I’m interested in using some trees that were blown down in a storm last year to eventually make my own kitchen cabinets, etc. They are black walnut(40″ dia.) and red and white oak, 24″ and up. I can get it to a local lumber mill without too much trouble but, I don’t know how thick I should have it cut for stickering and drying.
I intend to have it all quarter sawn unless someone out there can convince me that’s a mistake. I’ve obviously never done this before so, any and all input will be appreciated.
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white oak will look better visually if it's quarter sawn but as for the rest I'd plane it. Red oak doesn't really benefit from the quarter sawing nor does black walnut.. IN fact you'll wind up with a lot of narrow boards without a lot of figure or character.. if you quarter saw black walnut or red oak..
I have mine sawn at 1 inch thick+maybe an 1/8. The the reason for the slight over thickness is I usually don't plane the back side instead I use that thickness to give me a different depth line over wood that is sawn 1 inch thick and then both sides are planed down to the typical 3/4.
I'll admit that really depends on where you intend you use it.. Since a lot of my wood winds up as flooring or trim I don't need both sided planed.
Oh the stuff I make cabinets and built ins I Plane down on both sides and I usually wind up at 7/8ths.
If you know for sure that you intend to build something say 2 inches thick or 4 inches thick then you should by all means saw enough so that you'll meet those needs..
Only a relative handful of my black walnut wound up being 12"x12" the most common size I needed was 4"x6" 70% was sawn into inch inch thick+
white oak I used a fair amount of 12"x12" but most of it was 9"x6" No 1 inch thick stuff at all.
I did use a lot of hard maple and cherry all of which wound up being 1 inch thick..
I also used a lot of thins.. Thins are boards less than 1 inch thick that normally are discarded because they are odd thickness.. one may be 3/4 of an inch while the next was 3/8ths etc..
What I did was sort them out into groups more than 3/4 inch thick, more than 1/2 inch thick and more than 1/4 inch thick and ran them through the planer using I wound up with stacks of 3/4, 1/2 &1/4 thickness boards.. wow have those ever come in handy.. (plus my sawmill gives me a whole pickup load (as much as I dare carry) for $20.00
A lot of time I have to lean forward to keep the front tires on the ground but If I step on the brake the nose comes down enough to make it around the corner <grin>
I didn't use any red oak.
When drying do not let people talk you into using cinder blocks on top to keep everything flat.. If you do you will get all sorts of grit into the wood and ruin your blades. Instead use those small cheap ratcheting tie down straps right over the stickers (not between them) You will find that a week after you set the boards up to be stickered that squeaky tight ratchet strap will be loose.. That's good, moisture is coming out of the wood. Check it every week for a month, then every month for a year..
It takes at least a year to air dry wood down to a good moisture level and that's if it's not in a damp area. two inch thick stuff takes better than 3 years to air dry properly and 4 inch stuff can easily take 7 or 8 years to really dry out..
Again it depends on a whole lot of factors.. I use a moisture meter and even when I'm reading 7% I don't trust it. the outer layer can be at 7% while the inside is much higher.. when you saw it with power tools that hats the wood up enough so an end measurement can be off due to the drying effect of the cutting blade.. I try to use hand tools to check the inside of the board and saw slow in order to to heat the wood..
Now you don't have to be that finicky on everything Just where you need really tight joints and gaps etc..
Cover the top but not the sides. Keep the sides exposed to air so that moisture can get out but be prepared to cover whatever side the sun is shining on.. Slow drying is absolute the best way with the least risks in drying..
As you speed up the drying process you risk honeycombing,case hardening and other types of problems..
Make sure your sticker alignment is as perfect as you can get.. If not you will make a whole bunch of ripple chips ..
Seal the ends! As soon as the tree is cut down.. If you use paint slop in on as thick as possible and again 2 weeks later and the third time 2 weeks after that. Enamel is better than latex.. The best is the end sealing wax available at wood working stores..
Make sure all your stickers are the same thickness.. at least all the stickers used on one level.. I like plastic or really dry wood for stickers because it's possible to sticker stain wood.. Not so much white oak or black walnut but maple and red oak can be sticker stained..
