freehanding first slab of pine.

[HuskyMurph]

im cutting down a couple pines. they are about 18" at base. i wanted to cut a 4 to 5 foot piece and rip it in half to make a bench. first time first bench nothing special. is it better to rip it right away or keep it hole and wait for it to dry. should i paint the ends so not to crack.???

 

[foursaps]

not sure on the painting thing, but rip it right away. make it little thicker than you want in case you have to get rid of any waves from freehanding. getting a straight cut freehand is tough, so good luck!!

 

[BobL]

Yep = paint the ends and rip it now.

If you want to use the timber "as cut" then take it slowly when ripping and you will get a better finish. If you plan to plane the surface make sure you allow for that in the cutting thickness. make sure you stack it 6" or more above the ground on a flat surface and use stickers in between the slabs to assist drying and avoid problems with mould etc.

 

[HUCKLEBERRY]

A few simple steps could save you some time.
- If at all possible it would be best to peel your workpiece first to help you see the lines you are going to put on it.
- Set it in some v-blocks and with a tape measure find center on the tip and butt and then use a 2' level to make a level horizontal line through your mark on each end. (You can also offset your marks on each end to compensate for taper.)
- Snap lines on each side to use as a cutting guide.
- When you cut stay 1/8" to 1/4" away from your line on the side you like least.
- Finish by working down to the line however you like.

 

[jimdad07]

A few simple steps could save you some time.
- If at all possible it would be best to peel your workpiece first to help you see the lines you are going to put on it.
- Set it in some v-blocks and with a tape measure find center on the tip and butt and then use a 2' level to make a level horizontal line through your mark on each end. (You can also offset your marks on each end to compensate for taper.)
- Snap lines on each side to use as a cutting guide.
- When you cut stay 1/8" to 1/4" away from your line on the side you like least.
- Finish by working down to the line however you like.

In addition, try to make a cut where you are almost noodling instead of running the saw perpendicular to the work piece on its side, try running it at a good tilt perpendicular to the top of the piece. Makes for easier cutting and easier for me anyhow to make a straight cut.

 

[HuskyMurph]

thanks guys ill take all the advice. if it doesnt turn out no big deal. some day i would like to get a saw and a mill set up to mill boards and make signs out of. thanks for all the help
when that time comes i know ill be doing a hole lot of research and questions

 

[BarkBuster20]

In my opinion the best way to get a good free hand is to high stump the tree however tall you want it, then noodle down to the base, of course you cannot do this once it gets so tall, but 5 foot is easy.

 

[BobL]

In my opinion the best way to get a good free hand is to high stump the tree however tall you want it, then noodle down to the base, of course you cannot do this once it gets so tall, but 5 foot is easy.

Yeah I have done that and it is a lot of fun but one problem with that is than not all trees are as regular around the base as they are further up.

If you need/want to freehand cut small longs vertically its very easy to make something that holds a short length of relatively narrow trunk vertically.

One of the simplest jigs I have used is two triangular pieces of 1/8" sheet metal with holes in the corners. Cut 3 pieces of trunk the same length. Stand them up and pack them close together so they touch each other and tek screw the triangular pieces across one end, flip the pack over and attach the other triangular shed to the other end. Stand the bundle upright and freehand from any one of the corners. To cut more logs, leave two of the logs alone and keep replacing the log you cut. If the triangular pieces are arranged so they intrude only marginally onto the piece being cut then boards can be freehanded off almost the whole log. This only works for a certain range of log sizes. If the logs are too wide then they become too heavy to lift although then can then be cut on their own, if you can stand them upright. If they are too narrow they will still fall over but you can of course pack more together if you have them.


I did this a few times but the and then made my first alaskan.