This is going to sound weird but... a couple years ago I took the kids
camping in the Great Smokies. We arrived on a Monday when a lot of the
other campers in the Cataloochee valley were going home. One guy who was
leaving offered me his pile of firewood, which was very kind of him, since
I didn't have room for any when I packed. Anyway, the firewood, cut to
18" lengths and split, appeared to be walnut. I'm sorry to say I burned
some of it, but I brought home a half-dozen chunks. Does anyone have any
ideas on how to cut it safely into boards. I don't have a bandsaw, but I
do have a table saw. I've given some thought to making a sled with a
wooden clamping device, but the idea of the saw grabbing the chunk and
flinging it makes me nervous.

In article , ray wrote:
This is going to sound weird but... a couple years ago I took the kids
camping in the Great Smokies. We arrived on a Monday when a lot of the
other campers in the Cataloochee valley were going home. One guy who was
leaving offered me his pile of firewood, which was very kind of him, since
I didn't have room for any when I packed. Anyway, the firewood, cut to
18" lengths and split, appeared to be walnut. I'm sorry to say I burned
some of it, but I brought home a half-dozen chunks. Does anyone have any
ideas on how to cut it safely into boards. I don't have a bandsaw, but I
do have a table saw. I've given some thought to making a sled with a
wooden clamping device, but the idea of the saw grabbing the chunk and
flinging it makes me nervous.

Don't have a bandsaw? Get one -- you have the perfect excuse. :-)
Or find someone who does. That's really the best tool to use for this.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek-at-milmac-dot-com)

Get a copy of my NEW AND IMPROVED TrollFilter for NewsProxy/Nfilter
by sending email to autoresponder at filterinfo-at-milmac-dot-com
You must use your REAL email address to get a response.

Doug Miller responds:

I didn't have room for any when I packed. Anyway, the firewood, cut to
18" lengths and split, appeared to be walnut. I'm sorry to say I burned
some of it, but I brought home a half-dozen chunks. Does anyone have any
ideas on how to cut it safely into boards. I don't have a bandsaw, but I
do have a table saw. I've given some thought to making a sled with a
wooden clamping device, but the idea of the saw grabbing the chunk and
flinging it makes me nervous.

Don't have a bandsaw? Get one -- you have the perfect excuse. :-)
Or find someone who does. That's really the best tool to use for this.

Bandsaw is best, plain ol' 5-1/2 point ripsaw will work, bowsaw probably will
work on that length of wood. Worst choice: tablesaw. Uneven shapes almost
guarantee flying objects. Can't call 'em UFOs, cause you'll know what they are.

Charlie Self
"Inanimate objects are classified scientifically into three major categories -
those that don't work, those that break down and those that get lost." Russell
Baker

ray wrote in
news
This is going to sound weird but... a couple years ago I took the kids
camping in the Great Smokies. We arrived on a Monday when a lot of
the other campers in the Cataloochee valley were going home. One guy
who was leaving offered me his pile of firewood, which was very kind
of him, since I didn't have room for any when I packed. Anyway, the
firewood, cut to 18" lengths and split, appeared to be walnut. I'm
sorry to say I burned some of it, but I brought home a half-dozen
chunks. Does anyone have any ideas on how to cut it safely into
boards. I don't have a bandsaw, but I do have a table saw. I've
given some thought to making a sled with a wooden clamping device, but
the idea of the saw grabbing the chunk and flinging it makes me
nervous.

There's a number of folks in my woodworkers' group who gather their offcuts
and scrap, and take it over to one fellow's home each heating season. Ted,
who was a school teacher all his life, and raised 5 good kids with his
wife, learned more than a little bit about being frugal.

But his boys had to take away the tablesaw, when Ted had to have 4 fingers
reattached surgically, after cutting firewood with the thing, freehand.

Take Charlie's advice. If you can't afford a bandsaw, then do your
experimenting with a hand rip saw. Or find a neighbor who has a bandsaw,
and experiment. Or use a rasp, a drawknife or an improvised scraping
device to make a flat face on a piece, to see what the grain might reveal.