Thanks Frenchy, any suggestions where to get a lot of plastic free or real cheap for stickering, and how closely should I space the stickers and tie-downs. I am thinking to shelter the wood in an unheated garage space. Would it hurt to have a fan either blowing air through it or sucking air through it, were I to shroud it in 6 mil. poly to make sure the roof doesn't leak on it, or anything like that. Any and all input helps.
If it's going to be stored inside a building then you want all the air movement through the stack as you can get. I wouldn't completely cover it up but rather just the top.
Stickers can be 24" OC but I set mine 16" OC (Might be an old age thang.). Either way just make sure they align vertically all the way top to bottom.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
I took 19 white and red oak and walnut logs to the mill two years ago, under similar circumstances. Got about 2,200 bd ft of good lumber. Generally, what the others have said is true. DOn't q-saw walnut unless you need to limit movement in a specific use. it just makes it boring. Q-sawn white oak can be great but in smaller trees it wastes wood horribly. Even through and through cutting is better, It yelids some very wide q-sawn planks with pith in the middle which can easily be ripped outQ-sawn red oak can be very attractive, but is usually less showy that white. I have some here that is quite well figured, though.Also, with the red, rot is a real concern. I have some from a log that had been down two years. It has lots of little worm holes that don't bother me. In fact, I like them for some purposes. However, the strength and texture of the wood have been changed and weakened. It is especially different under a chisel. For many purposes, this doesn't matter, but it is an issue without a doubt.I had mine stickered for a year in a barn at the mill. This took it down to about 14% or so. I then had them kiln dry the lot both for dryness and for bug control. It added several cents per bd ft to the cost. Still, I got clear nicely figured 5/4 black walnut boards 10ft long by 16 to 18 inches wide (no pith) for about $1.30 per bd ft all in, along with a lot of other walnut. Also got many pieces of feather grain walnut crotch and of course lots of oak. Even with the five days of my labor for cutting hauling, picking up and stacking, I am well pleased.Joe
Hi MateIf you can obtain offcuts of the white melamine particle board used these days to carcase up cabinets they make good stickers when ripped to whatever width you require. Don' let them get wet though! Also with fresh sawn timber I cover the stack for a couple of weeks with a blue plastic tarp and set off a couple of those cockroach fumigation bombs? underneath to deter the borer types then dry as normal.Cheers
I don't think I would bother quartering the walnut, it really looks better flat.
I really like quartered WO, but I think 24" is too small to make it worth the trouble. I draw the line at ~ 36" or > for quartering on my mill. You can get some QS by standard sawing for a lot less work. Ask your sawer for his advice.
If the RO has been dead for that long, it may already be decaying and full of insects by now. Make some new cuts before hauling it to the mill.
I would 1/4 saw a good bit of the red oak,none of the walnut. Red oak in my opinion looks best for kitchen cabinets. I used red oak 1/4 sawn for the cabinet frames and the rails and stiles of the raised panel doors. I like the look of quarter sawn red oak, has a fleck grain ( my description ). Quarter sawn is more stable than flat or rift sawn, rift sawn is a good alternative if quarter sawn isn't available.
I have used white oak for a number of things but cabinets are not one of them. I would think white oak would be quite suitable for kitchen cabinets,quarter sawn or plainsawn.
From my experience walnut and other darker woods are better suited for furniture than kitchen cabinets. In my opinion the lighter woods look best in kitchens.
I would saw the boards 1 1/8" for 13/16" finished stock. I would think 80% of the red and white oaks would be this thickness. The rest of the oaks could be 12/4,you can make thinner boards from this if you find you do not need heavy stock. Keep in mind some day you may want to turn some of your stock or even save some for table or chair legs.Saw thru and thru, by accident some will be rift or quatersawn.
I would saw 25% of the walnut for 13/16 finished stock ( 1 -1/8" rough ). The rest I would saw 12/4 thru and thru.
Now the percentages I gave are for my purposes, you may never need 12/4 ,you may never turn on a lathe. You will have to decide what your needs are and what they may be in the future.
In any case ,sticker the wood well with dry stock and good luck.
mike
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