Some big (to me) walnut.

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chads

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I have been working on some big walnut slabs and need a little advise on drying it.
I have cut up some 16/4 planks 7'x20" or so. (46 bf)
A couple cookies too 28"x2.5"
Also some crotch 16/4 by 4'x30"
I was using my Alaskan mill and a chainsaw at first and it was going really slow.
I was crunched for time and help moving the finished product so I went with 16/4 to get it in moveable chunks.
I wish I would of had a camera of the milling but we were really busy.
We worked about 4 hours on the first 4 pieces with travel time, packing stuff in and out thru the streambed, cutting up the tree into sections, and setup it took a bit.
Those pieces were pretty nice.

We had a couple hours the following day but not enough to run the Alaskan mill.
The saw without the mill would cut about 2x as fast so we just hacked the remaining trunk up with another saw freehand to get it it down to a moveable size.
Not pretty but I figure I will use them for turning blanks or larger stock.
The last crotch piece was hard to freehand with a 20" bar from all 4 sides. They are on top of the stack in the van.
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The crotch I plan to cut down to 3 slices so about 5/4 each.
I'm pretty excited about the crotch thinking a end table etc. maybe saving one for turning stock.
The balance I plan to keep 16/4.
I am looking for pointers on drying thick stock.
Anchor seal or paint would be helpful for the ends and 3/4" stickers in a north side lean too are in my plans.
So I will have low heat and decent ventilation but not too much air to avoid checks.
I am trying to locate a 30" tub to boil the cookie but thinking of putting it in a paper bag or wrapping it in something maybe wax paper for a couple of years.
Am I off base here? I don't want to loose these to a poor decision.

I had the ms460 on the 36" mill and it was about 25 min to cut 11' x24" or so to start up to full width in the crotch.
I have file sharpened that chain 8-10 times and think the rakers need some work etc.
The crotch was very hard to cut I have a new blade and will try that out before filing the rakers down or send it in to be sharpened.

The Makita 6401 with 20" bar could cut in about 1/3 of the time but only 20" deep. That saw is great.


Chad
 
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I would be worried about cutting the crotch slabs to 5/4". They would likely cup or warp right in the middle. If it were me I would just leave the crotches at 3" and let them dry, split and warp, then once you re flatten them in a few years you will still have a usable thickness. Use anchorseal on eveything including all over the cookies and paint it on the actuall feathered grain of the crotch slabs as well as all endgrain. Don't be in a hurry. If you get antsy to do something, find another log to mill to keep your mind busy!
 

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