Where to Get Free Logs Start-up sawmiller gets advice on working with sources of free sawlogs. October 4, 2007
Où obtenir des journaux gratuits Un jeune exploitant de scierie reçoit des conseils sur la façon de travailler avec des sources de grumes gratuites. 4 octobre 2007
Sawing Cherry for Quality Sawmillers advise on how to get the best quality lumber out of a Cherry saw-log. July 30, 2007
Chain Saw Tooth Modifications for Ripping Detailed, specialized advice on chain selection and tooth grinding and sharpening for chainsaws used to rip logs into rough thicknesses. April 20, 2011
Kiln Control Technology and Drying Parameters This mostly hypothetical discussion develops into a back-and-forth about whether wood stress should be used as a determining factor in kiln control systems. June 13, 2014
A Butt Log Identification Puzzle Are these logs American Beechnut, Red Elm, Butternut, or what? In this long and detailed thread, sawmillers discuss the characteristics that could be clues. November 16, 2011
Log Volume Charts for International 1/4-inch and Scribner log volume. May 4, 2001
Developing Software to Calculate Wood Kiln Schedules The wood drying process is complex, and involves many inter-related variables. So creating software to determine drying schedules is a challenge. June 13, 2014
Controlling Drying Conditions and Monitoring Progress Here's a lively, sometimes contentious, and very informative thread about how to ensure quality control when drying lumber in a variety of different kiln types with different control systems and instrumentation. July 16, 2012
Vacuum, Dehumidification, and Microwaves — in One Kiln? Here's a long, highly speculative, but informative discussion of the concept of using microwaves, vacuum, and dehumidification for drying wood in a prototype kiln. April 20, 2011
Electronic RH sensors Can electronic relative humidity sensors stand up to the elements in dry kilns? May 2, 2001
Analyzing Wood Species, Grain, and Sawing Methods Here's a long and complex (but very informative) thread that starts off with a wood identification problem, moves into a discussion of wood pore structure, and then takes off on an interesting tangent about quartersawing, flatsawing, and other methods for piecing out a log. March 22, 2013
Finding the Value in "Low Grade" Wood A long and insightful discussion, with photos, about how to use (and sell) wood that is officially graded low. June 18, 2009
Crowns on Band Wheels Why do crowns exist, and do they improve band tracking? January 29, 2004
Wood and Water An excerpt from Gene Wengert's book, "Drying Oak Lumber." May 31, 2001
Cupping and Bowing in Resawn Stock Furnituremakers discuss drying issues such as casehardening that can cause lumber to move when ripped or re-sawn. April 18, 2015
Calculating the weight of lumber Formulas, detailed instructions and species-specific charts from Professor Gene Wengert. May 3, 2001
Is Kiln Drying to 7% Worth It? Why kiln dry wood to 7% moisture content when it will gain moisture in storage? Here's an informative thread about proper drying targets and storage based on the intended end use of the lumber. December 31, 2013
Troubleshooting a Chainsaw Mill Motor Chainsaw's getting cranky when it's running hot — what's up with that? Find out here — this forum knows chainsaw motors. April 20, 2011
What Does "Old Growth" Mean The sawing and drying forum discusses what "old growth" means when used to describe lumber, and what qualities "old growth" wood may or may not have. May 14, 2006
What is heart pine? History and how heart pine is defined today. October 30, 2003
Log Handling Solutions Loading and turning monster logs can really knock a small bandmill around. Here are tips on some subtle forms of log persuasion. February 12, 2007
Self Air-Drying Versus Kiln-Drying Carefully air-drying wood yourself may be preferable to trusting the load to a less-than-perfect kiln-drying operation. January 18, 2011
Warp in Drying Causes and cures for warpage when drying lumber. May 4, 2001
Sawing Utility Poles Information on the wood species and treatment chemicals found in utility poles. May 11, 2005
When the Customer Wants to "Help" You Saw Long, spirited exchange on the tricky situations created when you let a sawmilling customer help with the work. December 12, 2008
Low-Budget Log Handling Sawmillers discuss winches, trailers, and other sophisticated and economically optimal implements of log manipulation. April 10, 2007
Good Felling Practices This article from Sawmill & Woodlot Magazine tells you how to take 'em down safely. September 22, 2001
Calculating board feet The board footage debate rages on--Professor Wengert and others offer up methods of calculation. June 24, 2001
Troubleshooting Drying Stress Some general instruction about the causes of drying stress for the owner of a dehumidifier kiln. April 2, 2013
Log scale and overrun Different types of scales, formulas and methods of figuring overrun. January 28, 2002
Solar Electric for Kiln Fans Kiln builders kick around ideas for an all-solar kiln using passive solar heat and photovoltaic panel-powered fans for air movement. January 28, 2014
Sawmill Truck Show and Tell Photos and descriptions of sawmill log and service trucks and loading systems, with the stories behind them. September 5, 2011
Cherry Log: Quartersaw or Flatsaw? Appearance would argue for flatsawn, stability for quartersawn — but it's more complicated than that. October 1, 2010
Mini-Scragg Mill Productivity A long, detailed discussion of what a small scragg mill can produce under various conditions, and whether it can make money for the owner. July 3, 2008
Sawmilling, Work, Love, and Money Here's some thoughtful discussion about work, the love of work, and the value of money, set off by a posting from a guy who misses his sawmill. January 25, 2010
Confusing Lumber Term: "Sap and Better?" Experts and wood buyers and sellers discuss the meaning of some obscure lumber grading terms — such as "Sap/BTR" for white-wood Maple. April 20, 2011
Obtaining and Handling Logs Sawmill operators discuss ways to get free logs from contractors clearing land, and ways of loading and transporting the logs. August 31, 2005
Old Timber Mystery: Creosote, or What? The Woodweb detectives discuss old growth Heart Pine, younger Longleaf Pine, the hazard of creosote, and related topics. August 18, 2009
Why Insulate a Solar Kiln? A long discussion delving into the mechanics of how a solar kiln creates proper conditions for drying wood. January 28, 2014
Tree Harvesting on Swampy Land Here is an argumentative, but also informative, thread about whether and how to extract useful wood from a plot of ground that is impassably wet during summer. June 14, 2014
Drying Ash Flooring Kiln-drying is essential to kill bugs and achieve the proper low moisture content for stability in service. May 11, 2005
What's a Chainsaw Mill Good For? Chainsaw mills have their particular strengths. Here's a long discussion on how to get good use out of one. March 31, 2008
Sawing Techniques for Cherry Pros explain how to go about getting the best lumber from some nice cherry logs. July 28, 2006
Harvesting Urban Lumber For some, turning urban and suburban trees into useable lumber can be a successful niche business. July 30, 2007
Three-Phase Power from a Generator Sawmill operators discuss the technical issues posed by running power-hungry three-phase electric equipment off a generator, as compared with the costs of getting utility power to the site. August 30, 2007
Calculating moisture content Using a hygrometer and calculator to determine the MC of kiln samples. September 2, 2002
Acid Condensation Issues with Drying Kilns This discussion of drying Oak for iron-and-wood furniture purposes takes an interesting detour into a discussion of acidic conditions in wood and kilns. October 15, 2010
Milling large logs Techniques for sizing down logs too large for the mill. December 22, 2002
Troubleshooting a Slipping Drive on a Bandmill Motor's running but the blade's not moving — what's wrong with this picture? Take a tour through the drive train and find out ... April 20, 2011
Aging yellow cedar Attaining the look of naturally aged yellow cedar. September 2, 2002
Urban Tree: Wasted Opportunity? A photo of an Elm tree about to be chipped on the National Mall in D.C. sets off a discussion of the value (subjective and market) of urban trees and yard trees. May 11, 2011
Eradicating an Insect Infestation A load of insect-infested reclaimed wood may have contaminated a whole operation. What to do? April 20, 2011
Heat Sources for a Dehumidifying Kiln A discussion of the safety and practicality of various ways to heat air for a dehumidification kiln. November 14, 2009
Ripping and Re-Gluing to Limit Cupping The Wood Doc weighs in on the old-timer technique of ripping and re-gluing boards in order to lessen moisture-related cupping. February 19, 2008
Rough lumber dimensions Understanding basic lumber dimensions and how to calculate board footage. April 20, 2001
Temperature, Humidity, and Drying Some generic head-scratching over relative humidity and the heat required to dry wood under various conditions. April 10, 2007
Checking Concerns with Massive Wood Posts A custom home project calls for 15-inch-wide solid timber posts. Here's a discussion of the inevitable checking that will occur, and how to minimize it. November 13, 2005
Drying with Moderate Heat Here's info on how various types of wood will respond to conditions in a home-built drying room that doesn't get much warmer than 120°F. There's a useful lecture here on how case-hardening occurs. May 16, 2008
Drive Train Protection for a Sawmill Pros debate the ins and outs of a slip clutch versus a shear pin to protect the power train of a sawmill driven by a tractor's power takeoff. January 27, 2007
Ambient Humidity and Wood Moisture Content A problem of wood warping in a dry basement storage area leads to a discussion of temperature, relative humidity, and wood moisture. July 10, 2007
Using a Corn Drier as a Kiln Lumber drying is a controlled process, that an agricultural corn dryer probably cannot accomplish correctly. February 15, 2009
Mobile Wood-Burning Kiln Is a wood-fired, movable lumber drying kiln feasible? Here are some ideas. July 13, 2006
Automatic vents for solar kiln Can vents be left open at night or must they be controlled? (Sawing and Drying Forum) April 29, 2003
Thick Slabbing Versus Edging Sawyers debate the decision: saw and edge for grade, or start by slabbing to create a square cant? Many factors enter into the choice. August 21, 2006
Spalting Tips and Tricks A question about how to get rid of a bad batch of spalted Maple leads to a nice discussion of different ways to spalt wood, with photos. April 15, 2012
Another Wood Identification Mystery The Woodweb detective team works on another wood identification case (probably Maple, this time). March 28, 2010
"Intermediate Conditioning" in the Drying Kiln Is it a good idea to add moisture to a kiln for a period during the middle of the drying cycle, in order to relieve casehardening stress? June 13, 2014
Cupping, Bowing KD VG WR Cedar? More fun with wood moisture: Figuring out why some supposedly kiln-dried cedar boards cupped and bowed after being resawn and planed. January 26, 2008
Surfacing Thin Walnut Boards What's an efficient way to re-saw and plane (or sand) quarter-inch thick boards? Pros share tips and techniques for reliably achieving a smooth surface. June 20, 2005
Straightening Thin Dowels A woodworker struggles with a crooked dowel problem in a mass production setting. October 1, 2010
Milling Big Logs and Root Balls This is a very basic discussion of investing in a chainsaw mill for cutting large butt logs, but it has some nice photos in it.March 13, 2014
Relating Lumber Grade Selection to End Use Which grade you should buy depends on what you're making. If you're willing to trim, cut, and select, a lower grade may serve your needs well. February 19, 2013
Durability of Eastern Red Cedar Short answer: it's the heartwood that is rot-resistant. But you'll learn more than that from this discussion. April 11, 2008
