milling questions

[Blowdown1]

I just cut off a stump (2.5' tall) from a cherry that had three trunks but has a void in the center where it rotted (resulting in the tree dying). It is about 3' across and I want to mill it into some slabs to use for small furniture. But given the odd growth I'm not sure how to go about it. Any suggestions from some of the home millers out there? Should I try to simply treat them as seperate and try as best as possible to quarter each portion?

Also, for 3/4" how thick should I cut the slabs to dry and allow a little to be lost when planing to thickness? What about the thickness for an 8/4 slab to be used for bookmatching?

thanks, Jake

 

[Tom Dunlap]

In my experience with milling you need to start with 6/4 to get 4/4 if you have a circle saw. The same would probably go for chainsaw milling. the cuts are so rough and wavy you need a lot of wood to make for a smooth board. If you have a bandmill you could probably go a bit thinner. I've had most of my wood milled at 5/4 and rarely do I have any bad faces after surfacing. Your sawyer should be able to give you better advice.

Don't worry about defects in some of the lumber. There are lots of places for smaller boards. Unless you're paneling a room or making molding you probably don't need long, wide boards. Besides, anything that doesn't become a project and always become firewood.