HEY BOB! What's steel, sharp. . .

[Sport Faller]

Sounds like you need some good ol Montucky tight grained fir! :msp_thumbup:

It just grows tougher up here -- so the grain is tight.

And you're correct about centering the heart -- it's is more stable -- but still prone to cracking down the heartwood.

Drive over to Twisp and North of Hwy 2. . . The wood would be a lot tighter than on the coast.

Tougher, but you forgot about goosenecks and pistol butts :biggrin:

 

[Eccentric]

[youtube]02QWRo1W4II&NR[/youtube]​

That was amazing...:msp_thumbup:

 

[slowp]

If there is a springboard at the upcoming fleece market, shall I take a few pictures?

 

[Gologit]

...what are the measurements for a springboard ?and how much taper ?

That's the hard part...I've never actually made a springboard myself. Not from scratch. Not a nice fancy one anyway like I'm planning here.

I know, I know, us old farts are 'sposed to have done everything and know how to do everything. I wish that was so. Frequently. Whenever I needed a springboard I just grabbed one off the pile in back of the shop or cut a limb or free handed a little slab of some kind. I want these springboards to be something special.

The ready made boards that we had were made mostly from 2" df if I remember right. Rough cut. I never measured the length but I'd say between five and six feet. The width varied but I only saw a couple of 2x6. Most were 2x8 or 2x10. We had some 2x12s too but those bastards were heavy and I never packed one.

Some were under-tapered directly back from the shoe in a straight line ending at about an inch thick on the end. Others had the full 2" for maybe half the board and then a taper. Some had no taper at all...these tended to gravitate toward the bottom of the pile and I never saw them used.

The ones I liked had a gradual subtle taper starting at the back of the shoe and sweeping back to the end of the board...again ending in about an inch thick. The taper was obviously hand drawn, maybe with a draw knife, because it had a curve to it like the bow sheer on an salmon troller. I don't know that they were any better but they looked nice. And it's what the old timers used. I copied them.

 

[Gologit]

If there is a springboard at the upcoming fleece market, shall I take a few pictures?

Sure.

 

[slowp]

I started reading, Saws That Sing--which can be downloaded by anybody for free. I didn't get far but it talked about how energy from legs on a springboard could be transfered into the sawing process. Not that you'll be using a crosscut saw...just some interesting trivia.

Hey Nate Metals! Perhaps you could make some cross cut saws that have the taper to them like the old ones do. According to the book, the new saws are not tapered and therefore are not nearly as good as the old timey ones.
It said none are made that way anymore--none.

 

[Trx250r180]

That's the hard part...I've never actually made a springboard myself. Not from scratch. Not a nice fancy one anyway like I'm planning here.

I know, I know, us old farts are 'sposed to have done everything and know how to do everything. I wish that was so. Frequently. Whenever I needed a springboard I just grabbed one off the pile in back of the shop or cut a limb or free handed a little slab of some kind. I want these springboards to be something special.

The ready made boards that we had were made mostly from 2" df if I remember right. Rough cut. I never measured the length but I'd say between five and six feet. The width varied but I only saw a couple of 2x6. Most were 2x8 or 2x10. We had some 2x12s too but those bastards were heavy and I never packed one.

Some were under-tapered directly back from the shoe in a straight line ending at about an inch thick on the end. Others had the full 2" for maybe half the board and then a taper. Some had no taper at all...these tended to gravitate toward the bottom of the pile and I never saw them used.

The ones I liked had a gradual subtle taper starting at the back of the shoe and sweeping back to the end of the board...again ending in about an inch thick. The taper was obviously hand drawn, maybe with a draw knife, because it had a curve to it like the bow sheer on an salmon troller. I don't know that they were any better but they looked nice. And it's what the old timers used. I copied them.

i don't think it would be too hard to cut a taper on my little mill ,i think with some c-clamps some wedges and careful eyeball measurements ,could make the bottom bow shaped like a boat hull and keep the rough cut look ,a table saw smooths the wood out too much ,a carving bar on a small saw may be able to free hand the bottom curve also to keep the fibers rough looking ,ripping chain makes a huge difference in the finish over chisel ,this is what finish looks like with ripping chain ,real similar to a bandsaw cut View attachment 295485 this log with the offset heart the boards wanted to bow when they started drying ,ones iv'e been cutting with center hearts are drying pretty strait

 

[Metals406]

I started reading, Saws That Sing--which can be downloaded by anybody for free. I didn't get far but it talked about how energy from legs on a springboard could be transfered into the sawing process. Not that you'll be using a crosscut saw...just some interesting trivia.

Hey Nate Metals! Perhaps you could make some cross cut saws that have the taper to them like the old ones do. According to the book, the new saws are not tapered and therefore are not nearly as good as the old timey ones.
It said none are made that way anymore--none.

Oh man! Not it! LOL

That would take an immense amount of work to accomplish, and I'd have to learn a completely new skill currently foreign to mah brain.

I might could read up on it though, just to see.

 

[Metals406]

Everything left of the red line is 1/4 sawn, and will be the most dimensionally stable. . . I've noted that around the heart wood (blue dash), when the annual rings are parallel to the cut (flat sawn) that's where the board will want to crack. Has something to do with the way the moisture is getting out, and possible "timber bind" or other pressures. Not to mention end-checking while the boards dry, which is why a good healthy end-trim distance is helpful.

 

[slowp]

Oh man! Not it! LOL

That would take an immense amount of work to accomplish, and I'd have to learn a completely new skill currently foreign to mah brain.

I might could read up on it though, just to see.

There is a market. A niche market, but it is there. Saws That Sing says only racing saws are tapered.
You can do it!!!

 

[Trx250r180]

Everything left of the red line is 1/4 sawn, and will be the most dimensionally stable. . . I've noted that around the heart wood (blue dash), when the annual rings are parallel to the cut (flat sawn) that's where the board will want to crack. Has something to do with the way the moisture is getting out, and possible "timber bind" or other pressures. Not to mention end-checking while the boards dry, which is why a good healthy end-trim distance is helpful.

i think my pc has errors ,i cant see your edited pic

 

[Metals406]

i think my pc has errors ,i cant see your edited pic

No, it's my fault!

I uploaded the bare one and had to do it again. Bet it shows up now.

 

[paccity]

here are some big springboards that we made for the name of the new building. one is cedar the other is df.

 

[bustedup]

here are some big springboards that we made for the name of the new building. one is cedar the other is df.

nice craftsmanship How long it take ya to make em?

glad they for display as wouldn't like to have to pack em lol.

 

[Eccentric]

Was out clearing brush from an old access road yesterday. Saw these old redwood stumps with springboard holes in 'em. There were a few more like these (much larger) but they were in a dark shaded area. Pics weren't coming out. One was about 10-12' in diameter and had about three or four 2'-3' diameter stems growing out of the middle of it....

 

[bustedup]

Good pics, wonder when they were falled?

 

[Eccentric]

Good pics, wonder when they were falled?

That's a good question. I don't think anybody who lives there now has been there for more than 30 years or so. They're southwest of Cazadero, Ca.

 

[slowp]

There was a springboard at the swap meet. I went up and toured with Brian and Janimay. The board weighed a ton and was thick. Very thick. It was rough sawn and weighed a ton. I could not imagine packing that beast about in the woods.

Jani took a picture, maybe she'll post it.

I did not find a bath tub to buy.

 

[Cfaller]

Finished springboards

Finally finished the boards. Thanks for the shoes Nate.:msp_thumbsup:View attachment 297475View attachment 297476View attachment 297477

 

[Gologit]

Nice work. What kind of wood did you use?