Well I am at a decision point on another project with walnut. I am making a desk lid for another desk project and I am cutting panel stock to shape into raised panels. In the photos you will see 2 crotch walnut pieces. They are both 1 5/8-1 3/4″ thick. I have one side of each piece very flat widthwise and lengthwise.
My challenge is resawing the pieces. On the larger piece, I want to cut the stock in equal parts and make bookmatched panels. The stock is 17″wide by 36″ long.My bandsaw is an old Rockwell 20″ wheel with a 13″ vertical cut capability. So… I am out of luck on resawing these billets.
Ideas: I am considering making a frame saw and hand cutting the stock slowly and carefully. On the panels I need to end up with 2 panels that are 5/8″ thick. On the desk lid I need to cut a 1″ lid from a 1 5/8 billet.
I have the bulk to work it down but I don’t have the source to purchase a blade.
I know that Lenox sells band saw blades in lengths and I think I might get something like a 3tpi section and make a framesaw to cut the stock.
I guess there are some out there that might be thinking cut the stock down to 12-13″ for the panels and bandsaw the panels and be done with it. OK that is possible for the panels but not the lid.
On the lid, I need 15″width and 36″ length to make the proper lid for the piece.
Anybody out there with some ideas or solutions?
Photos of the stock below.
dan
Replies
Dan,
How about this bad boy;
http://www.minimax-usa.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=20&category_id=1&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=36
That's some mighty fine looking slabs of Crotch Walnut.. Good luck on desk number two..
Hey Bob
That's a bandsaw every resaw enthusiast would love to own.
After reading the article in FWW on the Irion furniture pieces I got the bug again on some cabinets or desk designs using the figured walnut. I have some air dried straight grained walnut up in the barn to use up so I'll see what happens. Been a busy 6-7 months getting things done and out the door. Lots and lots of chairs and couple desks. Still trying to find time to get down to your area and visit. For that matter... I'm still working up to a Tri Master blade and new tires for my old BS.
Milling some gorgeous white pine slabs today for windsor seats(28" wide x 2 1/4). Shipping is a killer these days Bob. I think I am going into the local wood world for the next few years.
Stay in touch and stop by my mess if your up in the Bull City.
Edited 8/14/2008 8:19 am ET by danmart
I think the easiest way to go here is to use a hand saw. Start by making a centered cut on each side of panel. Best way to do that is with a thin kerf blade on table saw. Doesn't need to be too deep. Just something to use as a reference when cutting with hand saw. Once done on table saw, use a good rip cut hand saw and youll be off to the races.
Chris
Chris
I like that idea and I've been toying with that concept. I have a number of bigger crotch pieces and I am planning with these smaller slabs to do something with the larger slabs at some time in the future.
To get a reference line on all for sides of a slab, I was thinking along the line of a router. I took a deep slot cutter to a sawblade sharpener and had him grind it down to a bit less than 1/16 thickness kerf. With a fence on my router to make a shallow cut, I can go around the rectangle using my flat face as a good reference for the router base to sit on. After a series of slightly deeper cuts I hope to establish a good path for the blade to follow.
This is the extent of my plan. I'm feeling pretty good about the lay out but I don't have the saw to finish the job and maximize the wood use at this time.
dan
Edited 7/26/2008 9:13 am ET by danmart
Dan, Why don't you give one of your local mills a call and have them do the job for you. Here is a link to one in your town.
http://www.woodweb.com/directories/sdd/posts/553.html
Do you know what the MC of your wood is, or how it was dried? I will say, that it is not uncommon for lumber like yours to change dramatically when it is re-sawn as you plan to do.:
Keith
I have about 200-250' of this walnut and more available from the guy who squirreled it away 17 years ago.
Moisture content check a number of times 9-10%
For North Carolina air dried wood, that's a dream in my experience. The walnut here in the southeast is a faster growth tree and it can be a little more open grained than some of the stuff I have seen from Penn and Ohio. Not enough difference to bother me.
All of my walnut crotch comes from 3 trees that were cut and stacked in a barn in carefully arranged order. The trees were from the local area and the boards have a pleasing similarity in my view.
Its always a gamble as you come down in thickness with high figured wood but that's part of the world of wood. Surprises.
Thanks for the inputs
dan
Dan, I'll trade you for some of my cherry crotch.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
I agree with Keith. That is beautiful stock and I would find someone with the proper setup to do this. Hand sawing seems like a greater risk to waste some, or even worse if you relieve internal stresses you could yield an unusable piece. I know many have cut with hand tools, but that is valuable stock. Veneer stock of that quality in 1/42" thick runs $4 - 8/ sqft.
Brad
Crotch and surprises. Lots of it in the past.
As a general rule I build the frame for the panels with good quality quarter sawn sticking before I take crotch down to 5/8 thickness. I quickly shape the panels to final dimensions and put them in the frame to minimize twists and warps that do occur.
I have had good luck with stuff in the 12-13 inch range but this is some wide stuff I am getting into these days.
Over the years I have seen some guys using a framing saw and I have been interested in making one for myself. Most recently, I was up at Colonial Williamsburg for one of the conferences that FWW and CW put on in the January timeframe.
During the schedule of events, 2 guys from the cabinet shop that make musical instruments(harpsicords) demonstrated how they cut veneers for their pieces with a framesaw. I was very impressed with the accuracy of their work. It was also worth mentioning that they worked together on the push - pull and monitored the blade tracking on both sides of the figured slab. They cut these gorgeous 1/16 veneer pieces that needed minimal planing with a toothing plane before the glue stage.
Another knotter suggested a rip saw for the job. I have one and its very sharp but cutting with one hand thru a piece of 17" dry walnut is not my first choice. I am also considering this other slab I have that is 29" wide and 3 1/2" thick standing against the wall. Its also 5 feet long.
I'm hoping to build a nice framesaw that 2 men can work back and forth and stay on the line. This will help with some veneers I would like to cut down the road.
At the price of 1/42 veneer crotch walnut out there, I am making panels cheaper with solid stock than I can make a panel and veneering both sides with crotch. I also prefer that appearance of the solid pieces. So here I am at the fork in the road(or maybe the log) and I have to make a decision. No decision is like the cat in the old story.
later
It is very interesting to hear about these sawing techniques. I wish I had access to pieces like that.
Thanks for sharing and please post some pics after you cut em.
Brad
Brad
I was hoping that maybe someone out there was at the conference at Colonial Wmbg with a camera. I'd guess over the 3 day period, at least 1500 photos are taken with digital cameras. Maybe I'll get lucky and someone will post a photo of the framesaw in action.
Who knows? If I make one(no more involved than a bowsaw) I'll post it in action. My hold up is getting a blade, deciding on what length, making the attachment fixtures and then building the wooden frame.
Oh the joys of woodworking.
later
IMO, It seems to me the internal stress factor will show (if any) either way the board is sawn. The speed and type of blade won't have any bearing on the structure of the board. Change of atmosphere will but that would happen either way.with the edges at 90 to the flat face options might be:With a router/extended fence riding on flat side: perhaps a starter line with something like a Carving liner - http://www.whitesiderouterbits.com/catalog.html#catimgsThe thin kerf idea with a very high saddle fence on a TS is also a good start.With just on flat face, to me the best and just like they always did it- (think pit saw)Tage Frid shows a fairly good way to do it with the frame saw and it seems the most straight forward simple way to do it. Put it in a vise and stand on a stool. done deal.
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