Can someone check me on this, please?

[Yellowbeard]

Have a client (the one for whom I did the giant white oak) who wants me to angle cut one of the rounds that I cut off that bad boy for him. I am including a diagram of what he wants.

I went out tonight to try and set up the cuts. They are different than your usual slab cuts, so they were a bit more trouble to set up. What I was hoping is that some of you could check my work and let me know if my plan is likely to succeed. I took several pictures of places were I have marked the log and set up some guides as straight edges. This doesn't have to be perfect (the client understands it's difficult) but, of course, I want to do the best work I can for him.

Here is my diagram first:

The client wants me to cut this partial round into a kind of roof-top shape or big, wide wedge. He's then going to flip it over so the flat side (already milled this past spring) is up. That will be a table surface. He's going to do a kind of central leg in the middle (the thick part) and let the narrowing parts cantilever out to each end. So this is the weird part: Instead of normal flat milling cuts, I will be making a sort of long wedge cut.

Below you can see how I've laid everything out. I screwed 2X2s to the sides as guide bars of a sort and then measured off of them. You can see my cross rails mounted in the frame. I mounted them so that I will be cutting 3" under them, then measured that 3" against the bottom of the guide rails (as best I could) on each end. The "peak" of the roof will be 10" tall and the "eaves" will be 3" tall.

I know this won't be perfect, but does it look like I am close? Anyone see anything major that I'm missing?

One other thing - there will sort of be end grain all along the "roof top" when I am done. Was planning to polyurethane it (or otherwise seal it) once I am through to see if I can limit checking.

Thoughts? Any advice VERY welcome. I will then flip everything around and do the other direction - but if I get this right, I think I can figure that side out more easily because I will have 2 definite points to be aiming at.


Thanks in advance.

 

[BobL]

Looks OK to me.

It depends on what sort of finish you want but if you cut in the current downslope position (end to middle) you are sort of cutting against the grain. You MIGHT get a better finish cutting it from the other way (middle to end). Then when it is belt sanded I would operate the sander up those slopes - thin to thick end.

 

[Yellowbeard]

Oh yes. I was hoping you would be checking your account on a Sunday afternoon and see this, BobL. Excellent.

I hadn't thought about the finish, but that's an excellent point. Of course, it would mean re-setting a 1000 lb chunk of wood. However, I have an idea: in the interest of science, I'll cut this one this way, then set up on the other end and cut it the opposite direction - then we'll have some evidence about whether or not the finish is better one way than the other. In any event, it will be on the bottom of the table when all is said and done, so no one but passed out drunks will see it anyway.

I'll let the client know about the sanding (since that will be his work). Do you think it will dry ok? I was worried that it would dry unevenly. I think it's just going to sit in a barn for some years. What do you think of my idea about sealing it all afterward?

 

[BobL]

Do you think it will dry ok? I was worried that it would dry unevenly

It might split a bit at the thin ends.

What do you think of my idea about sealing it all afterward?

That will slow down the drying. I would just seal the ends and about 6" of the 3" thick ends.

 

[JohnWayne]

Everything looks like it will work the way it is set up.
If it were me I would make a ramp half the length desired with the ten degree slope your after. Mount the ramp to the off cut area to stabilize it (Mounted on the round) oriented correctly for the cut(big part of ramp at the center) and run the CSM over it. Then just turn the ramp around and do it to the other side. It would be a little easier to get an accurate, repeatable look for each side and one less cycle of log flipping. Of course you would then have to built a ramp first.
Have fun, post up when you done!

 

[Yellowbeard]

Thanks for the advice. I plan to go cut this morning and post afterward. Appreciate the help.

 

[JohnWayne]

After looking at everything again through the crystal view of Coffee, I've realized I'm being silly, and you're doing effectively the same thing with much less work on a guide. Just do what you posted, it should definitely work (and it's already set up). That will be much faster.
I'll go try to reinvent the wheel somewhere else...

 

[Adamant]

It may be too late and I may be missing something or simply misguided by the photos but the end supports don't look parallel to the table top or each other. For something like that I'd leave a little extra length and thickness for tidying up the shape later- which I'd do after drying with an electric planer so rough milling prob wouldn't make much difference.

 

[Yellowbeard]

It may be too late and I may be missing something or simply misguided by the photos but the end supports don't look parallel to the table top or each other. For something like that I'd leave a little extra length and thickness for tidying up the shape later- which I'd do after drying with an electric planer so rough milling prob wouldn't make much difference.

You're not too late - didn't get to cut today. And, frankly, I am not sure you're wrong. Unfortunately, I am not sure how to make sure they are parallel. The log is going down a hill (two directions, sort of) and it is up on the supports you see that I have. NOTHING is level, so it's very hard for me to check to see if things are level against one another. I can't measure from the ground, because it's sloped and uneven. I screwed those wooden 2X2s on there to see if I could kind of measure against them, but I am not 100% on that either. This is sort of a rough-in, with the client planning to shape it up more later. He understands it won't be perfect. Unfortunately, part of the reason I am doing these cuts is because that log is really overweight even for the tractor we have - so I can't even move it somewhere where I would have a flat surface from which to start.

At 3" on the ends and 10 in the middle I think there's plenty of room for maneuvering. I'm just trying to get as close as I can. This is, at least, better than his first plan, which would have had me cutting something like what you see but in several more directions (he wanted me to try and keep some of the original curve of the log but reduce thickness). I told him that I wasn't that good at free-hand chainsawing and he agreed to this plan, for which I can at least set up guide bars.

Your basic advice, which amounts to "it's easier to cut more off than put some back on" is solid though.

 

[Yellowbeard]

Well, finished today (finally) after a comedy of errors yesterday. I made my first cut fine but hit one of my own screws on the second (it was a bit deeper than I had realized - stupid). Tried to push through but then hit some of the hardest wood I have ever seen. Came back today with a different chain and STILL couldn't cut through so I removed what had been cut so far to see what was going on. Just a REALLY hard piece of oak or a knot or something.

Images below. It's not perfect, but I thought it came out ok. The client will have some shaping to do.

 

[Adamant]

Well, finished today (finally) after a comedy of errors yesterday. I made my first cut fine but hit one of my own screws on the second (it was a bit deeper than I had realized - stupid). Tried to push through but then hit some of the hardest wood I have ever seen. Came back today with a different chain and STILL couldn't cut through so I removed what had been cut so far to see what was going on. Just a REALLY hard piece of oak or a knot or something.

Images below. It's not perfect, but I thought it came out ok. The client will have some shaping

Hey, sorry, I've been out all day. For future reference, you can check the rail supports and (more importantly) the rails are parallel by standing back and looking at them from a little bit of distance. So for the supports you would stand at one end of the log or the other and move back a few steps until you can easily see the furthest support behind the closer one in line with each other (or not). Your eye will easily spot whether they are parallel or not. If my poor description

 

[Adamant]

isn't clear, do a search for how to use winding sticks - I'm sure there will be a better explanation or video somewhere. Anyway, you got the job done! I went through 4 nails in the one cut the other day so I feel your pain there, silly mistake, as I have a detector and didn't use it!

 

[jerrycmorrow]

also for future reference
you could build a jig with horizontal boards above the 2x2 rails. then measure down. once satisfied, remove jig. give it adamant's eyeball test. cut

 

[Rx7man]

I have a little digital torpedo level great for working and squaring up stuff that isn't level to begin with... You can get them through craftsman.. some have laser pointers in them which can be really handy too