But don't use your tablesaw for this, until it's somehow closer to being a
board.

Patriarch

On Thu, 05 Aug 2004 07:02:55 GMT, ray wrote:

This is going to sound weird but... a couple years ago I took the kids
camping in the Great Smokies. We arrived on a Monday when a lot of the
other campers in the Cataloochee valley were going home. One guy who was
leaving offered me his pile of firewood, which was very kind of him, since
I didn't have room for any when I packed. Anyway, the firewood, cut to
18" lengths and split, appeared to be walnut. I'm sorry to say I burned
some of it, but I brought home a half-dozen chunks. Does anyone have any
ideas on how to cut it safely into boards. I don't have a bandsaw, but I
do have a table saw. I've given some thought to making a sled with a
wooden clamping device, but the idea of the saw grabbing the chunk and
flinging it makes me nervous.

Many years ago I made some small logs into lumber using a RAS, chain
saw, rotary planer on the RAS and even a bit of hand sawing and
planing. Unless you really love terrorizing yourself I suggest you
find someone with a bandsaw or buy one (always nice to add iron to the
shop) or else get out a decent ripsaw and have at it. Trust me, doing
it with the wrong tools is just *way* to exciting!

Tim Douglass

http://www.DouglassClan.com

Good excuse to buy a band saw? Make friends with someone with a
bandsaw. Really the best way to go. If you just want to make a few
pieces of veneer, your suggestion of a sled sounds as good as any but
the bandsaw's the device that was created with this kind of thing in mind.
rhg

ray wrote:
This is going to sound weird but... a couple years ago I took the kids
camping in the Great Smokies. We arrived on a Monday when a lot of the
other campers in the Cataloochee valley were going home. One guy who was
leaving offered me his pile of firewood, which was very kind of him, since
I didn't have room for any when I packed. Anyway, the firewood, cut to
18" lengths and split, appeared to be walnut. I'm sorry to say I burned
some of it, but I brought home a half-dozen chunks. Does anyone have any
ideas on how to cut it safely into boards. I don't have a bandsaw, but I
do have a table saw. I've given some thought to making a sled with a
wooden clamping device, but the idea of the saw grabbing the chunk and
flinging it makes me nervous.

I agree with the idea that the bandsaw's "the" tool for the job but if
he makes a sled for the table saw and secures the pieces of "firewood"
to the sled, I think he's going to be safe enough. Free hand would be a
whole 'nother matter.

rhg

Tim Douglass wrote:

On Thu, 05 Aug 2004 07:02:55 GMT, ray wrote:


This is going to sound weird but... a couple years ago I took the kids
camping in the Great Smokies. We arrived on a Monday when a lot of the
other campers in the Cataloochee valley were going home. One guy who was
leaving offered me his pile of firewood, which was very kind of him, since
I didn't have room for any when I packed. Anyway, the firewood, cut to
18" lengths and split, appeared to be walnut. I'm sorry to say I burned
some of it, but I brought home a half-dozen chunks. Does anyone have any
ideas on how to cut it safely into boards. I don't have a bandsaw, but I
do have a table saw. I've given some thought to making a sled with a
wooden clamping device, but the idea of the saw grabbing the chunk and
flinging it makes me nervous.


Many years ago I made some small logs into lumber using a RAS, chain
saw, rotary planer on the RAS and even a bit of hand sawing and
planing. Unless you really love terrorizing yourself I suggest you
find someone with a bandsaw or buy one (always nice to add iron to the
shop) or else get out a decent ripsaw and have at it. Trust me, doing
it with the wrong tools is just *way* to exciting!

Tim Douglass

http://www.DouglassClan.com

On Thu, 05 Aug 2004 17:46:02 -0500, Robert Galloway
wrote:

I agree with the idea that the bandsaw's "the" tool for the job but if
he makes a sled for the table saw and secures the pieces of "firewood"
to the sled, I think he's going to be safe enough. Free hand would be a
whole 'nother matter.

