Thinking about having a go

[pinhead]

Normally me and a friend just chop firewood for our own use this comes from the farm that we both work on over hanging branches falen trees bit of thinning it the wooded areas 

 

Any how we have a large oak that has come down in the corner of a field (think it was hit by lightning) and some of the limbs seem to be too good to just burn 

So came the idea of making something from it and the first thing I fancy is making a bar top for the water ski club that I am a member of and we are in the middle of a new clubhouse build 

My mate would also like a mantle for his house 

So this 1 limb that I brought back to the farm yard is about 2 foot wide And the straight part about 13 feet I need to make more than 13ft so I need 2 that I can flip to match the grain I would like to leave a natural edge 1 side and square it off the other 

Now I have jumped in a bit and bought a cheapo eco style mill from eBay it from the Scottish company that makes ramps 

 

Now I need a bar and chain the biggest saw we have  is an 064 but it only has a 20" bar so that won't be big enough I was thinking about getting a 36" low pro bar and chain from Rob d along with the correct sprocket 

Is their anything else I have missed will the 064 be man enough basically any advise 

[Daniël Bos]

Well, first of all I would not mill large limbs...
If you think of the position it was in when the tree was upright, and the amount of tension it was in to counteract gravity you can imagine the amount of movement you can expect when drying.

[billpierce]

Well, first of all I would not mill large limbs...
If you think of the position it was in when the tree was upright, and the amount of tension it was in to counteract gravity you can imagine the amount of movement you can expect when drying.

This true.

However for a rustic bar and fireplace a split or two or crack may be acceptable?


064 will be fine on a 36 lo pro. Not the fastest but fine id say....

[pinhead]

Thanks guys I want to give this a go so I will put an order in with Rob D for a bar chain and sprocket next week some time 

I am not sure how this limb sat on the tree I have a gut feeling it it was possibly a forked trunk and went up but I don'

[pinhead]

don't remember how the tree looked it was in the corner of a field I don't get to much and when we got to it we did not look at it too much just thought about best way to get it off the field most of the tree is still on the grass strip we will go back to it sometime after Xmas when we are quiet 

[pinhead]

The fact that it may want to warp quite badly is one reason I want to do this sooner rather than later to get it seasoned before its needed 

Would a thicker slab be less or more likely to warp 

[Rough Hewn]

It's going to warp and crack whatever you do.
Don't worry, it's your first time milling.
Enjoy the experience and start looking for your next saw log.
[emoji106]

[Haironyourchest]

Oak is notorious for warpadge, even factory made composite boards will warp when taken out of the plastic wrapper and exposed to different temp& humidity conditions. I milled some 2" thick boards similar to what you describe, havn't used them yet but was thinking rustic steps. For a bartop, I would cut an inch thicker than you need them, stack and let season, then mill again, at least on one face, to flatten out. Any cracks can be filled with clear epoxy and sanded before finishing, actually looks really cool. For a bar counter they will have to be pretty flat as wobbly pints will cause vexation.

[CDMR]

As hairy says, for long term stability you really need to mill the wood flat once it has dried. Ideally you would plank it over size by an inch or more, dry it to an MC lower than it will eventually be and then let it come up to the MC you need and then mill it. There are some good videos on youtube on flattening slabs with a router.

 

I recently made a kitchen work top that was planked at two inch thick from a dead tree five years ago and dried indoors ever since. I then flattened it and bonded it to 18mm thick marine ply, used alternating grains to balance each other and the bloody thing has still warped when back in a non centrally heated house.

 

If you are planning on book matching the grain you also need to think about how you joint the slabs as the warp of one board will be the mirror image of the other and naturally want to pull the joint apart. You may even want to think about some butterfly joints across the join.

 

When you consider the labour involved it does lead you to think about using the least likely to warp bit of timber you can find. That's not to say there is no use for what you have, just that it may have better applications where stability is less critical.

 

Edited November 24, 2017 by CDMR
forgot a thing

[pinhead]

I said to myself at the start if I don't get anything I can use what have I lost the wood has cost nothing and I will hopefully learn something 

I think I will cut it 3" thick so I can flatten it if need be later on 

I should be able to get away with out book matching if I take the widest boards they should be wide enough possibly one either side of the very middle to avoid the heart wood 

Edited November 24, 2017 by pinhead