OldTools Archive

Recent Bios FAQ

254423 Gye Greene <gyegreene@g...> 2015‑04‑19 Hand-milled some lumber; and why "stickering" is bad
GGs,


A preface:  When I started this e-mail, I started to type "old" into gmail
-- and the first suggested e-mail address was "oldmillrat" (Jim Thompson).
I guess that means that every message I send to The Porch will remind me of
Jim.  That's both cool and sad.


But anyhow.


This is small bikkies compared to the lumber stashes that many of you
encounter -- but here's a few pics of two different species of wood that I
grabbed off of peoples' lawns.  "Urban forestry", I suppose -- but on a
very small scale.

Of possible interest to non-Australians (they're Australian wood).


http://gyegreene.blogspot.com.au/2015/04/two-short-
logs.html">http://gyegreene.blogspot.com.au/2015/04/two-short-logs.html


I also "stir the pot" (is that an Aussie-ism) at the end of my entry, by
giving my 2c worth on stickering:  I don't believe in it, because I'm
creating internal stresses in the wood during the drying process.  I'd
rather have a lower yield, but with stable wood that doesn't cup should it
ever get wet.  Also, drying "loose" lets the wood cup, rather than split.

IMO.   ;)



--Travis (Brisbane, AU -- winter's a-comin'...)
254424 Phil Schempf <philschempf@g...> 2015‑04‑19 Re: Hand-milled some lumber; and why "stickering" is bad
"Stir the pot" - Aussie-ism?  Nope - used also in the US and UK.  Just
spent an unproductive half hour trying to find its source without luck, but
"stir" has Old English roots from a German word meaning to disturb so the
phrase likely goes back a long time.

Back to old tool content - what did you use to reduce your logs into
boards?  I see the results, but not the method.  I'm guessing a handsaw
which makes my old shoulders ache.

Also - your pics of stools brings to mind the "staked" furniture that
Christopher Schwarz is ranting about lately.  At the most fundamental, its
tapered tenons in tapered mortises just driven together - no wedge or
glue.  I don't have a link for a good summary, but this gives you the idea-

http://blog.lostartpress.com/2015/01/25/naked-
necessity/">http://blog.lostartpress.com/2015/01/25/naked-necessity/
254426 Thomas Conroy 2015‑04‑19 Re: Hand-milled some lumber; and why "stickering" is bad
Travis (Gye Greene)gave his "2c worth on stickering:  I don't believe in it,
because I'm
creating internal stresses in the wood during the drying process.  I'd
rather have a lower yield, but with stable wood that doesn't cup should it
ever get wet.  Also, drying "loose" lets the wood cup, rather than split."

Someone, maybe Walter Rose in "The Vilage Carpenter," wrote about how the first
stage in drying pitsawed slabs or thick planks was to lean them against long
horizontal poles, forming sort of tent-like or tunnell-like structures. I think
the axis was oriented to let the wind blow down the tunnel formed. The writer
used to play in the structures formed. After a few months or a few years, I
forget which, the timber would be stickered for the rest of its year-per-inch
drying time. This sounds like the intent of the stickering, at least in rural
English practice, was more to save space than to keep the boards dead flat.


Tom Conroy
254431 Gye Greene <gyegreene@g...> 2015‑04‑20 Re: Hand-milled some lumber; and why "stickering" is bad
Phil,


For the larger, pale logs, I split them with wedges and a 3lb hammer.

For the smaller, reddish logs, I started the cut with a tenon saw; then
used a coarse rip saw to widen and deepen the kerf (about 4 TPI, I think).
Then I used a "converted" one-person crosscut saw, but re-filed to rip
(about 2TPI), to futher widen the kerf -- and complete the cut.

After the initial "cutting in half", I popped off the bark, then set a
marking gauge with a LOOOONG pin (due to the curve of the log) at about a
thumb's thickness, and marked the line.  Then I used the dovetail saw -->
rip saw --> mega-saw to cut into small boards.