It depends a bit on the size of the blocks. If they are small enough
that you can get through them with a cut from each side on the TS you
may be OK, but fully buried cuts are particularly dangerous in full
rounds because of the tensions in the wood. I'll just leave at the
statement that *I* wouldn't do it.

Tim Douglass

http://www.DouglassClan.com

Robert Galloway wrote:
I agree with the idea that the bandsaw's "the" tool for the job but if
he makes a sled for the table saw and secures the pieces of "firewood"
to the sled, I think he's going to be safe enough. Free hand would be a
whole 'nother matter.

How about using a froe and then planing them flatter.
Dave in Fairfax
--
Dave Leader
reply-to doesn't work
use:
daveldr at att dot net
American Association of Woodturners
http://www.woodturner.org
Capital Area Woodturners
http://www.capwoodturners.org/

"patriarch astDOTnet" patriarch wrote in message
6...
ray wrote in
news
This is going to sound weird but... a couple years ago I took the kids
camping in the Great Smokies. We arrived on a Monday when a lot of
the other campers in the Cataloochee valley were going home. One guy
who was leaving offered me his pile of firewood, which was very kind
of him, since I didn't have room for any when I packed. Anyway, the
firewood, cut to 18" lengths and split, appeared to be walnut. I'm
sorry to say I burned some of it, but I brought home a half-dozen
chunks. Does anyone have any ideas on how to cut it safely into
boards. I don't have a bandsaw, but I do have a table saw. I've
given some thought to making a sled with a wooden clamping device, but
the idea of the saw grabbing the chunk and flinging it makes me
nervous.

There's a number of folks in my woodworkers' group who gather their
offcuts
and scrap, and take it over to one fellow's home each heating season.
Ted,
who was a school teacher all his life, and raised 5 good kids with his
wife, learned more than a little bit about being frugal.

But his boys had to take away the tablesaw, when Ted had to have 4 fingers
reattached surgically, after cutting firewood with the thing, freehand.

Take Charlie's advice. If you can't afford a bandsaw, then do your
experimenting with a hand rip saw. Or find a neighbor who has a bandsaw,
and experiment. Or use a rasp, a drawknife or an improvised scraping
device to make a flat face on a piece, to see what the grain might reveal.

But don't use your tablesaw for this, until it's somehow closer to being a
board.


I agree with not using the tablesaw, but why not just split it? A wedge and
a BFH, and you're on your way to lumber.
--

-Mike-

On Thu, 05 Aug 2004 16:17:00 -0700, Tim Douglass wrote:

It depends a bit on the size of the blocks. If they are small enough
that you can get through them with a cut from each side on the TS you
may be OK, but fully buried cuts are particularly dangerous in full
rounds because of the tensions in the wood. I'll just leave at the
statement that *I* wouldn't do it.


I appreciate the excellent advice, and I'm certain that you're right.
Probably that advice is the most sensible, but you may underestimate the
terror I experience at the thought of sharp things spinning at
horrifying speeds next to my skinny little fingers. It's been a couple of
years and i still haven't done anything with the pieces. I mean, I've
still got ten fingers and I'm pretty enthusiastic about keeping them.

Unfortunately, a band saw isn't in the cards at the moment, because I need
a big strong one for resawing purposes and I can't afford it, unless some
widow or orphan puts one up for sale cheap and I beat the rest of the
vultures to the prize. I'm just not the vulture I once was, alas.

So, bearing in mind that I won't hold any well-meaning advisors liable for
any digital destruction, how 'bout this idea: Somewhere I have a jig I
built for a router, made to level a slab of maple 1X2s I put together
for a counter top. Router slides back and forth on a track, leveling the
surface below-- similar jigs have appeared in every router book ever
published, I imagine. These chunks, BTW, are split into quarters, some of
them into eigths, so they alread have one or two more or less flat sides.
Assuming my router jig can safely flatten one side of a carefully
blocked-up chunk, the table saw should then be able to cut another side
perpedicular, flat side down on a sliding table. And after two flat
sides, cake. Right? None of the chunks are more than three or four inches
thick and no more than a foot and a half long.