Air-Drying and Kiln-Drying 8/4 Oak Experts and kiln owners discuss the proper drying schedule and the best equipment for drying thick Red Oak boards. August 13, 2014
Finding woodlot property lines Techniques for determining where your property lines lie when they're obscured by brush. September 19, 2001
Regaining MC in overdry wood Is machinability lost when lumber has been overdried, then had moisture put back in? May 17, 2003
Using Outdoor Cold for Drying Dehumidification Unlike a powered dehumidifier, a cold kiln wall dumps heat to the outdoors, and so expends energy just as venting does. Here's a long discussion of alternatives to heat for kiln drying, and why they're mostly not practical. April 10, 2007
Is it Worth Kiln-Drying Firewood? Considering the cost of kiln construction and energy inputs versus the value of extra-dry firewood, it's hard to see how the dollars make sense. January 27, 2008
Air-drying oak Can a suitable MC for cabinet construction be reached? February 6, 2002
Evaluating a Down Oregon White Oak Sawyers advise a colleague on how to assess the quality of lumber he's likely to get from a White Oak that has been on the ground for two years. July 10, 2007
Green barn siding Making board and batten siding from freshly sawn lumber. June 19, 2003
Sizing Up a Kiln This question about how to assess the worth of a used kiln leads to a discussion of kiln technology in general, including the different requirements for drying softwoods and hardwoods. October 17, 2012
Lumber Choices for Trailer Decking White Oak is the top choice for decking a truck or trailer, but other woods get some votes in this thread. March 4, 2009
Thick Dried Cherry Thoughts on drying a large chunk of Cherry in order to make a custom clock, including a brief discussion of alcohol drying methods. March 26, 2013
Drying wood in a tent Recommendations on how to use the sun's rays and a plastic tent to dry lumber. November 7, 2001
Accuracy and Tolerances in Humidity Measurement in a Drying Kiln Super precision is rarely critical in wood drying, but reasonable accuracy is helpful. Here's a discussion of RH measuring precision, and its importance for maintaining proper real-world kiln conditions. July 29, 2012
Marketing Spalted Pecan Beautifully figured spalted Pecan wood is a valuable material, but the niche market is a little tricky to sell in. May 9, 2007
Logging Equipment Essential equipment for a small-scale logging operation. April 25, 2001
Choosing a Moisture Meter A well-informed discussion comparing the cost and characteristics of various pin and pinless moisture meters. October 11, 2012
Drying Oak Lumber: Step 4A, Air Drying Flat, solid support, maintaining an optimal air flow, and protecting the pile from re-wetting by rain are the keys to quality results when air-drying sawn lumber. August 27, 2012
Sawing and Drying Sweet Gum Sweet Gum is a troublesome wood to work with because of its tendency to twist and move, but the effort can be worth it for some uses. February 14, 2010
Recovering Lumber from Tree-Service Oak Logs A woodworker has a tree-service friend who is looking at some fine old oak trees that need to come down. Here, sawmillers discuss the market and the milling choices for that nice wood. July 28, 2006
Sawing Walnut: Sapwood and Heartwood Here's a discussion about the proportions of heartwood and sapwood in a Walnut log, drying methods, and the value of both for furniture, bowls, et cetera. May 15, 2012
Re-Drying Kiln Dried Lumber An architectural woodwork mill gets advice on acclimating stock before machining it. December 9, 2010
Typical Lumber Thickness Variation Rough sawing produces lumber of variable thickness that has to be planed to finish dimensions. But how much variation is normal — and what causes it? May 13, 2013
Sawing "Select" Graded Lumber from Tie Logs A discussion of grading standards for "select" hardwood lumber, and whether it's a good buy as byproduct from sawing railroad ties. February 4, 2011
Causes of Shake Bacteria is what causes shake in trees. September 24, 2003
Making Raggle Boards Suggestions on how to tool up for volume production of raggle sticks, and speculation about what a raggle stick is. March 9, 2010
Storing Wood in a Subtropical Climate Thoughts on how to keep air-dried lumber sawn on site from decaying while stored for a season or two — in Nicaragua June 22, 2012
Fine-Tuning Log Scale Estimates Log scales are a tried and true standard for estimating board feet. But here's a discussion on improving the accuracy of specific estimates for particular jobs at the bandsaw mill. August 3, 2009
Advantages of Taper Sawing Sawing parallel to the bark produces higher-quality boards. Here's an explanation, with some how-to tips. October 29, 2008
Mixed-Species Loads and Moisture Equalization Kiln-drying Spruce and Fir together creates difficulty, because they dry at radically different rates and because there is moisture transfer between boards. June 13, 2014
Value of Walnut Sawlogs What is a nice standing walnut tree worth as saw timber? That depends on many factors. January 11, 2007
Yield Loss in Ripped-One-Edge Lumber A woodworker who has ordered a delivery of random length and width wood ripped on one edge and surfaced on two sides wants to know how much wood he can really expect to get. April 27, 2007
Is Vacuum Dried Wood Stronger? With so many variables to control, it's hard to be sure whether any particular drying system gives better results in terms of wood properties. October 29, 2012
Chainsaw-Driven Bandmills Is a chainsaw motor a good choice for powering a bandsaw mill? September 10, 2007
Why is Walnut Purple Sometimes? The purple color of some Walnut boards is natural. Here's more background with comments and observations from woodworkers. February 16, 2014
Solar Kiln Collector Design Keep it simple: as long as the wood is protected from direct sunlight, painting the kiln interior black works as well as more complicated heat-absorbing rigs. July 28, 2006
End Checking in Beech Blocks Drying cracks in imported Beech blocks may be the re-opening of existing cracks, related to changes in atmospheric relative humidity. November 27, 2007
Chain-Saw Milling For small-scale production on a budget, a furniture-maker reports good results from a chain-saw mill. October 15, 2010
Twisty Trees are Trouble Sawyer lore says the logs with the left-handed twist are best left to rot. April 20, 2011
Case Hardening Explained A semi-technical discussion about how the wood drying process can create stresses between interior and surface wood layers — and about how to reduce or prevent that situation. January 19, 2012
Sawing and Drying Tips for Pecan Orchard-grown pecan wood warps badly when drying. Here is advice on how to cut and dry pecan in order to minimize warping and improve quality. July 28, 2006
Hairline Cracks in Kiln-Drying Cherry Checking in Cherry appears as a fine crack, and is the result of too-fast air-drying, not kiln-drying. April 15, 2012
Sap Content and the Seasons Despite rumors to the contrary, live trees contain the same amount of sap, summer or winter. July 28, 2012
Stickers and sticker shadow A discussion on synthetic and traditional stickers, and an explanation of reverse sticker shadow. May 30, 2001
Double-Checking Moisture Content You can check your moisture meter by drying wood samples and weighing them, but the method has its own uncertainties and imprecisions. August 29, 2006
Estimating board footage Most accurate and most accepted methods of figuring BF for lumber. December 17, 2002
Drying Lodgepole Pine in Colorado Detailed advice on air-drying and kiln-drying lodgepole pine (some logged green and some killed by beetles). April 21, 2008
Slowing Down Wood Drying Once wood starts to dry, it's hard to slow the process down without encountering staining or rot problems. December 6, 2009
Idea: a Sawmill with No Frame? Forumgoers kick around the concept of a "gantry" bandmill that would roll on wheels on a slab, instead of sliding on a steel frame. October 3, 2009
Monitoring Progress in a Dehumidifier Kiln Collecting and measuring the removed water is not a reliable way to gauge drying progress, especially when drying mixed thicknesses of wood. June 4, 2012
Walnut End Checking in the Steamer Troubleshooting a checking problem with Walnut related to conditions in a large steaming chamber. October 3, 2009
Rotating logs when sawing Advantages and disadvantages of turning logs 180 degrees when sawing. January 4, 2001
Steaming, Drying, and Honeycomb in Walnut Bacterial infection as well as steamer and kiln settings may have caused reported honeycombing at one end of thick Walnut boards. June 18, 2009
Sawing and Drying Sycamore Sycamore is attractive and useful, but moves drastically while drying. Here's good advice on how to minimize movement and make the most of each board. June 27, 2006
The Dimensional Effects of Wood Moisture Understanding how moisture interacts with wood can help you avoid problems from moisture-related wood movement. September 13, 2012
White Oak for Log Homes Advice on sawing White Oak timbers for log-home construction. May 18, 2010
Tension Set and Lumber Conditioning Advice on remediating curved lumber after resawing, with a discussion of why "tension set" occurs and how the effect can be reversed. October 19, 2013
Accuracy of Different Log Scales How many chunks in a dang whack? That depends on how you measure it. (And if you're talking beer, we use hogsheads per hectare.) March 10, 2008
Fresh-Cut Pine for Rafters In theory, green softwood should perform acceptably for barn rafters. In practice, on the other hand ... well, life is full of surprises. November 28, 2006
Dead Standing Douglas Fir: Is It Dry Already? A discussion about the useability of wood from dead standing tree logs without further drying, and a little bit of kiln-related history. April 27, 2007
Fine Points of End Coating Advice on applying Anchorseal or roofing tar to log ends immediately after felling. October 19, 2013
Lumber Quality above the Butt Log There's a lot of useable lumber left behind in short log ends that commercial sawmill's won't accept. But that higher-up wood can be tricky to work with. October 4, 2011
Controlling Mildew in Air-Drying Lumber Surface mildew in a stack of boards being air-dried should respond to some dehumidification in the space. April 15, 2012
Drying Juvenile SYP A few thoughts on the challenges of high-volume drying of 2x4 lumber cut from very small trees. June 13, 2014
Does a Tow-Behind Sawmill Need Vehicle Tags? Just because you can tow it behind a truck, doesn't mean it's officially a "trailer." In some states at least, sawmill equipment on wheels is not a vehicle and it doesn't need a license plate. December 30, 2007
Mesquite Lore Texas woodworkers share their knowledge of Mesquite wood. August 21, 2006
Allowing for Shrinkage when Sawing Framing Lumber If you want the lumber in service to end up comparable to commercial kiln-dried softwood framing lumber, how much thicker and wider should you saw? November 28, 2006
Red oak drying problems Troubleshooting a problem of varying moisture contents in loads of kiln-dried red oak. March 20, 2001
Kiln insulation A discussion of good insulations types for kilns and information on R values. February 7, 2001
Cutting angles Cutting angles recommended by Forest Products Laboratory for hardwoods. May 9, 2001
Wood Choice for Paint Grade Historic Millwork Woodworkers discuss the pros and cons of Spanish Cedar, Mahogany, Sapele, Black Locust, and recovered Heart Pine for a restoration and historic reproduction project. April 27, 2011
Furniture from Air-Dried Red Oak If "air drying" is understood to include drying to equilibrium in a conditioned indoor space, then the result can be useable wood. May 27, 2008
Eradicating Tree Stumps Details on a variety of methods for getting rid of tree stumps after cutting down trees. June 14, 2014
Shrinkage of Pressure-Treated Lumber It's delivered sopping wet, with moisture forced in under pressure. So how much does it shrink? Experts clarify the situation. July 12, 2005
Showing Off Some Curly Maple A bandmill operator shares photos of a huge curly maple log, before and after sawing. December 15, 2005
