I have a couple of pieces of sycamore that are about 18" long and 24"
in diameter. My chainsaw has a 16" bar. Any thoughts on how best to
cut these logs into blanks without removing any digits?

Dick Durbin
Tallahassee

In article om,
Olebiker wrote:

I have a couple of pieces of sycamore that are about 18" long and 24"
in diameter. My chainsaw has a 16" bar. Any thoughts on how best to
cut these logs into blanks without removing any digits?

Cut from two sides. You can cut 31-32 inches with the bar you have if
you cut from both sides. This does mean burying the nose, and if your
relationship with your chainsaw is such that this seems a poor idea,
well, then, go looking for a 3-1/2 foot handsaw.

If your relationship with your saw does not already involve chaps,
hardhat, chainbrake, etc. then you are already being optomistic,
regardless of where the saw nose is (hint, gear much cheaper and less
painful than emergency room visit). The digits normally remain attached,
as they are normally on the handle of the saw. Keeping the arm attached,
and the head intact are more common problems.

--
Cats, coffee, chocolate...vices to live by

Hi Dick

I don't know what you want to, or are able to turn from it, so I will
pretend that I am cutting it up for me.
take one piece and block it up horizontal, so it will not roll, start
cutting with the grain so the cut will go through the centre, hold the
saw on an angle and cut till the nose will go into the wood, go to the
other side and do the same thing, as you are overlapping the cuts you
can go down deeper till you again will get the nose buried, switch
sides ones more, etc., now if I would want to quarter the piece to
make 4 natural edge bowls from it I would flip the piece over and
continue to halve it and then do that once more with each halve,
however if I would want to make some slabs I would make the other cuts
now to, and then flip the piece over to finish the cuts, going from
the outside slabs, till the middle as the last cut.
All the slabs can be cut up later much easier than when in log form.
As long as you angle your saw you won't get it plugged up as easy, if
you cut flat with the grain you'll get long stringy shavings that will
jam the saw.
Don't forget to seal the blanks, or all your work will be for nothing.
And KEEP YOUR EYES ON YOUR FRIES, and be careful.

Have fun and take care
Leo Van Der Loo


On May 21, 1:05 pm, Olebiker wrote:
I have a couple of pieces of sycamore that are about 18" long and 24"
in diameter. My chainsaw has a 16" bar. Any thoughts on how best to
cut these logs into blanks without removing any digits?

Dick Durbin
Tallahassee

Hello, Dick.

First, you need to have a real sharp chain, equally sharpened on both
sides. This is because you will have to cut from two opposing sides to
get to the middle. If there is any tendency for the bar to wander, the
wander-error will be at least doubled when you go from the other side.
You are in very dangerous territory. A guy once asked my son if he
knew how to run a chainsaw. Son said "yes". Guy asked "do you know how
to sharpen a chain saw? Son said "no". Guy said "Then you don't know
how to run a chain saw". ---My fault!!!

Self inflicted lobotomies (sp?) are more common in the kind of work
you have in front of you. The problem is when the tip of the saw bar
catches in the log, pivoting the bar upwards at a rapid rate (with your
support arm as the fulcrum. This aims the running chain at your
forehead. This all happens before you can get your finger off the trigger.

If you happen to have chainsay that has a protector on the end of the
bar, you can't bore or go deeper than about 2 inches less than the bar
length anyway. You'd have to take that part off to do the job at all,
but that adds a lot of danger. An Anti-kickback chain will make the
job less hazardous.

Please don't misunderstand me, but just asking this question means that
you don't have the experience to do this without some hands-on tutoring.
Call up a tree service and ask them to help or go to the place where
you bought your saw and ask for lessons. This may sound like an
expensive way to utilize a "free" piece of wood, but if you DO learn
proper methods, it will stand you for the rest of your life. If you
DON'T learn, and miss just one subtle clue that something isn't right,
it will also stand you for the rest of your life, but you may not BE
standing!

I don't have sycamore around here, but have you considered splitting
your chunks to get down to your saw's bar length?