Mike Marlow responds:


I agree with not using the tablesaw, but why not just split it? A wedge and
a BFH, and you're on your way to lumber.

Isn't it already split? I like the idea from the poster who said a froe might
be a better way to go. Get it close, plane it down, then think about power
tools.

Or a handsaw.

In a case like this, power tools are not going to speed things up much, if any,
because of the need for special precautions. Even with those special
precautions, problems can occur. Lacking a bandsaw, I'd go with a froe or a
handsaw.

Charlie Self
"Inanimate objects are classified scientifically into three major categories -
those that don't work, those that break down and those that get lost." Russell
Baker

"Charlie Self" wrote in message
...
Mike Marlow responds:


I agree with not using the tablesaw, but why not just split it? A wedge
and
a BFH, and you're on your way to lumber.

Isn't it already split? I like the idea from the poster who said a froe
might
be a better way to go. Get it close, plane it down, then think about power
tools.

You may be right Charlie - I was thinking it was just chunked. If it's
already split then it's pretty close to power too ready - depending of
course, on how big a piece it is.


Or a handsaw.

In a case like this, power tools are not going to speed things up much, if
any,
because of the need for special precautions. Even with those special
precautions, problems can occur. Lacking a bandsaw, I'd go with a froe or
a
handsaw.


I don't own a froe, so I defaulted to suggesting a wedge, which I have used
in the past. Now a froe... Charlie, my wife isn't going to be happy with
you...

--

-Mike-

"ray" wrote in message
news
On Thu, 05 Aug 2004 16:17:00 -0700, Tim Douglass wrote:

It depends a bit on the size of the blocks. If they are small enough
that you can get through them with a cut from each side on the TS you
may be OK, but fully buried cuts are particularly dangerous in full
rounds because of the tensions in the wood. I'll just leave at the
statement that *I* wouldn't do it.


I appreciate the excellent advice, and I'm certain that you're right.
Probably that advice is the most sensible, but you may underestimate the
terror I experience at the thought of sharp things spinning at
horrifying speeds next to my skinny little fingers. It's been a couple of
years and i still haven't done anything with the pieces. I mean, I've
still got ten fingers and I'm pretty enthusiastic about keeping them.

Unfortunately, a band saw isn't in the cards at the moment, because I need
a big strong one for resawing purposes and I can't afford it, unless some
widow or orphan puts one up for sale cheap and I beat the rest of the
vultures to the prize. I'm just not the vulture I once was, alas.

So, bearing in mind that I won't hold any well-meaning advisors liable for
any digital destruction, how 'bout this idea: Somewhere I have a jig I
built for a router, made to level a slab of maple 1X2s I put together
for a counter top. Router slides back and forth on a track, leveling the
surface below-- similar jigs have appeared in every router book ever
published, I imagine. These chunks, BTW, are split into quarters, some of
them into eigths, so they alread have one or two more or less flat sides.
Assuming my router jig can safely flatten one side of a carefully
blocked-up chunk, the table saw should then be able to cut another side
perpedicular, flat side down on a sliding table. And after two flat
sides, cake. Right? None of the chunks are more than three or four inches
thick and no more than a foot and a half long.

That will certainly work, though it's a lot of work. Given your fear of
your table saw, maybe you should go that route though. If these are already
split, aren't the split faces flat enough to slide across your table saw
steadily? Unless your wood is really twisted it would seem (admittedly a
guess, since I cannot see the wood), that you are making more of this than
you need to.

--

-Mike-

On Fri, 06 Aug 2004 15:13:06 GMT, "Mike Marlow"
wrote:

I don't own a froe

A froe is much harder work than a couple of wedges, if you're just
making firewood.

A froe is also hard to find, but an easy piece of forging from
leafspring.

On Fri, 06 Aug 2004 15:20:27 +0000, Mike Marlow wrote:

That will certainly work, though it's a lot of work. Given your fear of
your table saw, maybe you should go that route though. If these are already
split, aren't the split faces flat enough to slide across your table saw
steadily? Unless your wood is really twisted it would seem (admittedly a
guess, since I cannot see the wood), that you are making more of this than
you need to.