Horse Skidding Advice Thoughts on horse temperament and tips on harness, feed, training, and handling. May 18, 2010
Unusual Quilted Figure in Eastern Red Cedar A sawmill owner shows off a one-in-a-million Cedar board with wavy, curly figure, and a photo of the log's unusual bark. November 16, 2011
Log weight Locating a chart and doing the calculations. September 2, 2002
Dollar Value of a Walnut Burl Walnut burls are extremely rare, but that does not mean they're worth money: the proof is in the sawing.October 26, 2011
Dealing with Heavy Pitch Antique heart pine and other pitch-heavy woods can clog blades up quickly. Here's some good advice on keeping blades clean. May 11, 2005
Slab Photo Essay A tour through the nice slab collection of an urban tree salvage aficionado. April 30, 2009
Is storing cants feasible? Can large cants be stored until an order for custom-cut lumber is received? February 19, 2002
Intentional Spalting Can you treat logs with fungus and humidity to create spalting on purpose? Some say "yes," but it's more art than science. June 23, 2005
Sycamore for a Post and Beam Frame? Beautiful as the wood is, Sycamore's tendency to twist makes it a questionable choice for timber framing. December 28, 2006
Checking in Oak A discussion of kiln conditions and other factors that can cause Oak to check while drying. October 29, 2008
Winching Big Logs Thoughts on the selection and use of winch equipment for moving and loading large, heavy logs. May 11, 2005
Timber Mats for Construction Sitework Information on heavy-timber mats used to support heavy excavation equipment on soft ground (a potential value-added product for sawmillers). November 28, 2006
Moisture Testing Variability A discussion of factors that could account for a discrepancy between a supplier's wood moisture content readings and the customer's. October 12, 2008
Wood Flooring Yield and Waste Factor How much rough lumber should I order for milling into a given quantity of tongue and groove wood flooring? June 8, 2011
Elevated Moisture Readings after Planing Wood that is not uniformly dry will read higher after planing; and the results vary between pin meters and pinless models. June 4, 2012
Live Edge Fireplace Mantel Advice Practical details for making a large-dimension rustic mantelpiece with a natural log edge. January 18, 2011
Why Saw Lumber Thinner? Sawmillers discuss the economics and practicality of sawing 12/4 versus 4/4 lumber. January 13, 2006
Running a Solar Kiln Advice from old hands on operating a solar kiln. August 22, 2005
Miniature Solar Kilns Very small solar kilns are indeed practicable, if you only need to dry small pieces of wood. December 31, 2012
Assessing an Old Circle Sawmill A discussion about getting a rusty old circle mill up and running again, including thoughts about safety and about restoring the old blade. . September 5, 2011
Selecting Fans for a Solar Kiln Advice on picking fans that will move the right amount of air and not fail from overheating. February 8, 2008
Air-Dried Pine for Exterior Siding and Trim A discussion of keeping pitch from gumming up the planer, and on priming knots in Pine to avoid bleeding. Nice photos in this thread. May 30, 2011
Reconditioning of Collapsed/Washboard Timber Collapse of sawn lumber during drying is a rare event. Steaming may help prevent the problem, and to some extent cure it. January 12, 2015
Seasons and Logging The time of year when a tree is cut may affect drying time, and also can have other effects. April 18, 2009
How to Stack and Dry Large Beams Advice on stacking, stickering, and banding large-dimension Oak timbers for air drying. January 18, 2012
Lumber Conditioning Advice Info on mixed loads, re-wetting dried lumber, and related topics. September 25, 2014
Entering the Cut Bandmill operators discuss the problem of a brief "bump" in blade tracking as the blade first enters the log. Usually, blade tension is the issue. October 14, 2006
Sealing Log Ends Thoughts about log-sealing products and application methods. September 15, 2006
Firewood kiln Methods and facilities used to dry firewood. November 26, 2001
Worm Holes and Lumber Grading Bug holes aren't a lumber defect in everybody's eyes — it all depends on your market. Here's some info about how grading standards account for insect damage. December 9, 2010
Treating Air-Dried Wood with Pesticides Surface-applied pesticides may be dangerous or even illegal, and will probably do no good. Instead, heat-treat wood to kill bugs. February 14, 2006
Sapwood and heartwood Questions on sapwood and heartwood of pecan and hickory, and how-to instructions for quartersawing. April 4, 2001
Log Size and Portable Sawmill Choice A bandsaw mill is more appropriate than a swing mill for logs less than 2 feet in thickness. Here is more info on purchasing the right equipment. April 11, 2008
Assessing the Value of a Yard Elm Tree Advice on the character of American Elm wood, tips on drying, and cautions about metal in a yard tree. January 28, 2014
Shipping Bandmill Blades A bandmill operator got some blades back from the resharpener with broken teeth. Were they damaged in shippping? August 31, 2005
Gnarly Maple Yields Awesome Figured Burls A sawmiller and wood turner shows off a highly irregular Norway Maple log and the remarkable figure in the wood it produces. May 13, 2013
Managing Airflow in the Pre-Dryer Advice on using temporary baffles to keep air flowing through the remaining stacks as some wood is removed. June 13, 2014
Sawing a Cherry Log for Value Without a specific project in mind, a woodworker asks how to best saw a nice Cherry log in a way that leaves his options open. September 18, 2014
Kiln Humidity Monitoring: In-Flow or Out-Flow? Standard practice is to monitor the characteristics of air before it enters the pile, but monitoring exiting air could work under some circumstances. July 29, 2012
Lowering Wood Moisture Content A woodworker has some lumber at 12% moisture content that he wants to dry down to 9%. Here are some quick and cheap ways to accomplish that. October 19, 2013
Selling Wood Scrap Figure out what wood-carvers and other craftsmen need, and you may be able to make money from sawmill off-cuts, odds and ends. May 13, 2005
Sawing Short Walnut Logs Advice on getting good lumber yield from a batch of 5-foot and 6-foot logs cut from a nice, fat Walnut tree. February 12, 2007
Uses for Mulberry Wood Mulberry is nice for turnings, knick-knacks, and furniture. April 18, 2009
Dehumidifiers and Lumber Storage A dehumidifier in the storage room will keep lumber at the proper moisture content, and will do no harm. December 6, 2012
Ambrosia Beetles in a Chainsaw Bear Characteristic fungal growths turn out to be the telltale sign of Ambrosia beetle infestation of a chainsaw sculpture. June 14, 2014
Splitting Large Cants Sawmill operators discuss ways to cut a 12x12 cant down into 4x6 cants using different types of mill. July 28, 2006
Drying Oregon Madrone Pacific Madrone is prone to drying movement, but that can make it interesting to woodworkers. May 13, 2009
Dump Cycle Kiln Drying A discussion of the value of periodic high-volume venting during the kiln-drying process. July 13, 2006
Drying Split Logs How you dry split smallwood could depend on your intended use for it — in furniture, for archery bows, or whatever. October 3, 2009
Time to Air-Dry Thick Lumber Many variables affect drying time. Here's a discussion about the typical drying-time window. November 16, 2011
Solar kiln materials Advice on types of materials for letting light into your solar kiln. June 24, 2001
Air Flow Meters for Kilns A discussion on the state of technology for monitoring airflow inside a kiln during drying, and about whether the data is useful in any case.June 13, 2014
End Checking and Sticker Placement Placing stickers very close to the ends of the lumber stack can help limit end checking. This thread also offers additional tips on preventing checking. November 16, 2010
Dehumidifier Kiln Chamber Size A discussion of constructing the drying box to fit the dehumidifier capacity and the intended lumber dimensions and quantity to be dried. October 26, 2011
White Pine for Stick Framing A few facts about the standards relating to the use of White Pine as house framing lumber. November 3, 2010
Sawing Eastern Red Cedar Tips on handling and sawing cedar logs to obtain marketable product. October 4, 2007
Wood I.D. Puzzle Another guessing game about wood species — this time, a hurricane-downed log from south Texas. April 18, 2009
Drying Koa Insight on the ins and outs of drying Koa wood in Hawaii. April 20, 2011
Checking Moisture and Achieving MC Targets Higher moisture near the core has a lumber dryer doubting his moisture meter, but drying conditions are the more likely concern. September 6, 2010
Air-Drying Wood in a Grain Bin A discussion of air-drying sheds light on issues relating to target moisture content. July 28, 2008
Recognizing a Big-Leaf Maple Burl This big burl, received as a gift, is identified as the western species Big-Leaf Maple by woodworkers familiar with that wood. December 23, 2014
Monitoring Moisture Content During Kiln Drying At the critical early stages when wood moisture content is high, moisture meters are not accurate. Here are tips on keeping track of moisture throughout the drying process. May 17, 2011
Cottonwood for Building Cottonwood has drawbacks, but it can be used. Here's more information. August 18, 2009
Sawing Long Timbers on a Bandmill Logs that are too long for your bandmill can still be sawn, but it takes some extra handling. Here are some ways that sawyers get it done. April 10, 2007
Cypress Mulch Cypress mulch may come from locally grown trees, even in the north. But there is environmental controversy about harvesting the trees for mulch. October 25, 2006
"Shop-Dried" Versus "Air-Dried" Lumber A discussion of the quality and value of hardwoods that have been stacked and dried in a dry indoor area, but not in a kiln. March 26, 2013
Is Pin Oak Useful? Widely planted as a yard landscaping tree, Pin Oak has some drawbacks as a source of lumber. June 18, 2009
Stain in Maple -- Prevention and Cure An explanation of why maple wood stains, ways to slow the process down, and how to bleach stains out. July 28, 2006
Air Flow and Mold Problems Troubleshooting an occurrence of mold in wood stacked for air-drying. March 26, 2013
Selecting a Moisture Meter A discussion of desirable attributes for a moisture meter used for kiln-drying quality control. June 30, 2007
Troubleshooting a Dehumidifier Kiln A newly acquired (but secondhand) dehumidifier kiln has some performance issues, and the Sawing and Drying forum offers advice. March 26, 2013
Ways to Estimate or Calculate Board Feet Rule of thumb gets you pretty close, and even methods involving careful measurement are susceptible to basic arithmetic errors. January 11, 2007
Advice for Ripping Large Logs How the pros make longitudinal cuts in the field, in order to expedite getting their harvest to the mill. January 25, 2005
Diagnosing a Beetle Infestation The Wood Doctor discusses the risk indicated by insect exit holes appearing in wood recently brought indoors. April 30, 2009
Surface Mold on Framing Lumber If the wood will be dry in service, mold on the surface is strictly a cosmetic concern. Here's more info on washing and drying for the sake of appearances. April 20, 2011
What Causes Burl Figure in Wood? Nobody really knows why some trees form burls, but that doesn't stop us from speculating. December 28, 2006
Sassafras Siding A look at some Sassafras used for house siding, with some tips on drying, handling, et cetera.May 15, 2011
Wet Cottonwood with Wind Shake Some comments about the dubious strength and quality of lumber from Cottonwood logs having noticeable wind shake. July 28, 2006
Drying Apple Wood Advice on how to saw and dry a big old Apple tree trunk. May 10, 2007
Drying Fast-Growth Hybrid Poplar Advice on how to address cupping of hybrid poplar during air-drying and kiln-drying. January 29, 2009
Cutting Logs with Burl It takes years of experience to get the hang of predicting what sort of grain figure may be inside a log, and how to saw it for the best value product. June 30, 2007
