20" oak, small saw, is possible?

[neiln]

i had a 20/22" DBH oak felled in my back garden 18 months go and got the bottom 10' of trunk bucked into 3x 3'6" pieces while the rest has been processed for firewood. I kept the trunk as I had a vague idea of 'wouldn't it be nice to make some really chunky beams or possibly some big cubes to use as seats'. Well, the wood has sat there and I've got no further with attempting anything. I'm trying to workout, is there a way I can attempt this with the basic tools i have or is it a daft idea....and I should just buck, split, season and burn the trunk?

 

I've only got a little saw, a ms180 with a 14" bar, so any 'proper' milling is out. Have I got any hope of roughly milling a chinky beam free hand? I thought if i could get close with the saw, then move it to the shed to season further, then build a frame and finish the sides smooth with a router, and a lot of patience.

 

Is it worth trying? Or any suggestions to make it more doable? (not including buy a big saw, that isn't gong to happen...fiancee would not approve!)

[headgroundsman]

Why not use a hammer and wedges to get it split to start

[Couldyajust]

A small saw & steady hand will do the job but it is painfully slow compared to using a more powerful saw. Very sharp chain and cut slowly (stopping and coming back to it later if needed) so the saw doesn't overheat.

[neiln]

happy to go slow, do it in stints...its easy to walk across the lawn and go at it for a few minutes then buck a bit of firewood of an evening. Thinking a 16" bar (max for the ms180) and a loop of full chisel might help a little?

If i cut a kerf on the end then drove in wedges what is the chance of splitting it? I guess at 3'6" I'd need to drive wedges in along its length as the split started to run? hmm...i'll need more than the couple of wedges i have....guess I cold make some from some of the oak from the rest of the tree. what control of the split would i have? very little I presume? would a deep kerf cut down the length help to direct the split?

[headgroundsman]

I have split oak for gate posts. Most will split fairly straight. Yes you could make some wooden wedges. Don't try to control the split too much just follow the grain

[TheHungrySquirrel]

Where are you based?

[agg221]

What section do you want to finish up with?

 

The biggest square you can get from 20" dia is 14". This would be boxed heart so very strong but would split to the core giving a rustic look.

 

If you want a section less than half this width then splitting with wedges first would be a good option. Splits run radially to the centre so you can split a half, a quarter or a wedge.

 

For removing the rest, I would be inclined to use a chalkline to mark up the lines and then cut to shape with a sideaxe (if your fiancee will allow you one ) - much cheaper than a big saw and very satisfying once you've got the hang of it. I find reasonably fast too - not as fast as milling with a big saw but not too slow for squaring up so long as you keep the axe razor sharp.

 

Plenty of videos showing how to on Youtube, such as:

 

[ame]

[/ame]

[ame]

[/ame]

 

Alec

[neiln]

I'm based in south london, near crystal palace.

 

I was kind of hoping to do a large cuboid, biggest possible, from the heart wood. offering up a tape measure i thought something about 15"x15", or 14"x16" might be possible. I saw something similar at a house/design show being used as a bench and thought it looked striking. Also thinking of somthing smaller from one of the pieces, 8"x10" maybe, as a mantle piece. A mantle over the wood burner, milled from an oak from the garden....a talking piece in an otherwise unremarkable south london semi?

 

Hmm, hadn't thought about using an axe. Fiancee morelikely to go for that purchase....she did get me a new splitting axe for christmas (fiskars x27....yay!) Bet oak is harder than that pine though.

 

Oh and if it matters, it was a Turkey Oak, not an English.

[agg221]

It matters that your oak was a Turkey Oak if you want to use it outside and have it last a long time without treatment - either the Sessile or Pendunculate will last extremely well but Turkey doesn't except in salt water. It will do very nicely for indoor work though, which also means the sapwood will be usable.

 

Oak whilst green is very easy to work with hand tools - easier than that rather dry piece of pine. There is an art to hewing which requires finding your rhythm but once you have it, is very satisfying.

 

Gransfors Bruks make some really nice side axes, with a side or centre bevel, but if you want something cheaper they pop up on Ebay. Try searching for "side axe", "bearded axe" or "broad axe". Quite a few decent ones seem to pop up in Bulgaria and Slovenia.

 

Alec

[neiln]

Great thanks for the advice and ideas.