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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'...) |
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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/ |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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