jtmullet Posted April 28, 2007 Report Share Posted April 28, 2007 Well guys yesterday I came across quite a amazing find I went in to the local music store where I hang out slash work pretty much every day " Me and the guy who run the shop are good friends" anyway so me and him are outside letting Rex the shop dog out to go to the bathroom and we start hearing the buzz of chainsaws so naturally when we went inside we went and looked out the front door to what was going on and surprisingly these workers were cutting down this beutifull old tree so me and him went across the steet to find out why they were doing this. When we got threre I saw some of the most gorgeous wood I have ever seen. So we went and talked to one of the guys and he said he was cutting it down cause it was dead wich it wasn't cause there was still sap in it we asked him what they were going to do with it and he said take it to a dump sight and burn it and we were horrified we couldn't believe it. We were telling him do you know how much this is worth this beutifull wood at least a couple thousand dollars. Then he said really? even old sugar maple like this and both are ears shot up when we heard maple and I start doing math in my head cause the building the music store is in was built in 1901 so the buildings across the street probably were to and tree was big enough back in 1901 that they based the layout of the street around it so they didn't have to cut it down to as much work as possible so this maple tree was at least a couple hundred years old if not more. So we ask if we can have it he says legally I can't but after we leave what ever you guys do is fine and what ever is here monday gets taken away. So we wait till they leave and we head over with his trailer that he uses to haul gear and take as many limbs as we can get then me and him worked for about 2 hours to get the gig daddy the stump this thing is about 5 ft. in diameter and probably ways 2 tons but with the aid of my dads big car jack we finally got it in there. But the real story is living in this tree were 2 baby blue jays that had ben abandoned so I grabbed them and took them home. I fed them some baby bird formula I got at petco then this morning I took them to the local nature center where from there they will take them to a animal sanctuary where they will take care of them and release them back to the wild when they get old enough. p.s. Does ayone have any information sugar maple as far as guitars go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyManAndy Posted April 28, 2007 Report Share Posted April 28, 2007 That is an amazing find! Pics would be awesome! Sugar maple is a hard maple. It can be used as pretty much any part of the guitar, neck, fretboard, top, or even as the body wood. Congrats, CMA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattia Posted April 28, 2007 Report Share Posted April 28, 2007 Perfectly good wood, Sugar maple, but get it cut up and stickered and airing NOW if you dont' want staining, checking, and lots of wood loss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpa Posted April 28, 2007 Report Share Posted April 28, 2007 If its the hard maple variety I would consider what its mostly used for on guitars and then get the part(s) of the tree that contain those prime cuts. You mentioned limbs and stump, what about the part thats in between? Quartersawn or flatsawn from the trunk is ideal for solid guitar necks. If you can salvage a trunk section thats reasonable straight and about 3.5 feet long (option for neckthrus ) it would be worth it. Show us some pics of what you got so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtmullet Posted April 29, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 29, 2007 Yeah I wil get pics first thing monday and post them that evening right now all the wood is over at the music store because that much wood can't be transported to easilly so about how long do I have to get it cut before problems. Also if I am going to be able to get more I will have to cut it in smaller pieces so how would I cut it shape wise as to not lose any good guitar pieces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cherokee6 Posted April 29, 2007 Report Share Posted April 29, 2007 Good find! Good luck with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted April 29, 2007 Report Share Posted April 29, 2007 Cut it as quickly as possible, as long length and wide width as possible, then wax the end grain as quickly as possible and stack & sticker it as quickly as possible. ASAP. Get as much of the trunk as you can, that's where the best stuff is. You can hire guys with portable bandsaws that will slice it up properly (and might work for a fraction of the take), or you can rent a chainsaw and go to it. Cut it up so that the boards are quartersawn, like this: Then stack them so that the wedge tips are pointing in opposite directions to dry. I'd try to cut it so that the thicknesses are at least 