Maybe you're right. The faces aren't really very flat; they rock back and
forth quite a bit on the table, but maybe I should just give it a shot.
I could hot-glue a shim under the high corner to stabilize the piece. I
don't have a planer either, and in the past I've put a decent face on
rough lumber using the router jig. It's quite a bit faster and (with my
limited skills) flatter than hand planing or beltsanding.

I think that anyone who isn't scared of the table saw is severely
lacking in imagination, since it's the tool that causes the most
accidents. In a way I envy more phlegmatic folks, but I guess
I'm more attached to my fingers than I am to my peace of mind. Ideally, I
suppose, a smart person would take all reasonable precautions, pay
attention, and not worry unduly. If at all possible, I try to devise a foolproof way of
making tricky cuts, so as not to rely at all on luck. I've probably got
more featherboards and pushsticks than anyone really needs. Hey, I drive
like a little old lady too.

On Fri, 06 Aug 2004 17:35:54 +0100, Andy Dingley wrote:
On Fri, 06 Aug 2004 15:13:06 GMT, "Mike Marlow"
wrote:

I don't own a froe

A froe is much harder work than a couple of wedges, if you're just
making firewood.

A froe is also hard to find, but an easy piece of forging from
leafspring.


Tool Porn I'm pretty sure Garrett-Wade sells froes \tool Porn

Mike Marlow writes:


I don't own a froe, so I defaulted to suggesting a wedge, which I have used
in the past. Now a froe... Charlie, my wife isn't going to be happy with
you...


You can fairly easily make a froe from an old car spring (flat style) and a
chunk of hickory. The spring already has a handle eye built in. Cut it. Heat
and bend the eye to where it will hold a vertical handle. Grind it to shape.
Sharpen moderately and whack it with a stick. Don't even have to buy a mallet.

Much straighter splits than you get with a wedge.

Which reminds me, I've got a brand new wedge to go in tomorrow's yard sale.
Never been used, and, according to my wife, never will be used. She doesn't
care for coal furnaces or wood stoves.

Charlie Self
"Inanimate objects are classified scientifically into three major categories -
those that don't work, those that break down and those that get lost." Russell
Baker

Fri, Aug 6, 2004, 5:42pm (EDT+4) (ray) says:
snip I think that anyone who isn't scared of the table saw is severely
lacking in imagination, since it's the tool that causes the most
accidents. In a way I envy more phlegmatic folks, but I guess I'm more
attached to my fingers than I am to my peace of mind. Ideally, I
suppose, a smart person would take all reasonable precautions, pay
attention, and not worry unduly. If at all possible, I try to devise a
foolproof way of making tricky cuts, so as not to rely at all on luck.

That pretty much describes my feeling on it.

I've probably got more featherboards and pushsticks than anyone really
needs.

I don't have any featherboards, and I usually have to make a new
pushstick, any time I need one. Seeing as I make them out of leftover
chunks of plywood, and it takes about 30 seconds to make one, no
biggie.

Hey, I drive like a little old lady too.

That's scary.



JOAT
Jesus was a Ford man, that's why he walked everywhere.

WALK LIKE AN EGYPTIAN http://home.maine.rr.com/itscool/Egyptian.mid

I start off with an old hand-held B&D planer. That gives me one flat
side to start. Then I turn the log 90 degrees and plane that side
before truing it up on the jointer. Then I take it to the table saw.
I found it awkward using a bandsaw to cut a log, perhaps its the 3/4
HP motor or limited blade height.

Andy Dingley wrote:
A froe is much harder work than a couple of wedges, if you're just
making firewood.
A froe is also hard to find, but an easy piece of forging from
leafspring.

