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Got a lovely huge beech tree in the garden which is being chopped down tomorrow. I've asked the sawist to keep one chunk around 130cm long and was hoping to take it to a sawmill and get it turned into slabs around 3 inches thick by 40cm wide by 130 cm. I think that I can get it to the roadside by using some of the smaller branches as rollers (like an Egyptian).
But then assuming I somehow manage to get it along the street and into our garden, the following questions arise:
Will the sawmill laugh at me if I turn up with a pissy little chunk of wood and ask him to slab it for me?
And most importantly, do I get it sawn before or after it has seasoned? And assuming the latter, how long do I need to season it and how is that best done?
cheers
It needs to be milled into planks to help the seasoning.
You might get someone with a mobile mill to come to you, but I'm not sure about costs.
You probably want a chunk of the stem longer than 130 to give you a bit of leeway.
For mor info, get on Arbtalk and ask there or speak to the arb who is felling it, he may know someone with a mobile mill.
Pics when it's down please.
Firstly check the log isn't full of faults or shakes – spalting can be great (IMO) but beech (especially larger sections) has a tendency to have some hidden surprises. Ask the guy felling it as he may have an eye for likely suspects. Keep the piece as large as possible to account for plenty of waste. Leave it in the log to get the moisture content down before taking it to a yard and getting them to mill it (or get a portable chain or bandsaw mill to do it if the former is impossible). They should know how to get the best from the log – cutting to minimise waste or maximise the figure. Don't get it cut to your finished sizes (or even close) as it'll likely check in the ends and probably move whilst it dries. Leave it in stick to air dry for at least another year or two – typical rule of thumb for native UK hardwoods in average locations is 1 year per inch of thickness, though beech is usually more rapid than this and local climate/ stack conditions will make this vary – until the moisture content is 20% or lower, then it's getting near to ready to use (if you want lower moisture content then bringing it indoors somewhere like a drafty dry garage can help from this point onwards). Only then get it thicknessed/ machined / sawn to sizes you intend to work from.
Will a sawmill laugh at you? Depends – loads of mills don't do much hardwood processing (and loads basically buy everything in from abroad nowadays and do minimal drying or machining jobs) and you're right that it's a pretty small job that won't be particularly lucrative. A small yard would likely see you right though, if you can find one local to you. Otherwise you can always dig a saw pit, find a buddy and do it old school style... 😉
I have a copy of this book: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Soul-Tree-Woodworkers-Reflections/dp/1568363958
It's a beautiful book, the level of craftsmanship is superb, and it might give you a few neat ideas.
George Nakashima uses thick slices right through tree stumps, flaws and all, using 'butterfly' ties to prevent splits from growing larger.
Highly recommended.
You want 8-12% moisture content before you actually go making it into anyting if you want to be sure it won't warp once it gets in your nice dry centrally heated house.