I got it pretty dry before cutting the siding.
I made 1 1/8 boards, set the fixture and blade to do the split for two equal boards, and ran them through.
The fixture has its own feed wheels and the head stays locked in position and elevation.
It's fast. You can do a house worth in a day, I think. Feed rate is adjustable and is set about like regular cutting, I think.
I used 8" boards, but of course you can adjust to fit your logs. Set exposure as you like.
My sources say don't nail through the top edge, to avoid splitting.
Having the nail through the top edge does nothing for holding.
A headed ring nail can't be pulled out of a stud by warping wood.
My poplar is going on 20 yr old and remains in perfect shape. Pine on other buildings in fine too.
I built a trough out of 2X10s and poured in stain for dunking my siding. It's good to stain both sides and let it soak in.
I nailed some vertical battens to the ends of the tank, so I could stand the siding in them and knock off excess stain with a brush. It moves fairly quickly.
Of course you could stack and sticker green siding, which would dry pretty fast, then stain, but you'd have more warping.
I stacked and stickered for a while after dipping.
I think there were 600 boards, but not sure.
Poplar was the siding of choice for upscale colonial homes, often cut with a pitsaw, believe it or not. You can see it done at Williamsburg.
My siding is far superior to any I've seen in stores. No, not planed, but thicker and heavier.
WL