Drying Pressure Treated Lumber Advice on the complications involved in kiln-drying preservative-treated lumber. April 2, 2013
Steaming Walnut If you do it properly, steaming walnut brings color to the sapwood without destroying the figure in the heartwood. May 11, 2005
Gang-Ripped Lumber Yields A discussion of the ways lumber is lost during ripping operations, and of what is a reasonable yield from the job. October 15, 2010
Saw Technique for Harvesting Burls Advice with interesting photo examples, on how to cut burls off a log to get the most useful raw material for bowl turning or art work. April 27, 2011
Cleaning Bandmill Blades Tricks for getting the sap and pitch off bandsaw mill blades. March 3, 2006
Is Dehumidifier Kiln Wastewater Safe? Don't assume that it's safe to dump kiln water to the environment. There could be some contamination. March 10, 2008
Sawing frozen logs Solutions for problems encountered when sawing frozen logs. February 7, 2001
Kiln Drainage Wood in a kiln releases water in vapor form. But condensation may occur in the kiln, requiring attention to drainage. April 2, 2015
Drying Mesquite with Denatured Alcohol Denatured alcohol (DNA) drying techniques work best on porous wood, not so well on a low-porosity species like Mesquite. October 1, 2010
Minimum Sticker Thickness How thin can stickers be in order to maximize kiln capacity without creating drying problems? May 11, 2005
Making a Drying Kiln from an Insulated Truck Body This conversation touches on the quantity of heat needed to dry a load of wood, the advantage of using a dehumidifier, and the possible issues with corrosion. April 18, 2015
Moisture Variations in Dried Lumber "Wet pockets" in kiln-dried lumber, or occasional wet pieces of wood in a load of dried lumber, are an unacceptable defect.June 13, 2014
Long-Term Storage of Air-Dried Lumber Air-dried lumber left in drying stacks for long periods without kiln-drying is at high risk for insect damage and spoilage. June 18, 2010
Drying Time for 6/4 Red Oak Here's a quick technical look at the factors affecting kiln drying 6/4 Red Oak, including kiln type and initial moisture content. Air drying may be more cost-effective. July 16, 2012
Drying Black Walnut Thoughts on drying the lumber from some Black Walnut yard trees. December 6, 2009
Sawmilling: Thickness guidelines Differents customers want boards sawn to different thicknesses--what are the standards? August 12, 2001
Onsite sawing prices Further discussion of how people charge for onsite, rough sawmilling services. January 24, 2001
Determining MC by weight Tools and techniques for measuring moisture content by weighing lumber cuttings. January 4, 2001
Moisture Content of Western Red Cedar A stable wood that is typically serves exterior uses, Western Red Cedar is usually delivered at about 12% moisture content. But you can find it drier than that. July 28, 2006
Drying Willow in a Solar Kiln Challenging scenario: a tricky wood to dry and a difficult kiln to control. February 14, 2010
Solar Kilns and Wood Sterilizing Solar kilns don't get hot enough to sterilize wood (for that you should have an artificially heated supplemental chamber).July 7, 2011
Circular Mill Alignment Advice on fine adjustments to a circular sawmill for accurate cutting performance. February 12, 2007
Removing Boards While Sawing a Log A beginner asks: when running a bandsaw mill, is it better to remove boards one at a time or let them stack up? That depends, explain experienced sawyers. August 31, 2005
Storing Maple in Partially Dried Condition A woodworker gets advice on the feasibility of maintaining wood at 25% moisture content for use in drying operations. January 8, 2010
Shopping for a Dehumidifying Kiln If you consider getting a European-made dehumidifying kiln for use in the U.S., make sure it's compatible with U.S. power supply voltages. June 16, 2014
Value and Uses of Eastern Red Cedar The sawing and drying forum kicks around the question of tailoring red cedar products to meet market demand. February 14, 2006
Sawing An Old Elm Tree Tension wood from growth stress may call for a modified technique. April 10, 2005
Lumber measurement Demystifying the rules and scales for measuring lumber. July 24, 2001
Solar Kiln at Work Here's a look at a newly completed backyard solar wood drying kiln with its first load of lumber. March 28, 2012
Sawing for Stable 2x Lumber Advice on selecting log dimension and cut patterns in order to get straight, stable 2x4 and 2x6 lumber from Southern Pine logs. November 16, 2011
Understanding Drying Stress in Wood A complaint about cupping in mahogany door stiles after machining leads to a discussion of what causes drying stress and related movement in kiln-dried wood. June 23, 2006
Re-Tipping Your Own Blades Info on soldering new blade tips onto a swing-blade sawmill blade. December 30, 2007
Fans Size and Drying Kiln Dimensions Considerations regarding fan capacity, kiln size, and lumber pile size in a dehumidfying kiln. January 25, 2010
Log Weight and Log-Moving Equipment Practical advice on guessing the weight of logs, and tips on equipment choices for log handling. July 28, 2006
Stickering and Drying Large Timbers Large-dimension timbers for framing should be handled correctly to minimize bowing and checking. June 23, 2005
Using a Green Timber as a Girder Issues to be aware of when using green or partially-green softwood timbers as structural beams. November 28, 2006
Sawing Elm with Off-Center Pith Off-center pith in a leaning tree is a sure sign of stressed wood, and the logs must be sawed with special care. May 11, 2005
Drying Cherry in the Basement Even for a brief storage period, a basement is a dubious place for stacked, stickered wood. January 14, 2009
Assmbling an edger These are the steps I took in assembling my Norwood Edgemate edger. April 25, 2001
Sawdust uses Various idaes for putting wood waste to use. March 20, 2001
Challenges of Drying Eucalyptus Many ways have been tried to prevent Eucalyptus wood's tendency to warp and check, but none have proven to be highly successful. February 29, 2012
Maple Color and Drying Conditions Maple can turn gray as it dries. If you want white wood, you have to carefully control the kiln conditions. July 30, 2007
What Can Spread a Lyctid Infestation? Be cautious — Lyctid powder-post beetles are hard to get rid of, and can spread even on small chips or shavings. March 13, 2007
Drying Walnut Stumps Slow air-drying of Walnut stumps and roots can yield some remarkable pieces. April 18, 2015
Growth Stress End Checking Log characteristics can cause checks to open up, even when ends are coated and drying conditions are correct. February 19, 2006
Drying Wood in the Attic The attic is a handy place to dry small quantities of lumber. Here are some tips and cautions. September 10, 2007
Cause of Loose Knots in Pine Looseness or tightness of a knot in Pine is a characteristic that is formed during tree growth, not a product of the kiln process. June 13, 2014
Time to Kiln-Dry 12/4 White Ash Estimates on the time required to dry a load of White Ash sawn three inches thick. March 28, 2010
Drying Schedule for Red Oak Advice for a kiln operator on drying rates and humidity and heat settings for drying Red Oak in a dehumidifier kiln. October 3, 2009
Venting and Fans for a Solar Kiln A quick expert explanation from the Wood Doctor of how and why vents and fans are used in a solar wood drying kiln. April 20, 2011
"Rustic" Lumber — What Is It? What visual qualities define lumber as "rustic" is a matter of subjective perception and opinion. February 4, 2011
Air-Drying Cuban Mahogany This stable wood may dry fast indoors, but kiln-drying would also eliminate pests. September 14, 2006
Stickering and Spacing No need to space boards when air-drying small batches. February 26, 2005
Kiln Drying Color Change Experts and sawyers discuss the various reasons wood from the same batch might end up with slightly different colors. September 6, 2010
Sawing Bevel Siding Sawmillers discuss how to produce clapboard siding. June 9, 2007
Controlling Pine Wilt Nematode Advice on halting the spread of Pine wilt nematode (carried by long horn beetles). January 29, 2009
Lighting your sawmill Providing good light for your work on dark days and late nights. February 19, 2002
Reducing warp during kiln drying Weights? Restraints? What are the best methods for preventing warp in boards near the top of the drying stack? February 13, 2001
Kiln Drying in a Heat Wave When conditions are wrong, a solar kiln can easily be too hot for good results. Here are tips on controlling drying conditions during hot weather. May 15, 2012
Optimal Circle Saw Size 60-inch circular sawmill blades can be problematic to use, so many sawmillers prefer a smaller diameter blade. October 3, 2009
Sizing Up Dehumidifier Kilns Thoughts on the objective characteristics to consider when evaluating which dehumidifier kiln is right for you. April 11, 2008
Rotating Logs for Quarter-Sawing Thoughts on rigging a swing-blade mill to spin logs after every few cuts, in order to produce a high yield of quarter-sawn lumber. October 3, 2009
Drying Walnut Boards Tips on handling, and how to dimension for best value. February 26, 2005
De-Barking Strategies and Rigs Debarking a whole log just to make your first square cuts is a lot of extra labor. Here, sawyers discuss effective ways to work around the de-barking problem. September 6, 2010
Setting Pitch in a Dehumidifier Kiln DH kilns may not reach the temperatures required to set pitch in wood. Be careful of CO poisoning when supplying supplemental heat. December 11, 2007
Virginia Pine Sawing and Use Characteristics Also called "Jersey Pine" or "Spruce Pine," this tree yields useable lumber but is prone to rot, disease and insect damage. May 10, 2007
Making the Most of Walnut Logs Thick and thin, high grade and low grade, sawyers and woodworkers discuss how to squeeze the best value from walnut trees. July 28, 2006
Quartersawing Patterns Illustrated Here's a set of drawings from the Wood Doctor depicting various ways to saw for vertical grain. June 16, 2014
Uses for Sassafras Sassafras has been called "poor man's oak" for its durability, strength and beauty. The markets for it are small ans specialized. April 20, 2011
Dehumidifier Kiln Drying and Insects Cooler temperatures in a DH kiln aren't a reliable way to kill all insects, but the dryness will get some of them. May 18, 2010
"Moon Ring" Defect in Oak Very rarely, some sapwood in a tree will fail to convert to heartwood, leaving the appearance of a light, bleached streak in the wood. March 13, 2009
Keeping lumber flat during drying Advice from Professor Gene Wengert on drying lumber in order to produce flat, true boards. December 12, 2000
Skidding Extra-Heavy Logs A sawmiller needs to move some multi-ton oak logs using a farm tractor, and gets advice on how to manage it. November 13, 2005
Deodar Cedar -- What's It Good For? A little information but few answers about an ornamental Cedar variety that sometimes finds its way to a sawmill. December 30, 2007
Finding Concrete in a Tree Tree surgeons sometimes repair rotted trees with concrete. "Well, imagine my surprise," said the sawmill man. January 27, 2007
Drying Technique and Wood Hardness Those in the know describe the effects of case-hardening (a drying defect) and how to diagnose it, as opposed to hardness that would affect machinability of wood. July 30, 2007
Worm Holes in Mahogany Worm holes aren't always considered as a defect in Mahogany, but they do leave you wondering whether the critters will come back. July 30, 2007
Is Cedar an Insect Repellent? Including Cedar in a stack of sawn wood will not keep bugs away, the Wood Doctor explains. July 11, 2013
Catalpa: Uses and Vulnerabilities Catalpa is a beautiful wood, rot-resistant and prized by some wood turners. Standing trees may have heart rot, however. April 24, 2013
Uses for Black Gum Lumber Sawyers discuss how to handle Black Gum wood, and what you can make with it. June 30, 2009
Sawing Norway Spruce for Lumber Norway Spruce doesn't saw into the finest lumber going, but it's not trash either. February 22, 2011
