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

"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-

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-

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.

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

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.

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 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

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

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/

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

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

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.

"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-

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, 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

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

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

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.

take it to a sawmill