2" over most of the width of the board. Stack, then wait a few years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtmullet Posted May 1, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 1, 2007 Hey sorry guys my digitat camera went capootski today I'll see if I can't barrow a friends tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aidlook Posted May 1, 2007 Report Share Posted May 1, 2007 Cut it as quickly as possible, as long length and wide width as possible, then wax the end grain as quickly as possible and stack & sticker it as quickly as possible. ASAP. Get as much of the trunk as you can, that's where the best stuff is. You can hire guys with portable bandsaws that will slice it up properly (and might work for a fraction of the take), or you can rent a chainsaw and go to it. Cut it up so that the boards are quartersawn, like this: Then stack them so that the wedge tips are pointing in opposite directions to dry. I'd try to cut it so that the thicknesses are at least 2" over most of the width of the board. Stack, then wait a few years. That's not quartersawn...that's riftsawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattia Posted May 1, 2007 Report Share Posted May 1, 2007 Cut it as quickly as possible, as long length and wide width as possible, then wax the end grain as quickly as possible and stack & sticker it as quickly as possible. ASAP. Get as much of the trunk as you can, that's where the best stuff is. You can hire guys with portable bandsaws that will slice it up properly (and might work for a fraction of the take), or you can rent a chainsaw and go to it. Cut it up so that the boards are quartersawn, like this: Then stack them so that the wedge tips are pointing in opposite directions to dry. I'd try to cut it so that the thicknesses are at least 2" over most of the width of the board. Stack, then wait a few years. That's not quartersawn...that's riftsawn No, it's not. That'll give ou wedged billets, and is how bowed instrument wood has been processed for centuries, ditto acoustic guitar tops in Spruce or Cedar. And you don't get more quartered than that. Traditional 'quartersawing' is literally cutting the chunk into quarters, but this too is quartered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted May 1, 2007 Report Share Posted May 1, 2007 http://www.launstein.com/flooring/plane-and-quarter.html Here's a good example of the grain direction for the quartersawn log. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aidlook Posted May 1, 2007 Report Share Posted May 1, 2007 Looks riftsawn to me though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick500 Posted May 1, 2007 Report Share Posted May 1, 2007 Hmm... the middle one looks quartersawn to me, and the one on the right (mostly) riftsawn, despite the captions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattia Posted May 1, 2007 Report Share Posted May 1, 2007 The 'riftsawn' example contians more quartered boards than the 'quartersawn' one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted May 1, 2007 Report Share Posted May 1, 2007 Yeah...I think those captions are reversed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
another doug Posted May 1, 2007 Report Share Posted May 1, 2007 Is it possible that the captions refer to the method of sawing, rather than the grain orientation of the finished piece? My knowledge is limited, but from what I've read it seems that, in the picture labeled "plainsawn," the middle boards actually end up quartersawn, the outside boards end up flatsawn, and the ones in between end up rift-sawn. (EDIT: Just realized that the method IS what you're talking about. Boy am I slow today!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpa Posted May 1, 2007 Report Share Posted May 1, 2007 (edited) There are elements of rift, quarter and flat (aka slab or plain) sawn in all of those cuts. A few quartersawn pieces can be salvaged from a flat sawn log, ie. those pieces that are perpendicular to the center. Totally quartersawing is the most wasteful but provides the most stable pieces of wood. Heres another example to confuse you. Any piece of lumber with the grain structure running straight across the thinnest dimension is considered "quartersawn". Edited May 1, 2007 by Southpa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aidlook Posted May 2, 2007 Report Share Posted May 2, 2007 I'm really no expert on this, and with the internet you know that all information can't be trusted. So I might be wrong, and the captions might be reveresed, however wouldn't the one that is actually chopped up into quarters most likely be called quartersawn? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