Sawing and Drying Less Common Species Sawyers give the Wood Doctor some feedback about lesser-used species such as Persimmon, Madrone, Boxelder, and Mulberry.September 5, 2011
Circular Sawmill Blade Tuning Large circular sawmill blades are hammered to dish the blade when at rest; it flattens out when the mill is running. Here's more. April 30, 2009
Slabbing a Large Cherry Trunk Advice on getting the best from a large Cherry tree growing in the courtyard of a home. December 31, 2012
Safe Time for Tight Stacking How long can you safely "dead stack" wood without air spaces before stickering the pile? February 27, 2013
Stacking and Drying Southern Yellow Pine A sawyer gets advice on stacking and stickering Southern Yellow Pine, and on protecting it against insects. January 25, 2010
Qualities of Different Cherry Species Here's a nice note comparing "Prunus serotina" (Black Cherry) and "Prunus avium" (Sweet Cherry), with regard to the quality of lumber they may yield. June 4, 2012
Opening Cuts Advice on figuring out where to take your first cut on a log. July 3, 2008
Cutting Stickers Basic info on making stickers for your drying pile. November 28, 2014
Lightning-Struck Wood Puzzle Observations and speculation about whether lightning weakens the wood of a tree it strikes. August 29, 2006
Finding a Use for Low-Grade Poplar A sawmiller has buyers for his clear poplar, but needs an outlet for the knotty material that's left over. April 24, 2014
Tooth setter Photos and descriptions of home-built tooth setters for band blades. March 5, 2003
Controlling Beetles in Fresh Logs Beetles under the bark of a fresh log don't mean you can't saw the log and use the wood. November 12, 2008
Optimal Size to Rough Cut for Flooring Start with a uniform finish thickness, then add allowances for planing, drying shrinkage, and cupping. October 26, 2011
Sawing Hollow Logs Practical and metaphysical tips on getting useful value out of logs that include some emptiness. October 14, 2006
Specific Gravity of Dawn Redwood We're talking about a particular tree species here, but the comments on determining specific gravity apply to any wood sample. April 27, 2007
Sawdust Collection for Sawmills You need a fan powerful enough to move sawdust and tough enough to withstand impacts from big chunks. August 30, 2007
Y-Crotch Lumber Examples Sawmillers show off a couple of nice slabs, and an example of a coffee table made from crotch wood. December 28, 2006
Getting Rid of Slabs Slabs from sawmilling operations aren't worth much, but there is a small market for them. August 29, 2006
Recommendations for Fans for a Kiln Advice on finding the right fan for the given kiln conditions (attic or greenhouse fans may not handle the required high temperatures). October 26, 2011
Sawing and Drying Cedar Cedar is forgiving because of its natural rot resistance. Here's some advice on handling it. May 13, 2013
Can Bandsaw Mills Handle Wide Logs? Most bandsaw mills are limited to 36-inch boards or less — and with wide cuts, waviness is a problem. December 15, 2005
Sawing Your Own Framing Lumber Proper grading is an issue, because knots may weaken the material for structural purposes. April 20, 2011
Tracking Boards for Bookmatching Ways to keep track of bookmatched board pairs from sawing through drying and planing. April 19, 2006
Spalting Logs A little more about how to encourage spalting in wood. March 14, 2006
Force Drying Pecan Slabs Don't try high heat on Pecan — it can split badly even when slowly air-dried. February 3, 2011
Jury-Rigged Log Loaders When logs are too big to lift: Sawmillers share ideas for self-built, economical rigs to load logs onto a trailer. June 20, 2005
Turning and Drying Burls Burls for bowl turning are best turned while green, and then dried. Here's a little detailed info. January 14, 2008
Sawing Live Oak Hard as a rock, full of sticky gum, and it dries twisty ... what's not to love? April 21, 2008
How to Eliminate Beetles in a Finished Slab Heating in a kiln to 130 degrees Fahrenheit will destroy the finish, but it's the only sure, safe way to kill the bugs. June 18, 2010
Value of Red Cedar Oil In large enough quantities, the extractive oils that drip out of Red Cedar and Juniper wood during milling have uses and commercial value. April 10, 2007
Mold on Southern Pine The wood doctor explains why Southern Pine supposedly dried to 18% moisture content would still support mold after being stacked inside a dried-in house under construction. January 25, 2013
Ring Shake in Hemlock Hemlock makes good boards or framing lumber, but wood from trees exposed to grazing animals may be have structural flaws. July 12, 2005
Sawing an Oversize Log Tips on getting the most out of a log that's just a little too big for your mill. August 14, 2007
Adding Fans to a Dehumidifier Kiln Is it worth it to exceed the design air circulation in a dehumidifier kiln? By the numbers, probably not. May 15, 2012
Wormy Cherry Lumber A furnituremaker gets help figuring out what kind of critter made holes in his nice Cherry boards (and hears that some people consider them an improvement). April 21, 2008
Allergic Reactions to Wood Sawmiller show and tell about rashes and respiratory reactions to contact with various wood species. October 20, 2005
Drying Holly Holly wood is prized for its white color, but it stains easily during drying. October 1, 2010
Ring Deformation (Compression Wood) An odd-looking ring pattern in a cross-cut log is explained as compression wood, certain to bend after sawing. April 20, 2011
Mahogany Honeycombing Defect Honeycombing that appears after planing is typically a drying defect — similar to end checking, but different. April 17, 2009
Cedar and Cypress Aromas Different fragrant woods have different subjective aromas that make up part of their usefulness. June 15, 2014
Air-Drying Thick Maple Four-inch-thick maple slabs are likely to degrade a lot during air-drying. Here are a few tips for better results. July 13, 2006
Dealing with Shake in Hemlock Saw Logs Shake in a Hemlock log is a sign of bacterial damage, so sawing the log is probably a waste of time. November 14, 2009
Rotating Sawlogs on the Mill What's better, turning the log 90 degrees as you saw, or flipping it 180 degrees? January 8, 2010
"False Acacia" (a.k.a. Black Locust) Black Locust is known in Europe as "False Acacia." Here's some info about the species and the lumber. October 15, 2010
Drying Lumber in the Attic It's hot and dry up there — maybe too dry. But for small amounts, attic drying is feasible, though tricky. December 1, 2005
Metal Detector Choices Sawmill operators discuss the cost and capabilities of metal detectors. October 20, 2005
Drying to ISPM 15 Specs Wood for foreign-bound pallets and crating needs to be heat-treated according to International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPM) criteria. There's a strict standard and a verification requirement, so it's not a casual undertaking. August 29, 2006
Walnut Steaming Difficulties Steam that is too hot and "dry" will not have the desired effect. Here is some technical advice on operating the steamer successfully. December 12, 2008
Air-Dried Wood for Furniture As this example demonstrates, when a people tell you your air-dried lumber won't make a sweet (and sweet-smelling) piece of furniture, sometimes it's because they want to take your wood away for free. January 11, 2007
Controlling Splits in Pecan An explanation of various causes of splitting in lumber as it dries. November 14, 2009
Custom Cant Hook for Large Logs For those extra-big logs, you need a little more leverage and a little more grab. Pros discuss the attributes of a cant hook that can. June 20, 2005
Whether to Saw Old Walnut Logs Even if it has been down for years, a big walnut log can yield valuable wood. August 30, 2007
Value of Cedar Info from 2012 on Cedar log prices at the sawmill. March 28, 2012
Will Ocean Shipping Damage Teak? A sawmiller worries that a load of teak he has ordered from a South American supplier may suffer mold damage en route. The feedback indicates he should relax. December 1, 2005
Choosing a Log Scale A sawmiller harvesting various tree species gets advice on which log scale will give him the most accurate estimates of his inventory. June 20, 2005
Sawing Sycamore Quartersawing reveals the grain figure and enhances stability. March 29, 2006
Sawing Timbers for Timber Frame Softwood and hardwood behave differently, but in either case "box-heart" sawing tends to minimize drying movement and checking. January 11, 2007
Lumber from Tree Branches Branch wood is stressed and unstable, but in some odd situations there may be value in it. October 19, 2013
Drying Eastern Red Cedar Eastern Red Cedar dries readily with simple air drying, and behaves well when exposed to variations in ambient humidity. April 20, 2011
Is This Stack of Cherry Ruined? A newbie mistake left this stack of Cherry wood soaked after a year in the stack. But there's a chance it could still be saved. October 26, 2007
Test for Honeycomb A method for testing dried lumber to detect honeycomb, with advice on how to prevent the checking that leads to honeycomb. June 13, 2014
Moving Stickered Lumber Advice on bundling stickered boards for truck transport. February 12, 2007
Dual Motors on a Chainsaw Mill You can connect two motors of different horsepowers to one chainsaw bar, but operating the contraption is tricky. May 16, 2008
Drying Thick Oak Slabs Advice on drying six-inch-thick crosscut slabs from a large oak stump. October 29, 2008
Unusual Bar Shape on an Old Chain Saw Back in the day, some chain saws came with a bar that was interrupted in the middle, advantageous for limbing and for cutting stumps. June 15, 2014
Dark Core in Soft Maple A kiln operator finds that his maple boards develop a light surface and dark core. Others weigh in with thoughts and advice. August 31, 2005
Splitting Large Logs with Black Powder Thoughts on using black powder or chain-saw jigs for splitting fat logs down to manageable saw-milling size. August 26, 2008
Quartersawing for Bows Whether for archery, a chuck wagon, or a fiddle, bow-making starts with quarter-sawing. October 14, 2006
Disposal of sawdust Who wants your sawdust and shavings? Here are some ideas, from gardeners to gerbils. February 13, 2001
Drying hickory lumber Avoiding sticker stain and bugs in hickory lumber. December 12, 2000
Dedicated Slabber Performance A dedicated chain-saw slabber is slow and requires frequent sharpening, but produces nice slabs. October 15, 2010
Wet Pockets in Infected Wood Bacterial infections cause wet pockets to remain in kiln-dried wood. Bad smells and other characteristic symptoms are described here. July 28, 2006
Sawing Ash with Emerald Ash Borer There are restrictions on the transport of infested wood. Mill hygeine may be a good idea too. May 20, 2011
"Worm tunnels" or fungal growth? Strange growths on freshly sawn lumber turn out to be "fungal hyphae," not a tunnel made by worms or insects.June 4, 2012
Sweet Gum to Frame a Workshop? Construction may not be the best use for Sweet Gum: its beauty exceeds its durability. October 3, 2009
Shipping Green Lumber Pros discuss the risks involved in shipping green lumber, including uneven drying and moisture damage. December 1, 2005
Lumber Handling in Sawmill Operations Stacking and re-stacking lumber takes its toll on your time and your back. In this thread, sawmillers talk about smarter ways to handle lumber. October 20, 2005
Setting the pitch The why and how of setting the pitch in heart pine. October 15, 2001
Drying Softwoods If the product is structural lumber rather than appearance-grade wood, just dry the stuff as fast as your equipment can. January 27, 2007
Log Drying and Degrade Don't wait to long to saw ... but don't be too quick to write off an old log either. faOctober 4, 2011
Warping, Moisture, and Wood Shape Memory Will a piece of wood that was restrained to prevent warping during drying warp later, while in use? Only if the moisture in its environment varies. October 30, 2005
Water Damage to Glued Cherry Glued-up wide Cherry boards got rained on. What's the best hope for salvage? January 18, 2011
Warping after planing Causes for the warping of boards after they are planed flat. June 13, 2001
