Greenie cutting green

Re: Greenie cutting green

Richard Allen

>Green wood and a table saw are not a particularly good idea. Figure that a table saw is limited to about 3" depth of cut. A chainsaw is my first choice followed by a bandsaw followed by an alcohol powered bow saw then a splitting maul or wedges and a sledge, again alcohol powered.

Good Luck

If you can't be safe, at least have someone watching with a first aid kit, a phone and a clear path to the car so your lifeless body be taken to the hospital (;->)

Re: Greenie cutting green

Robert Cox

>Walmart has fairly cheap electric chainsaws.

I tried the tablesaw bit and got scared. It was stupid, actually.

If you get the remoiington saw it will leak bar oil. Mt solution is to hang it from a hook. There is a hole in the nose of the bar.

Re: Greenie cutting green

David

>I just left a message, but I guess I'll either do it twice or I didn't hit the right buttons before.

Anyway, thanks for the tips. This didn't seem like the safest idea I ever had, but wanted to ask some people who've probably already bumped their heads once or twice.

Given my aversion to death, non-availability of equipment right now, extremely limited budget, and general fear of operating a chainsaw myself, I think my options are these:

1) Seal both ends with anchor seal or shellac, and at least preserve the wood until I'm old, or I find some kind soul to help me hack them apart, etc. At least this way I've bought time to deal with it, and can leave them in my garage for...ever. But don't tell my wife, ok?

2) I could turn them down into something in the short term, then paper bag them and/or seal them and see how it goes.

3) Toss them from my second floor master bedroom to dissuade intruders.

That sound a little smarter? Thanks -

Re: Greenie cutting green

Robert Cox

>Yep.

I've seen chainsaw, skilsaw, bandsaw and tablesaw injuries.

You're being smart by being patient.

High tech log saw

Fred in NC

>I have cut some wood with .....

a high tech log cutter. About $10. Good exercise. Takes forever. I do it a little bit at a time. The log needs to be supported just like with a chainsaw. It does not leak oil. Fuel is readily available. Works on liquid or solid fuel. Don't have to pull anything to get it started. Starts every time. Very little maintenance. Has only a couple moving parts. Never needs a mechanich. Replacement parts are inexpensive. Easy to repair. Cheap to replace. Light to carry around. Does not take a lot of room in your vehicle. You can afford to have a spare. Not something a neighbor will want to borrow. Or steal !!!

I should have posted this in the other forum !!!!

Re: Greenie cutting green

Carole in VA

>You couldn't pay me enough to try cutting up a green log with a table saw!!!! I have found green wood to be a contrary customer even on a band saw. Please don't try that. I'm just not in the mood to read any more accident reports. :-)

Re: Greenie cutting green

Raymond Overman in SC

>What are you looking to get out of the log? What type of lathe do you have and what kind of capacity does it have? Plan what you want out of the log before you make any cuts.

If you're looking at 10" bowl stock for your turning and you have a bandsaw with the capacity, cutting down the center line of the log with a bandsaw is an option. It would be a good idea to clamp supporting boards on each side of your blade to make a V that will prevent the log from rolling.

If you don't have a chainsaw, used ones are usually under $100 at the local pawn shop. They're not pretty and it may be a poo-lan, but they usually will start with a couple or ten pulls and they get the job done. Just respect the tool. Bill Grumbine's site discusses this method of blank making extensively. I understand his video does too.

The bow saw/crosscut saw method is slow and laborious, but you can get rid of that gym membership, it's cheap, and it's a great way to work up an appetite. This would be a good excuse to have a cold snack.

From there you can coat the end grain with anchor seal or old latex paint and sit the halves in a shady place for a year or two.

Or you could go further and cut the half a log into a circle, coat the end grain with anchor seal or old latex paint and sit the blanks in a shady place for a year or two.

Or you could go further and rough turn a bowl with the blank, coat the end grains (inside and outside) with anchorseal and set the bowl in a shady place for six months. Wrapping in a brown paper bag or wrapping in newspaper and placing it in a plastic bag is an option here as well. Turn the plastic bag inside out every few days to keep the micro-climate changing.

Or you could take the rough bowl and go through the extensively discussed and often modified alchohol drying process. Take a moment and search the archives for this one.

Or you could take the rough bowl and boil it. This can be extremely dangerous if you don't have the right size pot so be careful. Do some research for this method as well.

Or you could soak the rough bowl in a soap solution . Again search for more info.

Or you could build yourself a kiln with a few sheets of plywood, lightbulbs, insulation, thermostat and fan. Optional dehumidifier.

And the list goes on. I don't pretend to know a lot about all of these methods other than what I've read here and discussed with other wood turners. I've done a little bit of alchohol drying with some success. I can tell you, given six turners there will be five different methods of how they prepare blanks and they'll change their mind on how to do it next week. It's the golden egg of woodturning. Finishing would be the Holy Grail.

Good luck and safe turning.

Re: Greenie cutting green

DWFII

>David,

I don't mean to downplay the dangers of using a chainsaw...and if you are genuinely afraid of it, then avoidance might indeed be the best...but a chainsaw--particularly an electric (they're so lightweight)--is just a tool and not that unpredictable a tool either.

If you approach a chainsaw with caution, and make sure everything is in order on the saw--chain properly tightened, sharp, bar oil in the reservoir, etc.; and work smart with the wood--brace it so it can't roll around, avoid cutting into the ground (where there may be rocks, etc.); and don't cut into wood above your head or in an awkward position or half an inch from your knee or while bracing the wood with your foot; you shouldn't have any problems.

Again it's just a tool. And a good one. I think folks have problems when they don't respect it and get careless...or think "heck, I just put my foot here just this one time..."

It can sure save you time. And for some, without bandsaws, a chainsaw is the only alternative.

DW

In the High Desert of Central Oregon

Re: Greenie cutting green

Barry Irby

>I had an electric Reminton Chainsaw bougth at Lowes for under a $100. Some one mentioned they leak the bar oil. They do. I beleive they just leak onto the chain rather than control the flow. The main sprocket on it was plastic or composite and it wore out. They sent em a free one. It wore out again.

I replaced it with a Cr****man. Appears to be a very similar saw (made by Remington?) I'm not a fan of Cr****, but I decided to take advantage of their guarantee. I got the saw on sale and even after the twelve bucks of the two year guarantee it was less than the Remington.

Anyway, with care and gentle use, this is an excellent tool for prepping blanks. I cut them down to size and then may or may not finish the work on the band saw. You have got to start somewhere. You can almost always cut a blank with a chainsaw, but often you must start with a chainsaw before you go to the band saw.

Also, Its tough to store blanks forever. Even with anchor seal or by bagging them, they still dry, even if it is more slowly. Good technique helps, but tends to just slow the inevitable. If I rough out bowls and bag them I save about 80 to 90%, if I just hack out blanks, I lose about fifty percent. I may salvage some part of the blank, but a lot of it goes down the drain to end checks and worse. If I seal or bag them they are just dying slower.

I like the guy who said he was in the STEP Program. Still Taking Every Piece of wood. I need to catch up and turn them.

You need to find a way to prep and turn blanks that works for you.

Barry Irby.