Milled Some White Oak Last Month

[Up A Creek]

When I built the table for the slab flattening mill I used 2 layers of 3/4 plywood glued together instead of 2/4 to prevent wood movement. I also designed it to come apart for storage. I cut outside because most of these slabs are too big to carry into my basement.
Unfortunately the T nuts I used pulled right out so I'll probably use cross dowels to hold it together. In the meantime I used bar clamps to make it work.

 

[Up A Creek]

And the good stuff. Lots of work. And lots of dust.

 

[Up A Creek]

More mess.

 

[Up A Creek]

The grain on some of this is spectacular.

 

[buzz sawyer]

The mill itself was moving for some reason. Granberg mill, I've been a mechanic for 20+ years so I know how to tighten nuts.
No clue why. I ended up using small C clamps to hold the mill steady.

But did you use a calibrated torque wrench? JUST KIDDING! I know what you mean, sometimes they just don't seem to hold. I haven't seen this on my mill but I'll keep an eye out next time. Were you able to correct the deep cut?

 

[MFV]

But did you use a calibrated torque wrench? JUST KIDDING! I know what you mean, sometimes they just don't seem to hold. I haven't seen this on my mill but I'll keep an eye out next time. Were you able to correct the deep cut?

You laugh but I worked at a nuke and you had to calibrate or check calibration on your tourque wrench

 

[Up A Creek]

I know all about torque wrenches.

I fixed it by clamping small C clamps above the U bolt. It doesn't move anymore.
Pictures would probably help, I'll try to get some at some point.

 

[TheLaundryMan]

Are you flattening them while the wood is green?

 

[Up A Creek]

Are you flattening them while the wood is green?

No, the wood is white. It's white oak.

 

[TheLaundryMan]

No, the wood is white. It's white oak.

Green as in still wet haha I’m not color blind

 

[Up A Creek]

Green as in still wet haha I’m not color blind

I was just having a little fun.

It was cut in Oct of last year, milled in Dec? And sat in that pile until now. So drying, not dry yet.
When I was milling it the mill kept slipping so the slabs were wedge shaped. If you look at the picture of them stacked all together you can see.
I didn't want to dry them that way (the straighter you start the straighter you end) so I flattened them before stacking them in the garage.

 

[TheLaundryMan]

Haha you done got me. I figured you just must have grown up inside city limits

The first oak slabs I milled up two years ago are almost dry enough to work. I hadn’t considered flattening them before they were in the “workable” regions of dry. I’m pretty excited to be able to do something with wood I milled so I might go ahead and flatten them out. Thanks for the suggestion

 

[Up A Creek]

Haha you done got me. I figured you just must have grown up inside city limits

The first oak slabs I milled up two years ago are almost dry enough to work. I hadn’t considered flattening them before they were in the “workable” regions of dry. I’m pretty excited to be able to do something with wood I milled so I might go ahead and flatten them out. Thanks for the suggestion

Hahahaha!
That depends who you talk to. My cousins thought we lived out in the sticks. I felt like my neighbors were way too close.
I grew up on a half acre in the burbs. 30,000+ squeezed in my little town.
We grow some nice big trees though.

If they're close to flat and almost dry I wouldn't mess with them yet. I only flattened mine so I could stack them flat. If I hadn't they would have been crooked so more chance of drying crooked. If yours aren't dry there's more potential for them to move so you're just wasting wood.
I didn't mill mine completely flat, just enough so they wouldn't wobble in the stack.

 

[TheLaundryMan]

Ahh I see I see. I thought you were going for essentially finish planed wood while it was green. That makes a lot more sense now. I was sitting here thinking to myself “I did not think that was a feasible option”

 

[Ayatollah]

I just milled my first oak. It got separations and cracks all over the top the next day. Is that common?