Milling Cypress for a Deck Advice on how to process Cypress timber for use on an outdoor deck. July 30, 2009
Twisting lumber What causes lumber to twist in a dehumidification kiln? March 20, 2001
Whether to Kiln-Dry Wood Before Turning A woodworker is advised to kiln-dry Osage Orange wood (also referred to as "Hedge") before gluing up blanks for turning bowls. October 19, 2014
Kiln Drying with a Household Dehumidifier Rigging up a homeowner-type dehumidifier to dry small amounts of wood may be cheaper to begin with, but has practical limitations. April 11, 2008
Retipping Sawmill Blades An operator can do it in a pinch, but it's really a job for a specialist. August 31, 2005
Comparing Norway Maple to Hard Maple Strictly speaking, Norway Maple is its own species, not classified as either Hard Maple or Soft Maple. However, it can occasionally yield some nice wood.February 17, 2012
Salvaging Broken Bandsaw Blades Busted blades can sometimes be mended; otherwise, the steel may be useful for making small tools or other purposes. February 9, 2008
Sawing Big Log Butts Logs are denser at the butt end. Here are tips on avoiding problems. October 12, 2007
Why Holly is Expensive Wood Very tricky to saw and kiln dry, holly yields small amounts of useful wood — and that makes it a pricey variety. April 19, 2006
Using Green Stickers Dry stickers are better, but green could be okay for stacking boards for barn siding. March 28, 2012
45-Degree Rotation Sawing A sawyer reports getting nice-looking, if narrow, flat-grain boards by turning the log 45 degrees before each successive cut. July 26, 2010
Hot-Rodding a Sawmill Motor You can increase the RPMs (and horsepower) of small engines with minor control adjustments, but that doesn't boost the important factor: torque. July 28, 2006
Dipping Lumber Before Stickering A brief description of dipping lumber in fungicide and insecticide for short-term dead stacking before stickering to air dry. March 28, 2012
Checking of Dry Lumber Checking occurs when the wood is very wet. Checking that appears in lumber purchased as kiln-dried is a defect. December 8, 2012
Identifying Old Pine Planks The Woodweb crew checks out some photos of what is probably Southern Yellow Pine, and possibly Longleaf Pine. September 6, 2010
Cherry in Timber Frames Thoughts on sawing and using Cherry timbers in the kitchen to add interest to a timber-frame home. January 11, 2007
Control Issues in a Dehumidifier Kiln If you run the kiln too hot, a safety cutoff may shut down your compressor, interfering with the drying process. April 27, 2007
Kiln venting Are vents needed in a condenser kiln? March 20, 2001
Sticker Stain in Hickory Sticker stain is a warm-weather phenomenon. Here's advice about a suitable schedule for drying Hickory. May 27, 2014
Maple Stain in a Kiln Load Some explanation about why soft maple would stain in the kiln when hard maple in the same load did not. June 13, 2014
Uses and Value of Persimmon A disussion of what persimmon wood is worth, and what it's good for. December 15, 2005
Characteristics of European Larch Naturally durable with decay-resistant heartwood, Larch would make good decking or siding. April 21, 2011
Sawing Tamarack Sawing technique and uses for Tamarack. April 18, 2009
Qualities and Uses for Sweet Gum A small sawmiller sees his first load of Gum wood, and gets advice about its value and how to handle it. June 22, 2005
Iron Stains in Red Oak Slabs from a yard tree with a lot of deeply embedded nails have some bad staining. Will bleach help? April 20, 2011
Drying Logs for Cabin Construction Advice on drying logs for cabin building, including how long to expect air drying to take and how hot to heat logs to set the pitch. October 19, 2014
Identifying Pignut Hickory Forum members identify Pignut Hickory by looking at photos of the leaves, stems, and bark. November 28, 2014
Using a Shop Bandsaw to Mill Small Logs Woodworker considers using an 18" electric bandsaw for milling small amounts of lumber, then gives up the idea as impractical. December 15, 2005
Controlling Bugs in Finished Furniture Fumigation or spraying are ineffective and have drawbacks. Instead, here's a tip for heat-treating furniture. April 24, 2013
When to Seal Log Ends If you delay too long before sealing, you may have to cut back the ends to fresh wood first. January 25, 2010
Wood Moisture Content and Equalization Understanding how to evaluate wood moisture content when conditions have created a moisture gradient within the wood. April 11, 2008
Defining Hardwood Veneer Log Quality Attributes What makes a good veneer log? This expert resource takes the mystery out of industry veneer-log selection and grading criteria. December 19, 2006
Drying Massive Slabs Air-drying and kiln-drying 12/4 or 16/4 hardwood slabs is slow and difficult, and the results can be mediocre. February 29, 2012
Green Color in Freshly Sawn Black Walnut Freshly sawn Black Walnut sometimes shows a green tinge, which quickly fades. Here's more on Walnut's natural color behavior. October 14, 2008
Thinner Sticks in the Lumber Drying Pile Reducing the thickness of spacer sticks in the lumber stack could reduce the drying effectiveness of the system and create quality issues. October 19, 2014
Setting Pitch with a Solar Kiln If the kiln doesn't get hot enough from sunshine alone, try some supplemental electric heat. July 10, 2007
Winter-time End Coating Yes, it's important to end-coat fresh-cut logs quickly, even in the winter. June 12, 2006
Drying Loads with Mixed Moisture Content It's a balancing act — you have to watch out for the drier wood causing the wetter wood to dry too fast and check. October 4, 2011
Drying Burled Wood Thoughts on the proper way to dry freshly sawn burls. December 15, 2005
Controlling Checking in a Walnut Mantel A carefully located plunge cut in the hidden side of a large sawn member may restrict checking to that location. April 18, 2010
Log Truck Volume How much wood in a truck-load of logs, in board feet or cubic meters, roughly? October 3, 2009
Spraying Logs with Insecticide Treating logs with bug spray before sawing is a bad idea, says the Wood Doc — ineffective as well as hazardous. October 30, 2005
Reading a Log for Ray Fleck If you understand what ray fleck is, you can tell which logs have it. January 14, 2009
Sawing 8/4 and 4/4 From the Same Log Here's advice on how to saw a custom order for grade and dimension at the same time, without wasting wood. May 27, 2014
Tulip (Yellow Poplar) Color Fade A large slab of Tulip, freshly sawn, shows some striking and dramatic coloration. But what will happen over time? October 26, 2011
OSB for Stickers? Some advise against using wood composite materials for stickers. January 8, 2010
Air-Drying Lumber for Sheds Drying time is not critical for lumber intended for an exposed use like a utility shed. December 9, 2010
Solar Drying Basics (PDF) Illustrated article from the West Virginia University Extension Serivce on solar drying and kilns, in PDF format. June 19, 2003
Moisture-Meter Accuracy for Veneer Moisture meters will read a single leaf of wood veneer differently than a thick stack of it. January 11, 2007
Edging Boards at the Sawmill Lightly edge your own lumber on the mill, then re-edge after drying — you'll produce more wood that way. January 27, 2007
Solar Kiln Glass Are different types of glass more or less suitable for solar kilns? May 11, 2005
Selling Basswood to Carvers Woodcarvers pay good money for Basswood in the right size and condition. February 3, 2011
Mixed Drying Loads Mixing wood of different moisture contents in the same kiln load causes big problems, but mixing different lumber species at the same moisture content can be okay. May 15, 2012
Understanding Log Scales and Log Rules An authoritative description of log scales, log rules, and lumber content estimating as practiced in the field. November 24, 2006
Crosscut Saw Manual Comprehensive manual for the care, maintenance, and sharpening of a crosscut saw, from our friends at the U.S.D.A. Forest Service. January 5, 2007
Business Basics for a Timber Sale Sawmill pros and foresters advise a landowner on how to approach structuring a deal to cut and mill standing timber. July 30, 2007
Buried Metal Stories Forum members swap stories of finding metal in the heart of a sawlog — and even in plywood. October 17, 2012
How To Spalt Wood Like making a world-class cheese, spalting wood intentionally is more art than science, and you may waste some raw material learning how. Here's an extended and detailed discussion. May 28, 2008
Hiring a timber consultant When selling your woodlot, who should you enlist for help with all the choices you'll need to make? August 12, 2001
Blue-Stained Pine Pros and Cons Controversy simmers over whether blue stain is is a special value, a visual defect, or a mold liability risk. September 17, 2008
Blue Stain in Red Oak A discussion of staining, drying odor, and related problems in a large oak tree blown down by wind. December 12, 2008
Home-Built Dehumidifying Kilns Practical issues and concerns with building a drying kiln that uses an off-the-shelf dehumidifier or a salvaged commercial air conditioner instead of air venting. July 13, 2006
Bandmill Blade Sharpening Schedule Dull blades are bad for many reasons, so it's best to sharpen routinely before any sign of difficulty. Here are estimates of how frequently blades need sharpening, and of how many spare blades to keep on hand in order to keep the mill working. October 26, 2011
Problems with Bio-Diesel Switching to bio-diesel fuel for log-handling equipment is not always trouble-free, according to some. December 28, 2006
Black Powder Log Splitting You can split large-diameter short logs with black powder. But is it worth the risk, or should you stick with a chain saw and wedges instead? July 13, 2006
Poplar Siding Advice on using locally sawn Poplar as siding for a house addition. February 14, 2010
Bowing in Pine Staves After Planing Here's a good explanation of why lumber may move after being planed — and why that is not easy to correct. January 20, 2010
Bandmill Blade Breakage at the Weld A discussion of bandmill blades, welding, and what might cause blades to frequently break at the weld. August 29, 2006
Blade Lubricant and Component and Blade Life Soapy water, kerosene, or what? Keeping the blades clean and reducing friction is one thing, getting longer life out of your equipment is something else. February 8, 2008
Bandwheels and Blade Wear A spirited discussion on blade life in bandsaw mills, including tips on sharpening schedules. June 28, 2005
Blade Considerations for an Under-Powered Bandmill When working with large logs on a bandsaw mill with a relatively low-power motor, fewer teeth per inch and more lubrication might be help prevent overheating. April 18, 2015
Birdpeck in Walnut Woodpecker damage can be found deep inside some Walnut trees, and tends to concentrate within particular stands of trees or geographic areas. June 8, 2008
Pine Board Sheathing for Homes Works fine in most cases — here's some useful advice about practicalities and codes. July 14, 2010
Pitch Build-Up When Planing Air-Dried Pine There's no way to stop Pine pitch from gumming up machinery, short of kiln-drying the lumber. (This thread has some interesting asides about using your own sawn wood for construction.) April 27, 2011
Borates for Protecting Oak Beams Borate treatments can provide good protection against insects for softwood that is kept dry, but has limited usefulness on hardwood, especially if exposed to rain. January 14, 2008
Bulldozed Saw Logs Trees that have been pushed over may have various kinds of damage near the butt — and pulling them out of the pile can be hazardous, too. June 22, 2012
Properly Drying Oak for Use in a Porch Swing Thoughts on air drying, kiln drying, and conditioning for oak intended to be used in outdoor versus indoor conditions. January 11, 2007
Building a slab saw Advice and images on creating a contraption for chopping bundles of kindling. January 16, 2002
Hydraulics for a Bandsaw Mill An operator posts photos and explanations for the hydraulic system in his custom-built mill. July 12, 2005