I would have no qualms at all about doing what you suggest, but we
have been dropping trees here and sawing wood since 1972. I would still
approach the job with a lot of care.

Pete Stanaitis
western Wisconsin

Olebiker wrote:
I have a couple of pieces of sycamore that are about 18" long and 24"
in diameter. My chainsaw has a 16" bar. Any thoughts on how best to
cut these logs into blanks without removing any digits?

Dick Durbin
Tallahassee

Dick
Assumng you want this wood for bowls or similar, how big a bowl can you
turn? The max you are going to get with this wood is 18" diameter. If your
lathe swings that then I suggest you get a hand from someone more
experienced with a chain saw to guide you through the cuts. I would work on
one end at a 60* angle until the end of the bar is at the bottom of the wood
about an inch away from the center line. then I would go to the other side
of the pith and do the same thing. This means there is a center slab defined
and the depth at the end of the bar is about three inches high or so. Then I
would follow those cuts on the other end of the log. This would leave me
with two bowl blanks and a center slab all attached in the center. likely I
would slab off a piece on either side for easy attachment of a face plate.
Rolling the piece over I would upcut to release each blank in turn. Unless
experienced with a saw, these cuts are all asking for trouble. Trouble with
a chain saw is not fun.
On the other hand, if your lathe turns less than 16", cut the logs to the
lenght of your bar or less and the cuts are normal. The procedure is
outlined on my web site under making bowls.
---
God bless and safe turning
Darrell Feltmate
Truro, NS
http://aroundthewoods.com
http://roundopinions.blogspot.com

"Olebiker" wrote in message
ps.com...
I have a couple of pieces of sycamore that are about 18" long and 24"
in diameter. My chainsaw has a 16" bar. Any thoughts on how best to
cut these logs into blanks without removing any digits?

Dick Durbin
Tallahassee

On May 21, 3:21 pm, "
wrote:

SNIP

And KEEP YOUR EYES ON YOUR FRIES, and be careful.

Have fun and take care
Leo Van Der Loo

Dammit Leo, knock it off! I laughed so hard when I got to that I
almost fell off my chair.

Good one.

Robert

On May 21, 7:47 pm, "Darrell Feltmate"
wrote:


Dick
Assumng you want this wood for bowls or similar, how big a bowl can you turn?

SNIP

I think this is the most important question to be asked, and it will
determine how the rest of your procedure should go. Cut your logs to
length for easier material management, and no longer than the swing of
your lathe.

Check this out, about half way down through this PDF to get some ideas
on how to allocate your log for bowls:

http://images.meredith.com/wood/pdf/da-00171.pdf

I would also add that it is a bad idea to bury the nose of your
chainsaw. Although many do it and many get away with it, don't do
it. If you don't have the saw capacity for a big log and you can't
figure out how to whittle down the logs into usable sizes, then drag
home smaller logs.

When you bury the tip, you can overheat the bar/chain causing flex in
them and leading to over heating. Your saw was not meant to be used
that way, and the if you bind up (for any of the multitude fo reasons
blades bind) the blade when using it with the tip buried, it will
undoubtedly lead to nasty kickback and a bent bar.

To see what it should look like, check here for an illustration:

http://www.enter.net/~ultradad/logcutting.html

Lots of good info in this thread on how to cut it. Just remember to
be safe.. if you are uncomfortable with cutting a certain way, DON"T
DO IT!

And like Leo said, "Keep your eyes on the fries".

I'm still snickering about that one.

Robert

Thanks to everyone for the advice and concern. I installed a new
chain yesterday and took the tip guard off. The cuts went pretty well
and I now have a good supply of blanks to work with and sha
http://home.comcast.net/~olebiker/Sycamore.JPG

Dick Durbin
Tallahassee

Thanks to everyone for the advice and concern. I installed a new
chain yesterday and took the tip guard off. The cuts went pretty well
and I now have a good supply of blanks to work with and sha
http://home.comcast.net/~olebiker/Sycamore.JPG

Dick Durbin
Tallahassee