I use a froe all the time, sometimes to split logs to make turning
blanks, sometimes to make wood for cooking with. They're easy to
use, IMHO, and while they are getting harder to find, Woodcraft
sells an inferior model at most of its stores. If you know a good
smith, he can make you one in a fairly short time. If you want to
make one from tire spring, have him rivet the eye, not weld it.
It's less likely to develop cracks as it cools.
Dave in Fairfax
--
Dave Leader
reply-to doesn't work
use:
daveldr at att dot net
American Association of Woodturners
http://www.woodturner.org
Capital Area Woodturners
http://www.capwoodturners.org/

On 06 Aug 2004 07:32:19 GMT, otforme (Charlie Self)
vaguely proposed a theory
.......and in reply I say!:

remove ns from my header address to reply via email

Now that's cruel and unusual punishment. Speaking of your wife like
that, _and_ using her to cut the wood, just because she doen't like
wood fires. G

n. 1. A dirty woman; a slattern; a frow.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Froe

I'd go with a froe or a
handsaw.

Charlie Self
"Inanimate objects are classified scientifically into three major categories -
those that don't work, those that break down and those that get lost." Russell
Baker

************************************************** ***
It's not the milk and honey we hate. It's having it
rammed down our throats.

On Fri, 06 Aug 2004 22:52:11 GMT, dave in fairfax
wrote:

I use a froe all the time, sometimes to split logs to make turning
blanks, sometimes to make wood for cooking with. They're easy to
use, IMHO,

Any advice on using one ?

I'm planning a Welsh clamp-fronted ark, a 16th century reproduction,
and they need to be made of either quartersawn oak, or ideally riven
oak.

http://www.early-oak.fsnet.co.uk/littleark1.htm
http://www.antiquesandfineart.com/ar...cfm?request=96

On Fri, 06 Aug 2004 17:42:27 GMT, ray wrote:

On Fri, 06 Aug 2004 15:20:27 +0000, Mike Marlow wrote:

That will certainly work, though it's a lot of work. Given your fear of
your table saw, maybe you should go that route though. If these are already
split, aren't the split faces flat enough to slide across your table saw
steadily? Unless your wood is really twisted it would seem (admittedly a
guess, since I cannot see the wood), that you are making more of this than
you need to.

Maybe you're right. The faces aren't really very flat; they rock back and
forth quite a bit on the table, but maybe I should just give it a shot.
I could hot-glue a shim under the high corner to stabilize the piece. I
don't have a planer either, and in the past I've put a decent face on
rough lumber using the router jig. It's quite a bit faster and (with my
limited skills) flatter than hand planing or beltsanding.

I think that anyone who isn't scared of the table saw is severely
lacking in imagination, since it's the tool that causes the most
accidents. In a way I envy more phlegmatic folks, but I guess
I'm more attached to my fingers than I am to my peace of mind. Ideally, I
suppose, a smart person would take all reasonable precautions, pay
attention, and not worry unduly. If at all possible, I try to devise a foolproof way of
making tricky cuts, so as not to rely at all on luck. I've probably got
more featherboards and pushsticks than anyone really needs. Hey, I drive
like a little old lady too.



flatten the faces before you get near the table saw. if the router
jig works for you, use it. planes are lotsa fun to use though.
consider getting one....

Nothing wrong with that idea at all. I thought he was looking for a
"power" approach to the problem. I usually have more toys than time and
use hand tools when I think the experience is a whole lot better
(reduced noise and dust) or I think the end result is a whole lot better
(scraper versus belt sander). Otherwise, for me it's the power tool
route every time.

rhg

dave in fairfax wrote:

Robert Galloway wrote:

I agree with the idea that the bandsaw's "the" tool for the job but if
he makes a sled for the table saw and secures the pieces of "firewood"
to the sled, I think he's going to be safe enough. Free hand would be a
whole 'nother matter.


How about using a froe and then planing them flatter.
Dave in Fairfax

I've had a number of friends who've had a favorite lawn tree go down in
wind or dutch elm or in the way of the power company who know I'm a
woodworker and ask if I wouldn't love to have their tree. Good sized
trunks I haul to a guy with a Wood Miser. The little ones, I've cut up
on a 14" Delta with riser block. People love to see a piece of
furniture made of their Bradford Pear or whatever. It's worth the effort.

bob g.

