Dr.Hess Posted June 16 Report Share Posted June 16 We had a bit of a storm through here a few weeks ago, and my friend lost some walnut trees. He's just going to cut them up for firewood, so I took a few pieces to (hopefully) make a gunstock or two from. They are a bit heavy. If anyone wants some before he chops them for firewood, he's in NW Arkansas. Previously, he came over while I was sick last year and cut up an elm that had been pushed down for my garage about 3-4 years prior, cut some 8' lengths and put them next to my shop. No cracks at all. The next day, there were cracks. I shot some spray paint that I had laying around on them, but it was useless. The day after that, many, many cracks. This time, my google-fu says latex paint is what you want, and I bought some at Lowes and have it on the ends already. I plan on cutting them up more or less freehand with a chain saw like this Russian does: Two Chainsaw Secrets | Turning a Tree into Perfect Boards - YouTube I'll experiment on the elm first. Otherwise, it's off to HF for an Alaskan Saw Mill attachment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inthe10ring Posted June 17 Report Share Posted June 17 I've always used wax on the end grain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Hess Posted June 17 Author Report Share Posted June 17 I've read that on the wax, but I don't have enough wax to cover 300 sq in for the logs. When I get it down to a few stock blanks, I will probably use some wax. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Hess Posted July 3 Author Report Share Posted July 3 I was looking on craigslist for a planer. I found a jointer for $20. The jointer I have I got from my father-in-law before he passed. It has no fence. I found a jointer for $20 on CL with a fence, a Rockwell yet, that had the bed welded up. I thought, hey, for $20, I don't think I can fab up a fence on the other one for that. A week later, they answered my email and I went over to look at it. They were about 2 miles from my house. You can't get there from here. It took me 20 minutes. Older gentleman selling off some of his shop stuff. There was a hand cranked forge. I asked him if he made knives and he said that he did. So I gave him $20 for the jointer. I told him what I wanted to do and he said he had a planer that he would sell. We looked at it and it was old. Real old. I figger about 1930's or 1940's at the latest. 220V, and a motor that looks like it's 10HP, but he was running it on 220 with a drier plug. We negotiated and I bought it for $175. It's a tad heavy. The two of us muscled it over to where he could pick it up with his tractor and put it in the back of my truck. I tied it down and drove the 20 minutes (2 miles direct) home. Look at that motor. It must have $175 worth of copper in it. I used my engine hoist and 2 helpers and got it out of the truck and over next to my shop. Ran 220V to the outside and got it online today: Do you have any idea how much ROMEX is today? I mean, 50 ft is like two bills for 10/3. Lowes keeps it locked up in a cage. Tried it out on some elm that I free-hand chainsaw cut from a log. I think it looks pretty good for what would have been firewood: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Hess Posted July 3 Author Report Share Posted July 3 He had a 10" Craftsman (Atlas-Clausing) lathe too. I mentioned that I had the 6" version of that. I looked over and there was a 14" by about 6' lathe. It had a gear shift for the feed. I absolutely hate having to change gears like on my 6" Craftsman, and one with a gear shift is the only way I would go. He said it came out of a ship. It looked to be about 1920's, if I had to guess. Lots of surface rust like the planer, but I fiddled with it and everything was smooth and tight. Tighter than mine. Ran on a 110V motor up high with belts down to the head. He said he would sell it for $1K. Very tempting, but I don't have the space for it, really. Wasn't sure on the size of the hole in the headstock. I want like 1.5" and it might have been a tad smaller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Hess Posted July 16 Author Report Share Posted July 16 I bought a sawmill attachment from teh amazones. It wasn't very expensive. For a reason. Not pleased with the results. With a real soft wood like pine, it would probably work, but on elm, not a chance. My friend bought a really nice sawmill attachment from teh amazones. Like $80. He put it together and I went over to his house to try it out. He bought a 24" bar and a new chain for his new Husky. We spent about 4 hours with it on one of the pieces like the ones I have pictured. Some of that time was fiddling with the attachment, some fiddling with the chain saw, etc., and sawing slabs is a slow process. It was much easier and had better results than freehanding it. This is the result: These are my gunstock blanks: They were 4" slabs that I cut down the middle to make 2 blanks. I waxed the ends of these, finally finding a use for my wife's candles. I put all of it in my garage with spacers between them and I guess I'll check them in 4 years. That one slab is 2" thick, so maybe 2 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FC Posted July 28 Report Share Posted July 28 Those Alaska sawmills are slow-going, and waste a lot of wood, but affordable. I find your planer interesting. Hopefully you don't need parts. Too bad the walnut tree fell, but I do love walnut. Was that an American elm? Not many of those left. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Hess Posted July 28 Author Report Share Posted July 28 It's an Elm. I would not know the difference between an American Elm and something else. It's native to Arkansas and I have a lot of them. I have another rather large one that is dyeing on me and will have to eventually come down. Yeah, slow going on the saw mill thing. My friend loaned the whole thing to me and I'll get after the 3 pieces I have with it. I did some google-fu on the planer. It is a Delta-Rockwell. Haven't found the year yet. The thing is built like a tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Hess Posted July 30 Author Report Share Posted July 30 My friend loaned me his chainsaw and the saw mill rig to work on the 3 pieces I have. I didn't want to borrow it. You know, some things you don't loan out: motorcycle, chainsaw. But he insisted and brought it over. I got my wife to help me with it, holding/steering the distal end while I worked the motor end. First 2 slices: Called it a day at the 2 cuts. Next up is a 4" thick piece for 2 blanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FC Posted July 31 Report Share Posted July 31 I wish you could use my 15" planer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Hess Posted July 31 Author Report Share Posted July 31 The one I bought will do 13.5", I think, by about 4.25" thick. Today's work: This is 4" thick from the center of the log. I cut it down the middle to give two blanks: Here's the end grain from one: A 2" thick slab from the next cut down: The last of that log. I think I can trim the bark off and get a 1" thick plank out of it: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FC Posted August 1 Report Share Posted August 1 I love walnut! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shootz Posted August 11 Report Share Posted August 11 I like to start earlier 🙂 https://i.postimg.cc/3xcX63kR/raw-walnut.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Hess Posted August 11 Author Report Share Posted August 11 Might take a while with that one. The tree that got blown over that I'm using was about 80 years old, give or take. I'm planning on being dead by then. I may be dead by the time these 4" thick slabs dry, given an inch a year drying time as the rule of thumb and the billionaires trying to exterminate me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Hess Posted August 25 Author Report Share Posted August 25 Finally got all three of those logs sliced up. I could get 2 cuts a day out of my wife, so it took a bit. I probably am not good for much more than 3 or 4 cuts a day, and that is much, much better than I was since the billionaires tried to exterminate me. About this time last year, I would have to rest half way up the stairs. Anyway, the logs are done. Here's the last of them: My drying stacks: Glad to be done with the cutting aspect of that. I have other stuff that needs doing, after being basically out of commission for all of last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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