Ash logs

[devonwoody]

These ash logs were cut down from a neighbours garden 2 years ago and I have stored them in this position ever since (6" to 8" diameters, 36" long)

I intended to use them for turning, but havent done any for a couple of years now, can I start to rip them to short boards yet or leave longer?

http://www.ken-follett.com/bibliography ... rtune.html

Pics now added

 

[paulm]

Doubt they will dry out much more left as they are John, I would resaw them and leave "in stick" for a bit longer to let the timber inside dry out some more, length of time depending on what you find when you cut them open.

Cut them oversize though as you will get some movement/cupping afterwards, so leave a bit of extra thickness in case you need to plane them flat again after.

Cheers, Paul

 

[devonwoody]

Thanks Paul, I will post back again shortly, I will have to make a cradle to cut on bandsaw. Is it possible to get quarter sawn using a bandsaw and how?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Cut on the diameter, then put the flat side down and bisect. your first board off each side of the quadrant will be near quarter sawn.

 

[devonwoody]

Thanks, can I then tilt the table?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

You could tilt the table, the downside being that in keeping the boards quarter sawn, they will be wedge shaped thus giving you a huge amount of waste. This the trade off - how much waste do want? On an 8" log, you haven't much room to move.

 

[devonwoody]

Yes, thats what I thought, perhaps, I will play with half of the 8" thick log first and see what I get, if too wasteful I will just slap the rest at 15 to 20mm thick.

 

[johnwc812]

Hi
Quarter sawn ash doesnt have a particularly attractive figure, like oak,elm,sycamore etc.
Quarter sawn boards would , of course, be more stable but probably not worth the trade off the 25% waste.
Cheers John

 

[devonwoody]

Thanks for advice again.

 

[devonwoody]

Yesterday, a forum member Marcros sent me a moisture meter to use on those ash logs. (thanks again Marcros)

The moisture content of the sawn log shown above varied from 10.7 to 13.8 depending on were points were placed.

The unsawn logs measure in the 13 range.

Measured a tissue box (black walnut) in the process of being constructed and never been in the house, content reads 7.8.

Other timbers in board form and no prepartion undertaken by me are also mainly in the 8 to 10 range.

So could I assume that the ash log already resawn could be cut down to tissue box measurements and I might get away with use or should I wait until next year even helping things along and place near a radiator perhaps after Xmas?

 

[Grahamshed]

I think bringing them indoors may be ok but placing near a radiator could be a step to far ?