Phisherman wrote:

I start off with an old hand-held B&D planer. That gives me one flat
side to start. Then I turn the log 90 degrees and plane that side
before truing it up on the jointer. Then I take it to the table saw.
I found it awkward using a bandsaw to cut a log, perhaps its the 3/4
HP motor or limited blade height.

take it to a sawmill

I was in a hardware store the other day that sold froe's. Not a little
specialty shop either. Not to hard to find.

"Andy Dingley" wrote in message
A froe is also hard to find, but an easy piece of forging from
leafspring.

Andy Dingley wrote:
Any advice on using one ?
I'm planning a Welsh clamp-fronted ark, a 16th century reproduction,
and they need to be made of either quartersawn oak, or ideally riven
oak.

I'm not sure where to start. From your posts in the past it seems
that you have a good grip on using WW'g tools, so I'm unsure what
to tell you that you don't already know. At a very basic level,
choose wood that doesn't have knots, and has as straight a grain
as you can find. Sharpen the froe on one side only, and use a
wooden mallet, not a hammer or sledge. Depending on the twist in
the wood, you will have to split off oversized slabs. How
oversized, will have to be determined by you as you inspect the
wood. I hope that doesn't seem condescending, I really don't know
where to start. Please feel free to e-mail me, see the sig line,
if I can be of any assistance.
Dave in Fairfax
--
Dave Leader
reply-to doesn't work
use:
daveldr at att dot net
American Association of Woodturners
http://www.woodturner.org
Capital Area Woodturners
http://www.capwoodturners.org/

I agree. Saw mills used to use circular saws. Nothing but a big tablesaw.

"Robert Galloway" wrote in message
...
I agree with the idea that the bandsaw's "the" tool for the job but if
he makes a sled for the table saw and secures the pieces of "firewood"
to the sled, I think he's going to be safe enough. Free hand would be a
whole 'nother matter.

On Sat, 07 Aug 2004 18:49:24 GMT, dave in fairfax
wrote:

I'm not sure where to start. From your posts in the past it seems
that you have a good grip on using WW'g tools, so I'm unsure what
to tell you that you don't already know.

So why is it so bloody difficult to make a usable board then ?!
8-)

I've made plenty of firewood. But not yet something I can make
furniture from. The idea of a roof shingle industry based entirely on
the use of a froe doesn't seem too believable just now.

On Sat, 7 Aug 2004 14:06:41 -0700, "CW" no adddress@spam free.com
wrote:

I agree. Saw mills used to use circular saws. Nothing but a big tablesaw.

"Robert Galloway" wrote in message
...
I agree with the idea that the bandsaw's "the" tool for the job but if
he makes a sled for the table saw and secures the pieces of "firewood"
to the sled, I think he's going to be safe enough. Free hand would be a
whole 'nother matter.

There *are* a few differences between a sawmill and a tablesaw besides
size. Probably the two biggest factors are the total size of the piece
(Very big for the sawmill, too massive to kick easily) and the
diameter of the blade vs the size of the piece. If you look at a lot
of old sawmill pics you will see saws that are 7-8 feet in diameter
cutting 2 foot logs. The point where the blade is in contact with the
tree is traveling almost vertically with relatively little angular
motion to generate kickback. The saws also have a rather wide set to
prevent binding.

Tim Douglass

http://www.DouglassClan.com

Andy Dingley wrote:
So why is it so bloody difficult to make a usable board then ?! 8-)
I've made plenty of firewood. But not yet something I can make
furniture from. The idea of a roof shingle industry based entirely on
the use of a froe doesn't seem too believable just now.

I suspect that there's a problem with your selection of wood. If
there is twist in the grain, you'll end up with a board that is
thicker at one end than the other as well as having winding.
Straight grain is very imortant if you are trying to make boards
as is type of wood. What have you been trying to split, and how
straight has the grain been? You haven't said exactly what the
problem has been, just that it hasn't been working out. Give me a
bit more of a clue, and maybe I can come up with a solution.
Remember that branches or other changes in grain with have very
bad effects on what you try to do.

