Making 'planks'

[Wilder]

Right, so almost total new person here, so please forgive what may seen a daft question.

I do some scroll saw work, but have trouble getting any wood other than pine here that doesn't cost an arm and a couple of legs. However, I do have a ready supply of logs - chestnut, birch, holly, walnut and oak amongst others.

Is there a way I can turn the logs into 'mini planks'? My OH has tried splitting the logs and then using an electric planer to smooth them, but

a) I can't help but think that the planer blades will wear out incredibly quickly, and
b) There is no was to ensure that the 'planks' turn out an even thickness

Has anyone got any ideas as to how I may be able to turn the logs into usable 'planks'? At the moment the only equipment we have is a scroll saw, an electric mitre saw and an electric planer (plus the usual hand tools). I have tried looking on the internet but can't quite make out whether a 'planer thicknesser' is what we need, or a band saw, or a table saw with a jig, or whether there is a way we can do it without actually having to buy anything extra!

See, told you I was almost new to all this!!

Christine

 

[Phil Pascoe]

No. Buy planks. Or find somewhere you can scrounge offcuts.

 

[Richard T]

short, straight bits can be split with a froe and planed up.
Longer bits can be split with wedges. But to get them into flat boards it's better to saw them.

 

[Jelly]

You could see if anyone in your vicinity operates a mobile sawmill... stockpile a load of interesting logs and get them to convert them all at once?

Alternately you could get a chainsaw and fit it with a Rip-chain; you'll lose a fair bit to the saw kerf, but it's the cheapest DIY method that won't involve backbreaking labour with a framesaw or handsaw.

 

[paulm]

You'll not be surprised to hear that the easiest, most efficient way, is also the most expensive !

For smallish logs, maybe up to 8 or 10" diameter or thereabouts, and say 3 feet or so long, planking them on a medium to large sized bandsaw, stacking them to dry out for a year or two, then running them through a planer thicknesser (not a handheld electric planer) will give meaningful quantities of decent usable planks with minimum labour.

Bigger logs do probably need a chainsaw and milling attachment, followed by the same stacking to dry and then planer thicknesser.

It's very possible to split logs manually with a froe and/or wedges, and then plane them up with hand or handheld electric planes, they will still need to be left to dry before being stable/usable, and if you only need small quantities and don't mind, or even enjoy, the slower and less precise approach then it is entirely possible to do it this way. Works best with straight grained knot free timber of course if splitting manually, anything else will cause you all sorts of problems and frustration ! Wouldn't worry too much about the cost of the planer blades, they are pretty cheap and very easy to replace, likely to be something like these http://www.screwfix.com/p/tct-planer-blade-82mm/46530 , don't forget, they are reversible, so can be turned to use the fresh edges once the first edges are too worn, and being tungsten cardbide they should last for a lot of work anyway before blunting.

Cheers, Paul

 

[Sheffield Tony]

You can also use an axe or adze, if you have the energy and nerve of this guy:

http://youtu.be/ueIB0h4SzHc

 

[Sportique]

+1 for PaulM's first suggestion (provided the logs are of the maximum size suggested). If you go this route then I suggest asking Ian at Tuffsaws for advice on suitable bandsaw blade.

Dave

 

[custard]

I've split a fair number of logs to make windsor chairs.

Most people will tell you some types of wood split much more easily than others, with oak being the favourite.

This is true. But what they won't tell you is that the great majority of logs from ALL species are just not suitable for splitting. Maybe 20 or 30% make the grade, sometimes far less. You need exceptionally straight, knot free timber or else it's just not worth the effort.

Our forefathers who perfected the art of log splitting had the luxury of discounting the great majority of trees until they found one that was just right. For us the rules of the game have changed, we normally get offered one windfallen tree and the choice is take it or leave it. Under those circumstances I'd almost always leave it!

 

[Wilder]

Thank you everyone for your replies. It does sound a bit as if we are barking up the wrong tree (excuse the pun ) I might try to get a froe and see how we get on. In the meantime I will continue to search here to see if I can get any wood without having to get a second mortgage for it!

 

[LBCarpentry]

Can't you just take them to a local workshop? I'd be amazed if it cost you more than 40 quid to get them to the size you require. As long as your not talking 2+ meters

 

[drillbit]

You can certainly turn a log into mini planks at home- but you will need some addditional equipment if you want to do it easily.

First -if the logs are very large, you may want a chainsaw to cut it into sections which will fit into your bandsaw - which is the next thing you would need. The cutting height of the bandsaw will determine how wide your boards can be. You could do this with a bowsaw but it would be hard work.

Once you have resawn the logs into boards, you could just use your electric planer to dress them into something you can start working with. After all, that's what it's for. Or in fact, you could just use a hand plane - on small boards the size you would be producing, planing the faces by hand is reasonably easy.

On the other hand, if you can afford it - a planer thicknesser would really make a difference. Then you can get your planks square, and to the thickness you want, with minimum effort.

With a chainsaw, bandsaw and planer/thicknesser you could produce some pretty serviceable timber without too much wasteage.

 

[dickm]

Not entirely facetious, but for small logs (say up to 10" diameter and less than a couple of feet long) you COULD plank them with a large hand saw, or even better, a two handed saw with partner on the other end. Needs some practice, is pretty tedious, but possibly good exercise!

 

[CHJ]

As Paul says your best option is to use a bandsaw, not a cheap one but the obvious route to go if you intend to process your own stock from feature rich logs.

Here are a couple of slices I have just done this evening.
Small pieces like this are good enough finish for hand sanding, with longer planks a bench top thicknesser would be the next step.

 

[Nick Gibbs]

I'd try ash first because it is easiest to split. The grain is very straight, and a froe or just a hatchet will split it easily. It also dries quickly and is available from firewood suppliers. Split a 4in diameter piece of branchwood, say 1ft long, in two, and hold in a vice. Use your planer to flatten one face. Then see if you can split the piece again. It's best always to split in half (rather than trying to take more off one side than the other, as the edge will tend to wander). Hold your piece of wood good face down on a bench, held with wedges perhaps or an end vice if you have one, or screws, then plane the other face. To get an even thickness you could fix some battens to the benchtop, either side of the board, on which you may be able to get the planer to run if the blades don't protrude either side of the base. You could trying to get blades that are too short for the cutterblock so that you can run the base on your battens. Hope that makes sense. It's a bit of a bodge, but there's always a solution, even if you don't have money to spend.

Cheers

Nick

 

[paulm]

Some nice figure and colour there Chas, don't recognise the timber ?

Cheers, Paul

 

[CHJ]

Some nice figure and colour there Chas, don't recognise the timber ?

Cheers, Paul

Hedgerow Elm Paul, casualty of the dreaded beetles.

 

[Wilder]

Thank you all so much. We already have a chainsaw because we cut our own firewood from a wood owned by one of our neighbours. This is how we come by our logs. It seems like a bandsaw needs to be our first purchase. Hopefully we will be able to get together some money for one soon. It is a catch 22 situation at the moment......... if we had the money we might be able to make our own planks, but because we don't we can't make the things we would like to sell to get enough money! Oh well, c'est la vie!

 

[Nick Gibbs]

Looks like a softwood to me. Larch??? Or western red cedar perhaps?

Nick

 

[CHJ]

Looks like a softwood to me. Larch??? Or western red cedar perhaps?

Nick

Nope, it's Young Elm, I felled the trees and dried it, and the root balls are still shooting in the hedgerow.

 

[Nick Gibbs]

Good stuff. Just broke my rule of never guessing species!!! It's an invitation for embarrassment!