milling beams-capture heart?

[snakeknuckles]

Hello to all: I would like to know opinions on the best practice for milling logs for structural timbers for my barn building project at our farm. The design I am using for the timber frame allows me to produce all the lumber I need on site using my Frick 00. Most of the logs I have on hand are a minimum of 20" dia. To produce (8"x8") timbers I slab off 2" material from the outside of the log, rotating when I get to approximately 4" from the center of the tree then rotate the log until I am left with an 8x8" that captures the heart. I trim the slabs into 2x joists and rafters and am using the 8x8's as posts and beams. Recently a woodworking friend of mine told me this a bad practice. He suggests only capturing heart if log is not big enough to make the beam anywhere other than in the center. Any thoughts on this?

 

[Sawyer Rob]

If it's an opinion you want, here's mine.

Either the heart has to be all the way in, or all the way out... I mill them exactly that way and I've never had a complaint, from anyone.

Here's a load of beams ready to deliver. 6x10 - 20' and 3x8 - 16's mostly...

I milled a pile of them for a customer/friend...

SR

 

[Mad Professor]

That is the way timber framers have done it for a thousand years.