Cutting slabs

[b116757]

We slabbed about half a hackberry log today got 4 three inch slabs so far maybe we will get the rest slabbed this next weekend. A little spalting coming in from both ends and some interesting hartwood color. Should make a couple nice tables.

 

[Bill]

That's awesome.

 

[Luongo43]

I’ve always wanted to do this! I’m sure different type of wood/size etc affects it. My question is about how often would you switch out the blade? Could you mill an entire tree using the same blade? Also do you guy through a lot of gas? Afraid to burn out the motor?

 

[b116757]

I’ve always wanted to do this! I’m sure different type of wood/size etc affects it. My question is about how often would you switch out the blade? Could you mill an entire tree using the same blade? Also do you guy through a lot of gas? Afraid to burn out the motor?

Same blade I’ve probable slabbed 1/2 dozen logs with the same chain, lot of gas I guess so compared to cutting firewood. I’m sure it’s fairly hard on the saw to do this sort of thing but I haven’t burned up the motor yet.

 

[BC Buck]

Same blade I’ve probable slabbed 1/2 dozen logs with the same chain, lot of gas I guess so compared to cutting firewood. I’m sure it’s fairly hard on the saw to do this sort of thing but I haven’t burned up the motor yet.

You run bar oil or dry?

 

[b116757]

Bar oil my slabber has an auxiliary oiler on it. It’s just out of frame in that photo.

 

[BC Buck]

Bar oil my slabber has an auxiliary oiler on it. It’s just out of frame in that photo.

Do you worry oil will get into slab leaving spots?

 

[b116757]

Do you worry oil will get into slab leaving spots?

No

 

[bwoods11]

That is a cool as heck !

 

[Turkey Creek]

My youngest brother had a Alaskan Chainsaw mill. He made quite a few slabs with it one year. Kind of a passing fad for him. It did alright, the 2 biggest complaints how slow going it was and how much wood you lose in sawdust. 4 passes is almost an 1" of lost wood.

 

[b116757]

Yes you lose wood I normally cut my larger slabs 3” thick maybe even 4” sometimes so the few passes of lost wood aren’t that big of deal to actually cut lumber with one would be pretty wasteful.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I don't know how I missed this thread until now. Milling & working with thick slabs is pretty cool. I have no bandsaw mill or a rig like you have, but I've built things out of slab hardwood. I have a few local sawmills nearby. There's nothing quite like working with big, heavy wood. Is hackberry a fairly hard wood? I have no experience with it. Grain & color in your pics look good.

I have 4 live edge, spalted maple ovals, cut on the diagonal from a maple trunk. Numerous "ghosts" are showing in them, and I have them finished with 7 coats of clear Armor Seal. All they need are legs to make some smaller, beautiful tables.

Do you just sell the slabs, or do you make things out of them?

 

[b116757]

Hackberry is a hardwood maybe about the same as ash in hardness. Occationally I do sell slabs and I build furniture with large slabs usually tables they are a great deal of fun to work with. I built a router sled to surface them flat after drying. I keep a few large slabs on hand. Most of these are sycamore slabs.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Nice-looking racks of stickered slabs! Good things to be made from those. Is your router sled wood, or metal? I'm lucky to have a wood-working shop near me that will plane heavy wood for me at a slight cost. I should build my own router sled though. If that shop closes, I'm on my own for flat-surfacing any slabs.

A winery near our home has quarter-sawn sycamore about 2 1/2" thick for its bar tops. Beautiful grain on those syc. bars.

I built a heavy coffee table for our one son out of 8" wide x 2 1/2" thick white oak planks. The 4 square "legs" are 6" x 6" x 13" tall white oak, which sit atop 2 common slab "feet" of old (over 100 years) chestnut, which is about 3" thick. All wood was air-dried. It was a fun build, and it weighs a ton for a coffee table!

 

[b116757]

I used 3/4 plywood to build the sled it works ok if I did a lot of this type of thing I might build or buy a better one but for an occational slab project every 10-15 years it’s fine. Who knows I may do more of it after retirement. I love to build furniture but it takes up so much room there has to be a need for it in the house sometimes I build it a give it away because I’m really more interested in the building than the using.

 

[Telemark]

When I get a mill I'm going to cut down a big beech or maple and cut slabs for Viking chairs to have around the fire pit.

 

[b116757]

When I get a mill I'm going to cut down a big beech or maple and cut slabs for Viking chairs to have around the fire pit.

I made one of those out of 3/4” hickory a while ago just to see if I liked them to sit in. Last time i had logs cut I had quite a bit of 8/4 cut so I could make a few of them when I got around to it they really are not bad for comfort I least I thought they where OK.