Thread: Suggested sizes when milling a large JH log

G'day Greg you lucky bugger. On threads hereabouts you will see I have faced the similar terrible dilemma but never mind. Here's what I came up with.

The sizes you mention are about right. Unless you have access to your own milling equipment I assume you will be getting one of the mobile guys to tackle it.

After much debate and discussion with the miller we decided to go with not less than 56 mm boards/slabs. This will be seasoned for two years. Unless you have a specific cutting list/job in mind this gives you a size that can be cut down on most table saws dependent on the grain, defects etc to suit what you eventually decide to make out of it. If you have a bandsaw that will take a 1 1/2" blade or thereabouts you can also re-saw.

A lot of people tend to get all excited about the big wide slabs but these are difficult to handle and will generally move around a lot depending on how they are sawn.

Ask whoever is doing the milling how they are going to approach it. A jarrah of that size often has a hollow or rotten pith. I like the method at 3 in the image below. This gives the best compromise without fully quartersawing but is much better than all plain sawn slabs, at least for furniture work anyway.

Hope that is of some help.

Greg, how do you intend to dry the slabs? The old timers down here tell me that you always allow one year more than anyone tells you. Mind you, this is the south coast and you leave the washing on the line for a year extra to get it dry.

As to size, just remember that you can rip it smaller, but not bigger.

When it comes to drying I'm told 1 year per inch plus 1 more at the end. eg. 2" timber = 1 year for each inch plus 1 more equals 3.
whatdayareckon?

Greg, within reason I have found the longer the better but sometimes I just cant wait. I think the moisture meter is probably the best judge. I have found that jarrah which is fallen already well and truly dead comes up to scratch fairly quickly (6 months per 1" or less).

I'm also a firm believer that old rules of thumb are pretty good advice otherwise they wouldn't be an old rule of thumb.

Greg your about right with sizes and thickness/drying times...Ive heard that a reading of 20% on a meter reader is about right for furniture but I cant vouch for that since at present I havent got one.

As per mills try a fella called Ken Elliot out Karnet way... a farmer bloke with a woodmiser {hes in the book!} damned fine fella did our 10 x 50+ ft Tuart trees in a day to whatever size I wanted he cut the proper way no shonky anywhere cuts... A year and a half ago he was charging $70per hour flat... knocked of a bit for cash too which I was pretty chuffed with!... So a 10 hour day with his miser with a 1/4hour off for lunch and probably about the same through the day for drinks and breaks and rolling logs to the mill by my teens all up it set us back a bit less than $700

I just told him a) the main purpose's Id use the timber for and showed him the plans of the boat and discussed the other things pergalas bar tops coffee tables dining tables etc etc then spent all up maybe a half hour with him making up a cutting list and away he went! been right on the money so far!... No worries that woodmincer... ooops woodmizer!... ripped through the lot in a day all stacked nice and neat and Ive got three boards and 10 3x3s left of the pergala timbers 20odd 1 1/2in boards for furniture left along with my 9 x 6in Keel timbers and several planks earmarked for the frames carlins and such!!

Mind here he did take probably about 1/4 hour for several blade changes along the way.

But anyways hes a good bloke and will do a great job for you