Here's a photo of the "regular" rip saw, and the longer one:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7IaLE--BmI8/UbiQ2mT5frI/AAAAAAAABbM/HPTdcJB80
co/s1600/twosaws.JPG">http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7IaLE--
BmI8/UbiQ2mT5frI/AAAAAAAABbM/HPTdcJB80co/s1600/twosaws.JPG


And, for size comparison, here's the long one, in action (photo is from May
2013; I somehow have even less hair, and the remainder is more grey...):

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-clkZMUY5sCk/UbiQZFgenHI/AAAAAAAABbE/lDtq7X0ty
RA/s1600/sawng.JPG">http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-clkZMUY5sCk/UbiQZFgenHI/AAAAAAAABb
E/lDtq7X0tyRA/s1600/sawng.JPG


As Abraham Lincoln suggested (
http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/83633-give-me-six-hours-to-chop-down-a
-tree-and">http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/83633-give-me-six-hours-to-chop-
down-a-tree-and),
I first spent a few minutes sharpening the mega-saw.  The saw is heavy and
long enough that it pretty much cuts by itself:  all I have to do is push
it forwards and back.


The saw is long enough that I get to use a pretty long stroke.  (Example,
also from May 2013; video is only 10 seconds long.)

https://youtu.be/a8HxCmj0850

I'm actually right-handed -- but once the saw cut has been started, I can
saw with either hand.


I think all of the cutting took around 3 hrs -- but I didn't time it.  The
splitting of the larger logs took maybe 30-60 minutes, not sure.


--Travis


On Mon, Apr 20, 2015 at 12:52 AM, Phil Schempf 
wrote:

> "Stir the pot" - Aussie-ism?  Nope - used also in the US and UK.  Just
> spent an unproductive half hour trying to find its source without luck, but
> "stir" has Old English roots from a German word meaning to disturb so the
> phrase likely goes back a long time.
>
> Back to old tool content - what did you use to reduce your logs into
> boards?  I see the results, but not the method.  I'm guessing a handsaw
> which makes my old shoulders ache.
>
> Also - your pics of stools brings to mind the "staked" furniture that
> Christopher Schwarz is ranting about lately.  At the most fundamental, its
> tapered tenons in tapered mortises just driven together - no wedge or
> glue.  I don't have a link for a good summary, but this gives you the idea-
>
> http://blog.lostartpress.com/2015/01/25/naked-
necessity/">http://blog.lostartpress.com/2015/01/25/naked-necessity/
>
>
>
254432 Gye Greene <gyegreene@g...> 2015‑04‑20 Re: Hand-milled some lumber; and why "stickering" is bad
Makes sense.  :)

I noticed a similar approach in a recent Chris Schwarz blog entry --
http://www.popularwoodworking.com/woodworking-blogs/chris-schwarz-blog
/northwest-timber-seeks-lumber-perfection">http://www.popularwoodworking.com
/woodworking-blogs/chris-schwarz-blog/northwest-timber-seeks-lumber-
perfection


There are no new ideas....   ;)


--Travis



On Mon, Apr 20, 2015 at 3:39 AM, Thomas Conroy via OldTools <
oldtools@s...> wrote:

>  Travis (Gye Greene)gave his "2c worth on stickering:  I don't believe in
> it, because I'm
> creating internal stresses in the wood during the drying process.  I'd
> rather have a lower yield, but with stable wood that doesn't cup should it
> ever get wet.  Also, drying "loose" lets the wood cup, rather than split."
>
> Someone, maybe Walter Rose in "The Vilage Carpenter," wrote about how the
> first stage in drying pitsawed slabs or thick planks was to lean them
> against long horizontal poles, forming sort of tent-like or tunnell-like
> structures. I think the axis was oriented to let the wind blow down the
> tunnel formed. The writer used to play in the structures formed. After a
> few months or a few years, I forget which, the timber would be stickered
> for the rest of its year-per-inch drying time. This sounds like the intent
> of the stickering, at least in rural English practice, was more to save
> space than to keep the boards dead flat.
>
>
> Tom Conroy
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> OldTools is a mailing list catering to the interests of hand tool
> aficionados, both collectors and users, to discuss the history, usage,
> value, location, availability, collectibility, and restoration of
> traditional handtools, especially woodworking tools.
>
> To change your subscription options:
> http://old
tools.swingleydev.com/mailman/listinfo/oldtools
>
> To read the FAQ:
> http://swingleydev.com/archi
ve/faq.html
>
> OldTools archive: http://swingleydev.com/ot/">http://swingleydev.com/ot/
>
> OldTools@s...
> http://old
tools.swingleydev.com/mailman/listinfo/oldtools

Recent Bios FAQ