Dave in Fairfax
--
Dave Leader
reply-to doesn't work
use:
daveldr at att dot net
American Association of Woodturners
http://www.woodturner.org
Capital Area Woodturners
http://www.capwoodturners.org/

Tim Douglass responds:

There *are* a few differences between a sawmill and a tablesaw besides
size. Probably the two biggest factors are the total size of the piece
(Very big for the sawmill, too massive to kick easily) and the
diameter of the blade vs the size of the piece. If you look at a lot
of old sawmill pics you will see saws that are 7-8 feet in diameter
cutting 2 foot logs. The point where the blade is in contact with the
tree is traveling almost vertically with relatively little angular
motion to generate kickback. The saws also have a rather wide set to
prevent binding.


Ayup. And the dogs on the carriage do a pretty fair country job of holding the
log in place, anyway. Too, there is NO ONE anywhere near a kickback area should
one occur. The operator is off to one side--in a steel and plastic cage in
modern versions, with an array of controls in front of him.

Charlie Self
"Inanimate objects are classified scientifically into three major categories -
those that don't work, those that break down and those that get lost." Russell
Baker

On Sat, 07 Aug 2004 22:20:03 +0100, Andy Dingley
calmly ranted:

On Sat, 07 Aug 2004 18:49:24 GMT, dave in fairfax
wrote:

I'm not sure where to start. From your posts in the past it seems
that you have a good grip on using WW'g tools, so I'm unsure what
to tell you that you don't already know.

So why is it so bloody difficult to make a usable board then ?!
8-)

I've made plenty of firewood. But not yet something I can make
furniture from. The idea of a roof shingle industry based entirely on
the use of a froe doesn't seem too believable just now.

Practice makes pre^H^Herfect.


--
ALL YOUR FEARS ARE LIES
-----------------------
http://diversify.com UNfearful Websites

On Sat, 07 Aug 2004 21:10:12 -0700, Larry Jaques wrote:

On Sat, 07 Aug 2004 22:20:03 +0100, Andy Dingley
calmly ranted:

So why is it so bloody difficult to make a usable board then ?!
8-)

I've made plenty of firewood. But not yet something I can make
furniture from. The idea of a roof shingle industry based entirely on
the use of a froe doesn't seem too believable just now.

Practice makes pre^H^Herfect.

For previous post: find the Firefox books in your library (or your
bookshelf!). One of the first three (forgot which) has a fella making a
stack of shingles with a froe. You will not believe how big that stack is
in the photograph. IIRC, same volume has a guy making a chair with riven
wood. Regardless of my poor memory, find those books and you'll find the
techniques you're looking for.

--
"Keep your ass behind you"

What? are you saying that you are to stupid to fixture something so it won't
kill you?

"Tim Douglass" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 7 Aug 2004 14:06:41 -0700, "CW" no adddress@spam free.com
wrote:

I agree. Saw mills used to use circular saws. Nothing but a big tablesaw.

"Robert Galloway" wrote in message
...
I agree with the idea that the bandsaw's "the" tool for the job but if
he makes a sled for the table saw and secures the pieces of "firewood"
to the sled, I think he's going to be safe enough. Free hand would be
a
whole 'nother matter.

There *are* a few differences between a sawmill and a tablesaw besides
size. Probably the two biggest factors are the total size of the piece
(Very big for the sawmill, too massive to kick easily) and the
diameter of the blade vs the size of the piece. If you look at a lot
of old sawmill pics you will see saws that are 7-8 feet in diameter
cutting 2 foot logs. The point where the blade is in contact with the
tree is traveling almost vertically with relatively little angular
motion to generate kickback. The saws also have a rather wide set to
prevent binding.

Tim Douglass

http://www.DouglassClan.com

On Sun, 8 Aug 2004 11:13:17 -0700, "CW" no adddress@spam free.com
wrote:

What? are you saying that you are to stupid to fixture something so it won't
kill you?

If you see it that way, yes.

Tim Douglass

http://www.DouglassClan.com