully I'll know what gets the best results.

artie

 

[Ianab]

With a fiddleback grain pattern it will probably look best flat sawn. Q-sawn it will just show a wriggly pattern in the grain, but flat sawn you get the changes in grain direction and the 'chatoyance' (sp) as it reflects light differently. It's a pain to work with because of the changing grain direction, but the results are worth the trouble.

Cheers

Ian

 

[artie__bc]

Well, I'm flat sawing the big log, and it seems to be giving me the fiddle back figure I'm looking for, I'll know better when I can get some more time on the planer. Sure glad I have an 090 for my mill, though as the 084 has a pretty hard time milling a 26" hard maple! I'll try to post some pics, when the wood's planed. Could be a while, it's got to dry a bit yet.

artie

 

[aggiewoodbutchr]

What? No milling pics!?! GRRRR!!!

 

[artie__bc]

I'll try to post some pics for you one of these days, woodbutcher, time permitting, of course. Someone will have to tell me how, though, I've never done it before.

artie

 

[buzz sawyer]

Well, I'm flat sawing the big log, and it seems to be giving me the fiddle back figure I'm looking for, I'll know better when I can get some more time on the planer. Sure glad I have an 090 for my mill, though as the 084 has a pretty hard time milling a 26" hard maple! I'll try to post some pics, when the wood's planed. Could be a while, it's got to dry a bit yet.

artie

Sounds like you have a really great log there. Ever considered getting it cut on a bandmill? Much better yield on valuable wood like that.

 

[artie__bc]

If I had a band mill, I'd sure use it! Seeing as I literally pulled this log out from under the saws of the firewood cutters I figure any good I can get out of it is a lot better than going up in smoke. Maybe it'll get me a little closer to a band mill!! I definitely agree that band mills get more useable wood out of a log, all things being equal, but the volume I cut right now can't justify me owning one. This particular log was so checked & ugly on the outside that the commercial guys wouldn't have wanted it anymore, even if they weren't already up to their eyeballs in logs like the ones here are.

artie

 

[artie__bc]

Here's a couple of milling pics for woodbutcher, sorry they're so fuzzy, but the light was getting bad, and all I have is my cel phone camera. I'd take more, but days are getting too short up here to waste time with pictures when I should be milling!:hmm3grin2orange:

artie

View attachment 38307

View attachment 38308

 

[aggiewoodbutchr]

Look like you got it going your way. How long have you had your mills?

 

[Doctor Dave]

I'll try to post some pics for you one of these days, woodbutcher, time permitting, of course. Someone will have to tell me how, though, I've never done it before.

artie

So how did you post the pics here? I was just trying to do it without success.

 

[stingray bay]

Actually posting pictures is easier than you would think after reading the FAQs

Step 1
First take the picture and save it somewhere on your PC where you can find it again (like the desktop). Make it small (say 50 - 100 Kb) so those on dial can see it.

Step2
Later when you are writing your post you will see a paper clip up the top of that screen. Push this button and it will take you to a "manage attachments" page. Click the browse button and find the file you just saved on your PC. Double click the file name which will put its extension into the "upload file from your computer" field, then click the "upload button" and the file will be copied into your post. You can load up to 5 images per post, just repeat this step until you have all the images you want up there (remember small is good) .

Advanced step 3
If you want to get fancy and display the photo without people having to click on it you can embed the image by using the "img" command using the syntax
[imb]image link[/imb] where the "imb" is actually "img" (AS won't let me put the real command in as an example)

To find the image link all you do is right click the image link in your post,click on "properties" and copy the "address" to your post (use cut and paste)

for example the address for the first of the images in artie's post is

"http://www.arboristsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=38307"

So all you have to do is is add the img command to this address

using the imb example again so you can see it the command would be

[imb]http://www.arboristsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=38307[/imb]

when I change the imb to img the result is...

voila! let me know how you get on

 

[buzz sawyer]

If I had a band mill, I'd sure use it! Seeing as I literally pulled this log out from under the saws of the firewood cutters I figure any good I can get out of it is a lot better than going up in smoke. Maybe it'll get me a little closer to a band mill!! I definitely agree that band mills get more useable wood out of a log, all things being equal, but the volume I cut right now can't justify me owning one. This particular log was so checked & ugly on the outside that the commercial guys wouldn't have wanted it anymore, even if they weren't already up to their eyeballs in logs like the ones here are.

artie

Gotcha - thought there might be someone in the area with one. Anyway sounds like you did the right thing and came out smelling like a rose. Looking forward to some photos of that curly stuff!

 

[Doctor Dave]

Actually posting pictures is easier than you would think after reading the FAQs

Step 1
First take the picture and save it somewhere on your PC where you can find it again (like the desktop). Make it small (say 50 - 100 Kb) so those on dial can see it.

Step2
Later when you are writing your post you will see a paper clip up the top of that screen. Push this button and it will take you to a "manage attachments" page. Click the browse button and find the file you just saved on your PC. Double click the file name which will put its extension into the "upload file from your computer" field, then click the "upload button" and the file will be copied into your post. You can load up to 5 images per post, just repeat this step until you have all the images you want up there (remember small is good) .

Advanced step 3
If you want to get fancy and display the photo without people having to click on it you can embed the image by using the "img" command using the syntax
[imb]image link[/imb] where the "imb" is actually "img" (AS won't let me put the real command in as an example)

To find the image link all you do is right click the image link in your post,click on "properties" and copy the "address" to your post (use cut and paste)

for example the address for the first of the images in artie's post is

"http://www.arboristsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=38307"

So all you have to do is is add the img command to this address

using the imb example again so you can see it the command would be

[imb]http://www.arboristsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=38307[/imb]

when I change the imb to img the result is...

voila! let me know how you get on

Thanks!

I'll try it.

 

[artie__bc]

Woodbutcher,

I've only had the mill since spring, and I haven't cut that much with it - a couple of cedars, a fir, and a few maples. The 090 I bought off an old guy a few years ago for $40, and I've used it to cut my firewood every year, but it seemed kind of overkill for that, although it impressed my friends alot. Until they noticed my permanent stoop! The 084 that's on the Mini Mill - you can just see it in the distance on the second pic - it's the orange blob - I got given to me because someone tried to go smokeless and ran it on straight gas for 30 seconds or so. A new cyl kit put it back in running order, and I'm off milling! Anyway, that's my milling story so far; if I could find more time, I could mill more logs.

artie

 

[aggiewoodbutchr]

Well, you have some nice equipment there. I wish I could find deals like those. There just not that many big saws used here by anybody.