another doug Posted May 2, 2007 Report Share Posted May 2, 2007 I did a fair amount of googling yesterday, and it seems to me that the diagram is correct. All diagrams of the quarter-sawing method either looked like that or like this (which, if I recall correctly, is like the one in MYOEG). The confusing thing is that the method in your diagram labeled "riftsawn" seems to yield more of what we would consider quartersawn lumber, and quartersawing appears to yield more rift-sawn (or at least that's what I've seen them called) boards than rift-sawing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orgmorg Posted May 2, 2007 Report Share Posted May 2, 2007 There are a few different methods of quartersawing a log. The diagram aidlook posted shows two of them, the two on the right. The one on the left is usually called "through and through" sawing, which yields mostly plainsawn boards. Most hardwood you will encounter is plainsawn, and the boards are cut from all four sides of the log, turning it 90 deg after each cut or two. The middle pattern, the one labelled "riftsawn" is called "true" quartersawing, and is the most wasteful, so not used much. The other pattern shown is used more, but produces less "true" quartered lumber, the smaller boards being more rift sawn. If this log is as big as you say it is, or even if it is "only" 3 feet in diameter, it is a good candidate for quartersawing. Depending on the sawmill, logs this size often have to be ripped into quarters with a big chainsaw anyway just to fit them in the mill. Keep in mind that a commercial sawmill probably won't take any logs from city trees, because they often contain metal. A portable sawmill operator may or may not saw it. Usually they will, but you will be charged extra for every time they hit metal, typically $20. As old as that tree is, and considering where it is located, you can count on it having plenty of stuff in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samba Pa Ti Posted May 3, 2007 Report Share Posted May 3, 2007 just out of interest what sortof metal would be in a tree ? screws and nails ? or somthing else ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpa Posted May 3, 2007 Report Share Posted May 3, 2007 (edited) Trees that have grown in residential areas, like backyards especially near the fenceline are likely candidates. Screws, nails, wire fence staples get overgrown / embedded and can screw up a fast moving blade mighty quick. In most cases the owner of the wood is responsible for buying the sawyer a new blade and / or pay for any other damage. I was looking into getting a holly log cut up and only found one taker who was game for running it through his wood-mizer (large gas powered bandsaw on a trailer). Edited May 3, 2007 by Southpa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orgmorg Posted May 3, 2007 Report Share Posted May 3, 2007 Yep, screws, nails, fence, clothesline pulleys, water pipes, tree stand hardware, ceramic insulators ( those are the worst! ) the list goes on... Bullets, buckshot, and slugs aren't a big deal, because they are soft, but curses be upon the well meaning amateur tree surgeons who fill holes with concrete. I keep a metal detector handy for suspicious logs. If it's worth it, I dig out the trash as I find it. If not, I cut it up for firewood. I don't mean to scare you off of this. Your tree sounds like it is worth the risk involved. I just wanted to let you know what you may be getting into. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted May 4, 2007 Report Share Posted May 4, 2007 There has been some really crazy storms coming through north Texas lately. The last one knocked over many many trees in my neighborhood. I got a couple pieces from my neighbors and not sure what to do with it, but it's better in my yard than blocking the road. Click to enlarge! So, I have no idea what to do with it. I've got an idea of how to cut this stuff with my bandsaw, but I'm not sure if that's such a great idea to do since it's not industrial / too powerful. Obviously I wouldn't be able to quarter the stuff. I went over the top of one with the orbital to give an idea of how it looks. So any tips on cutting the stuff and how to seal it and I'd be very greatful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiKro Posted May 4, 2007 Report Share Posted May 4, 2007 (edited) There has been some really crazy storms coming through north Texas lately. The last one knocked over many many trees in my neighborhood. I got a couple pieces from my neighbors and not sure what to do with it, but it's better in my yard than blocking the road. >snip< So, I have no idea what to do with it. I've got an idea of how to cut this stuff with my bandsaw, but I'm not sure if that's such a great idea to do since it's not industrial / too powerful. Obviously I wouldn't be able to quarter the stuff. I went over the top of one with the orbital to give an idea of how it looks. So any tips on cutting the stuff and how to seal it and I'd be very greatful!Jon, Pm me or better still, call me on my cell. Will discuss how to cut that up. Mike Edited May 4, 2007 by MiKro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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