Propane Tank Log Hauler Photos and descriptions of a small-log hauler built by adapting a propane-tank trailer. December 15, 2005
Heat Up Rate in Lumber Drying Most wood-drying situations don't require careful control of the rate at which the load heats up. June 13, 2014
How to Prevent Drying Stress A quick explanation from the Wood Doctor of what causes drying stress, and how to prevent or reduce it. August 15, 2011
Board-Foot Lumber Measurement Confusion A woodworker tries to figure out how to make sure he's ordering and getting the amount of wood he actually needs. January 20, 2010
Bug Control in Ash and Oak Details about the heat conditions required to kill insects in a load of lumber being kiln-dried. March 28, 2012
Holly Staining: Fungus or Pigment? Holly stains if it's not dried quickly and properly. But what's the real cause? A scientist weighs in on samples collected by a sawyer. July 12, 2005
Paulownia Characteristics and Uses A fast-growing, light and strong semi-tropical wood, Paulownia has enough value to be worth stealing. Here's an example growing on a bathroom windowsill. September 5, 2010
Bandmill Blade Sharpening on a Budget Advice on setting up to sharpen and set bandmill blades, with a minimum investment of money (if not time). June 18, 2010
Bacterial Action in Wood Temperature and the availability of oxygen help determine which sort of bacteria can thrive in wood, and therefore how the infected wood might smell. January 27, 2007
Blade Lube for Cutting Pine Sawmillers suggest Pine-Sol, dishwasher detergent, or diesel fuel. November 16, 2011
Promoting blue stain How to promote this visual effect in a stack of red pine. March 21, 2002
Paint for Solar Kiln Interiors Details for painting the inside of a solar drying kiln, and some resources for kiln design. June 9, 2007
Baseball Bat Billets Tips on sawing and drying rough stock for bat makers (a tough market to break into). June 18, 2010
Poison Ivy Remedies Logs with poison ivy vines on them can really get you good. Here are some recommendations for prevention and treatment. December 12, 2008
Poor Man's Skidder Examples of log-moving rigs creatively improvised on a modest budget. March 28, 2010
Phytosanitary Standards for Lumber Export A little information about heat-treating and labeling requirements for wood pallets and lumber destined for export overseas. July 26, 2010
Preventing Mold Formation on Freshly Sawn Pine Surface dryness is the best answer to preventing mold from getting a foothold on sawn softwood. Here are tips on how to achieve it. April 18, 2010
How to Notch When Felling Timber A discussion of the pros and cons of different notching strategies used when cutting down trees. June 14, 2014
Board-Foot Scales Compared Different log scaling systems predict different lumber output because they include different assumptions about waste. October 12, 2007
Powderpost Beetle Infestation A load of lumber bought at an auction turns out to have tiny beetle holes in it. Now what? October 19, 2013
Beetle Troubles Tips on dealing with lyctid (powderpost) beetles and the less troublesome anobiid beetle. April 27, 2007
Heat Control in a Dehumidifier Kiln Understanding how supplemental heating and the compressor's heating effect interact in a dehumidifier kiln. February 15, 2009
Power-Pole Re-Use Potential Old treated utility poles may have some potential for salvage re-use, but they are trouble to deal with. April 18, 2009
Books About Historic Lumbering and Sawing Sawmill forum members recommend some interesting reading about the history of logging and sawmill operations in various regions of North America. April 18, 2015
Bleaching Blue Stain Advice on using bleach to clean lumber affected by blue stain. August 31, 2009
Heart pine, defined Forum contributors define heart pine discuss differences between heartwood, sapwood and pith. August 12, 2001
Protecting Fresh Wood from Bugs Chemical means have drawbacks and are not very effective. So good drying and careful hygeine in the the yard are your best methods for keeping wood bug-free. April 20, 2011
Building with Green Water Oak Building with timbers that have not been dried creates some degree of risk. September 27, 2008
Profit from Log Salvage? Could a middleman make money diverting landfill-bound logs to sawmills? Unlikely, say the pros. January 13, 2006
How Much Sawdust Will I Make? Formulas and rules of thumb for estimating volume of sawdust generated in bandmill operations. September 5, 2011
Breaking Down Big Logs An interesting discussion with informative videos about cutting down enormous logs to a manageable size for sawing on a bandsaw mill. April 18, 2015
Beech Lumber for Siding Exterior siding exposure may not be the best use of Beech wood. June 4, 2012
Heat Treating Wood for Overseas Shipment The rules for heat-treating lumber for shipment overseas are impracticable because of the likely damage to both the lumber and the treating kiln. January 12, 2015
Presurfacing Green Sawn Oak Planing roughsawn Oak before kiln-drying has benefits that may make it worth the cost. October 26, 2011
Blue-Green Streaks in Sawn Oak A discussion of various factors that can cause discoloring streaks in sawn lumber. January 17, 2011
Properties of Tamarack Tamarack dries nice and straight, but it's splintery and may have some shake. August 8, 2010
Building with Green Lumber A few thoughts on using freshly sawn lumber for construction framing. January 27, 2008
Pith Centering in Cabin "D" Logs A sawyer wonders how best to avoid distortion as he produces wall logs for a cabin project. February 26, 2005
Pretty Book Matches Quartering a log before sawing it sometimes provides an opportunity to create attractive book matches. Here, a sawyer posts a few examples. October 30, 2005
Bandmill Tolerances How close can you cut it? Plus or minus a sixteenth (or better) is reasonable. September 14, 2006
Bandsaw Milling Short Logs A vertical commercial bandsaw with a roller table works well. Here are several examples. October 8, 2005
Bug Control: Pesticide, or a Salamander Heater? Warnings: Pesticides will likely not penetrate lumber and kill a particular pest, and heating wood with fuel combustion exhaust can cause discoloration. January 28, 2014
Head Saw Alignment The band and carriage on a head saw may be set at an angle to allow gravity to work for you (but not too hard). November 26, 2008
Bandsaw mill blade speed Solving a problem of quickly dulled band saw blades and insufficient horsepower. January 16, 2001
Properties of Yemeri Wood Yemeri is a Central American tropical hardwood that is good for utility lumber. July 18, 2008
Pie-Slicing a Log Quick description and info about a German-made saw that slices logs radially. July 15, 2012
Solar kiln glazing Best material choices for a double layer of glaze. April 9, 2003
Sawing a Black Walnut Root The lower stump and root of a big walnut tree can yield beautiful figured wood, but the work is a huge hassle. January 27, 2008
Power Saving Effect of an Inverter on a Resaw Here's an interesting discussion of the power savings you can get by using an inverter to start a large electric motor, and of the possible complications involved in doing so. November 5, 2013
Home-Built Dehumidification Kilns Here's a long discussion of small, inexpensive dehumidifier kiln design, including a consideration of the fire risks involved. September 17, 2012
De-Nailing Salvaged Antique Floor Joists There's no magic bullet for pulling hard old cut nails from antique hardwood floor joists — but there are lots of techniques. February 14, 2010
Maximizing Lumber from a Log Can quartersawing produce as much usable lumber as one company claims? January 29, 2004
Pricing for Kiln Drying Sawmillers share numbers on kiln-drying service charges. November 14, 2009
Essential sawmill equipment Determining the equipment necessary to operate a part-time, stationary sawmilling business. January 4, 2001
Dealing with Snow at the Sawmill Sawmill operators describe how they cope with heavy snowfalls in the yard and in the woods. September 5, 2011
Air-Drying Silver Maple Basic advice on stacking, stickering, and covering Maple for air drying in winter. October 17, 2012
Finish Over Air-Dried Pine Soft resin and volatile natural solvents in softwoods will interfere with finishes unless the wood is kiln-dried at a high enough temperature to "set the pitch."August 17, 2009
Hand-Powered Saws for Milling Logs A discussion of pit saws and an idea for adapting a bandmill blade for a hand-powered frame saw. May 11, 2005
Saw Blade Hot Spots and Dishing What's the right thing to do when a circular sawmill blade heats up in one spot and dishes out of shape? April 20, 2011
Milling Valley Oak Advice on getting some value out of a bodacious tree trunk from the hills outside San Francisco. January 17, 2011
Valuing Unusual Boards Arriving at a price for a one-of-a-kind large piece of wood is a very subjective process. December 6, 2009
Best Dimension for Sawing Poplar A sawmill operator with a load of Poplar logs to saw wonders what size boards would prove most popular. September 27, 2008
Black Locust Fence Post Advice Here's what you need to know to prepare Black Locust logs for duty as highly durable fence posts. June 14, 2014
Fine Points of Bandmill Blade Tension Blade characteristics, including steel type, gauge, and width, are factors in determining the best tension to apply to the blade in service. January 18, 2011
De-Nailing Antique Pine Advice on finding and removing the nails from reclaimed lumber before milling into flooring. April 27, 2007
Saw Blade Guide Pressure Depending on the saw model, blade guides may not touch the blade, or may apply a constant light pressure to it. October 1, 2010
Mold on Green Lumber Quick drying should contain most mold problems encountered on freshly-sawn green lumber arriving at the kiln. June 13, 2014
Forklift Loading Tip How to load long stacks of boards into a narrow truck from the back, using a forklift. July 30, 2007
Chainsaw Compression Release Explanations of the purpose and value of a compression release valve on a chainsaw, and some advice on starting a stubborn saw with less pull-back on the rope. February 22, 2011
Milling lumber from logs Here's the steps it takes to harvest, skid, and mill a log into lumber using my Norwood Lumbermate band saw mill. April 25, 2001
Lumber Acid Content A closer look at when lumber or bark might release tannic acid or acetic acid. April 17, 2009
Lumber Grading, Quality, and Small Mills Here's an extended discussion of the public policy issues involved in lumber grading, and construction using un-graded lumber, as seen from the point of view of the small sawmill operator. May 18, 2010
Sawmill recovery rate Does one sawmill's recovery rate make it a better choice over another mill? (From WOODWEB's Sawing and Drying Forum) February 18, 2003
Bandsaw Mill Choices Sawmill owners tell what they like about their equipment. August 29, 2006
Organizing Logs and Flitches for Bandmill Operation Here's a long thread on bandmill workflow: stacking and laying out logs and flitches for loading, edging, sawing, and off-loading efficiently. June 18, 2010
Has Buried Metal Ever Ruined Your Day? Bicycle sprockets, unexploded ordinance ... you never know what you're going to find in a tree. Here are the tales of buried metal contributed by Woodweb members competing to win a metal detector. The contest is over, but the stories (like spikes in a tree) last forever. April 15, 2013
Black locust uses The best uses of black locust, then and now. January 4, 2001
Value of Logs from Tree Services Logs from tree-removal services can be interesting, but they're not worth paying a lot for. Here's a long discussion on the ins and outs of dealing with tree services. April 27, 2007
Brainstorming About Vacuum Kilns Inquiring minds discuss why vacuum kilns are so expensive, how they work, and the possibilities of building your own — or even improving on the concept. July 30, 2007
Splitting big logs Advice from sawyers on what to do with logs that are too big for your mill. September 19, 2001
Choosing a Bandsaw Blade Experimenting over time is the way to find the blade that works best on your mill for the kind of sawing that you do. (Also, fish responsibly.) February 2, 2012
