Sweet chestnut posts

agg221 · March 27, 2011

If you look at drawknives (plenty on Ebay) you'll see that there is a wide variation in the width between the handles. You want one where the width between the handles is about the width across your stomach (that isn't the same as the blade width - you'll see the blade is quite a bit narrower and is tapered down before turning to form the tangs). If it's much less, when you're wedging the post down against yourself in a cleaving brake you can't pull the cut through to the end - you just jab yourself in the stomach with the handles. Surprisingly, you pretty much can't cut yourself across the stomach with the blade, as there isn't much muscle strength in that position - I haven't even put a mark on clothing.

Alec

Brushcutter · March 28, 2011

Thank you both for all the information. some of the trunks have cracks from the centre, only a couple have ring cracks, which sadly are the bigger ones. I put on the felling license 80m3 but there is a lot more I think. I have felled about 12 trunks giving 36 3.6m lengths for this year, and i will do more in November. the shorter bits and bobs I will try in the next few days and try some cleaving, and look for a draw knife. Any ideas on a good place to buy one near guildford or online? My plan is to get the sawmill to mill posts for the farm, and whilst there plank some oak, yew and cedar to try and sell.

I'll take some pics tommorrow

Some of those cracks maybe felling shake or drying cracks rather than proper shake. It something only experence will tell.

alex_w · March 28, 2011

Here's a few pics. I put my boot in a couple for scale!

cooks · March 28, 2011

what does felling shake look like ? that looks like tension in the first pic

agg221 · March 28, 2011

The ones in the first pic look like they should quarter OK. You need a wedge each side of the full crack first, end on. Knock them in equally, then once you've got it running well, another wedge in from the side and it will probably go straight through. If not, keep them going in. It can help to have a long wedge - I have the lower leaf of a transit leaf spring cut in half and the top end annealed. This makes a couple of 10in wedges which are narrow and good for correcting the split.

Alec

alex_w · March 30, 2011

Had a go splitting the shorter off cuts and got some good 3-5" posts out of it, although I am now acutely aware of looking out for knots! i am constructing a break to aid the cleaving, i'll posts some pics when I've done a bit

alex_w · April 18, 2011

Well we milled the posts today, and got some lovely 4x3" posts. some of the trunks sprung up a bit when being cut and some had some cracks in but the finished product looks great and much better than the peeled softwood round stakes.

We also milled some oak, Cedar and yew and a big batch of stickers.

There are a few picks showing some of the curved and wonky chesnut and how they were squared up, cut into slabs and then turned and cut into posts