Quartering a huge oak Methods for quartering a log too large to fit on the mill. May 9, 2001
When to Change Band-Mill Blades Long, thoughtful thread on cost-effective ways to manage the timing of blade changes and blade re-sharpenings. August 8, 2008
Using Light Equipment to Try Out Sawmilling A poster thinking about whether to try milling some logs with a small chainsaw and shop bandsaw gets feedback from the pros. October 1, 2010
Preventing Tire Damage from Blade Breakage Here's a discussion about how to spot breaking blades before they snap and damage tires on the mill, along with some controversy about lubrication, sawdust buildup, and the relative advantages of steel wheels versus rubber tires. June 18, 2010
Is It Practical to Store Logs for Long Periods? Most logs will deteriorate quickly if not cut and dried. Here's a long debate on the practicality of pond storage and other proposed ways around the dilemma. April 19, 2006
Timber Framing: Dry or Green? Thoughts and opinions on whether to frame with dry lumber or green, and whether to let felled logs dry before sawing. October 1, 2009
Lumber Thickness and Sawing Tolerances Here's a thoughtful discussion of the risks and benefits of trying to rough-saw to fine tolerances in order to get more board feet per log for a given finish lumber thickness. February 14, 2010
Chainsaw and bandmills A comparison of chainsaw mills and bandmills for small-scale production. March 28, 2001
Sawing utility poles Is it safe and practical? Advice from those who've done it. August 25, 2003
Shopping for Portable Sawmills Portable sawmill owners and would-be owners discuss equipment preferences, operating characteristics, and why they even bother in the first place. November 13, 2005
A Small Kiln for Final Drying A woodworker needs to get his already kiln-dried stock down to lower moisture content to match indoor end-use conditions. Here's detailed advice for equipment choice and drying methods for a small-batch wood-shop drying chamber. May 9, 2007
Chainsaw Sawmilling for Old Guys Here's a great discussion on the capabilities of chainsaw mills, from the point of view of some dudes who have gotten smarter over time. February 27, 2013
Lubricating band mill blades Options for lubricating your blades, including environmentally-friendly ones. April 17, 2002
Dehumidifier Kiln Advice Detailed conversation about building, equipping, and operating a dehumidifier kiln to dry lumber. September 10, 2007
Rotating Logs to Avoid Sawing Through the Bark Sawmillers discuss ways to handle wood to avoid sawing through the bark, and other issues relating to bark and blade dulling. November 12, 2008
Vacuum kiln drying How do vacuum kilns work and how effective are they? (From WOODWEB's Sawing and Drying Forum) January 21, 2003
Sawing for Grade, or Sawing for Character? A discussion comparing "grade sawing" and "flitch sawing" (one aims for highest grade lumber, the other for character). April 27, 2007
Swing-Blade Mills Versus Bandsaw Mills An extended discussion of the capabilities of both portable sawmill types, and some info on how to extend the swing-blade mill to handle super-sized logs. June 27, 2006
Bandsaw Comparisons Thoughts on choosing a bandsaw mill, with some asides about related equipment such as debarkers and edgers. October 26, 2011
Vacuum Kiln Principles Vacuum kilns cause evaporation at low temperatures, but they still require heat — and that heat is tricky to supply because of the vacuum. Here's an explanation. July 29, 2011
End Joint Splitting in Table Glue-Ups Here's a long troubleshooting discussion about splits that form at the end joints between boards in a round table top. August 29, 2014
Converting a Bandmill to Narrower Blades A sawmiller trying to put a previously owned Mighty Mite bandmill back into service gets advice on dealing with blade tracking issues. January 19, 2012
Borate-Treating Freshly Sawn Wood Ideas, thoughts, and tips for using borax and borate solutions to make green lumber bug-resistant. June 12, 2006
From Log to Furniture A newcomer has logs and wants to make some furniture. The sawmill forum has advice for him. January 14, 2013
Band Saw Blade Life in Hardwood Thoughts on sharpening, lubrication, alignment, blade quality, and other factors that affect how long a bandmill blade will stay sharp in heavy use. February 24, 2008
Air-Drying Big Timbers Over Long Time If you plan to air-dry posts and beams for a period of years, here's advice on stickering, sawing over-size, end-sealing, et cetera. October 26, 2011
Value of Lumber from Diseased Orange Trees An interesting story of a sawmiller considering whether to make the effort to harvest trees from an orange grove. Some parts may be usable. January 25, 2010
Stabilizing Wood with Polyethylene Glycol Advice and explanations about using PEG to prevent shrinkage and cracking in heavy wood disks being dried for a specialty application. July 15, 2014
Drying Eucalyptus Eucalyptus is a fussy wood to air-dry or kiln-dry. Here are some clues about its character. October 14, 2006
Portable Sawmill Height Issues Sawmillers discuss the height of portable rigs as it relates to shelter construction concerns. October 15, 2010
Solar Kiln Designs Compared Thoughts on roof angle, dimensions, and other considerations for solar drying kiln construction. January 8, 2010
Lubricating Sawmill Blades Further discussion of soap-and-water or oil-based blade lubricants and lubricating devices. June 27, 2006
Ash, Pine, Bugs, and Borates More info on the insects that may infest hardwoods and softwoods, and on the use of borate-based controls. December 6, 2009
Short blade life Band mill blades that don't last, burnt tips and bad bearings. December 18, 2001
Sawmill Engine Life Small motors last a few thousand hours on average, but careful maintenance can stretch their useful life. October 14, 2006
Sawing the Biggest Logs Your Mill Can Handle Will that bandsaw mill really cut a 36-inch diameter log? If only it were that simple. In this thread, owners of various mills discuss the tips and techniques you need to manage monster logs in the real world. July 12, 2005
Bandmill Blades for Metal-Infested Wood Advice on where to find and buy blades for a bandsaw mill that can survive an encounter with nails, wire, et cetera in the log. December 31, 2013
Choosing a "Starter" Bandsaw Mill Sawmillers share thoughts about entry-level bandsaw mills for occasional use that might hold their value for when the user decides to upgrade. February 14, 2006
True Dimensions of 4/4 Green Lumber The terms "4/4" and "RWRL" take some explaining. Here's the voice of expertise and experience. October 8, 2005
Bandmill Blade Tension and Blade Temperature Bandsaw mil blades expand and contract with heating and cooling, which affects blade tension. Here is a discussion of how equipment should adjust to compensate. August 18, 2009
Labor Time for Sawing Timbers How much time to expect to take for sawing framing timbers on a bandmill. December 6, 2009
Slabbing with a Chainsaw Advice on low-tech slabbing methods, to rescue a nice log from the burn pile. January 2, 2012
Treating Burls With Pentacryl Is pentracryl a proper treatment for burl wood, or are other sealers more suitable? January 6, 2005
Value of Yard Tree Logs Yard tree value is low because of the probability of hitting metal. But some sawyers still take them. December 12, 2008
Leveling your mill Instruments and methods for ensuring your sawmill is level when you set it up. November 18, 2002
Sawing and Drying Diagonal Slices from Logs Here's some advice on equipment and technique for creating oval-shaped slices through large logs, marketable for various decorative uses. September 6, 2010
Sawing Slabs from Huge Down Tree Stumps This particular big old dead Cottonwood stump may not be worth the effort. But here's some good advice on how to break a big, hard-to-manage log up and get good-sized slabs and burls out of it. June 19, 2012
Blade Tracking Issues with Hard Hickory Blade characteristics such as gullet depth, sharpness, and rake angle affect the performance of a bandmill blade in a very hard hardwood log. January 19, 2012
Economics of Sawing Railroad Ties Cost and quality of saw logs, your mill's production rate, and the market for byproduct lumber can all affect whether sawing ties will be profitable. June 8, 2011
Value-Added Product Opportunities for Sawmill Operations Forum technical advisor Steve Brakovitch kicks off a discussion of value-added products that sawmillers can produce using their lumber products or even their incidental waste. May 13, 2005
Cant Hook Versus Peavey Useful information on the relative merits and characteristics of these basic logging and sawmilling tools. May 11, 2005
Lubricant for Severe Pitch Buildup Tooth pitch and lubricant choice may be some help when sawing wood that contains unusual amounts of pitch. March 16, 2015
Photos of Wide Hardwood Slabs A little show-and-tell display of some big Walnut and Elm slabs, with some discussion of bandsaw mill capabilities. March 16, 2015
Edger Causing Crook in Boards Sawmill operators discuss what could cause an edger to send boards off track. June 28, 2010
Dehumidifier Kiln "Hanging Up" Dehumidifier kilns sometimes stall as moisture content readings get closer to the target. An extra shot of heat can help a lot. July 3, 2008
Lubing Blades When Sawing Utility Poles Old utility poles can be rough on blades. Here, sawmillers discuss why, and suggest blade lubricating fluids. August 21, 2006
Facts about PEG (Polyethylene Glycol) Polyethylene glycol, or PEG, is an interesting molecule with uses beyond woodworking. Here's some info on the varieties on the market. July 23, 2014
Bandmill ratings Sawmillers share their opinions of various bandmills. April 4, 2001
Energy Cost of Vacuum Kilns Estimates of the electricity and heating fuel consumption and cost for vacuum kiln operation. June 28, 2006
Strings on Bandsawn Lumber A discussion of why bandmills sometimes produce a stringy cut in some wood. March 26, 2009
Bi-Metal Blades for Sawing Wood with Nails You should always try to de-nail the logs or timbers before sawing, but for the occasional nail, careful sawing with a bi-metal blade may prolong blade life. April 10, 2007
Quartersawing on a Wood-Mizer A discussion of the best techniques for quartering logs on a bandmill, with photos of the operation in progress. January 16, 2002
Should I Season Timbers Before Framing a Barn? Timber-framing works well with green or partially dried timbers, but you should allow for some drying-related movement after construction. May 9, 2007
Mobile Saw for Breaking Down Logs A sawmill set up to process small logs needs a mobile saw to break down occasional stands of larger trees. Sawmillers offer advice. October 29, 2012
Tough Bandsaw Blades for Dirty Logs No bandmill blade is really a match for rocks or gravel. But here is some advice on tough blades and cleaning and sawing methods for dirty logs. January 2, 2012
Quartersawing, Labor, and Yield This discussion of quartersawing with a bandmill makes some interesting points about the extra work involved and the variable quality and value of the resulting product. April 27, 2011
Quartersawing by the Board Foot An appropriate board-foot rate for sawing services really depends on a lot of details. October 4, 2007
Moisture content for exterior doors Determining the appropriate MC for lumber that will be exposed to vastly different humidity levels. November 14, 2001
Log Scale Versus Weight: Estimating Value The board footage (and the grade quality) produced from a ton of logs can vary widely, based on several factors. October 4, 2011
Resawing Tropical Hardwoods Resawing dense hardwoods like Bubinga, Cocobolo and Swartzia requires special care. October 1, 2009
Sticker Thickness and Sources For good air circulation, stickers need to be at least 3/4 inches thick. Here are ideas on where to get them. October 25, 2006
Green wood fencing Potential problems and solutions when using green wood for fencing. January 16, 2002
Successful Sawmill Operation A logger considers starting up a sawmill, and gets advice from experienced professionals. June 22, 2005
Rust on Bandmill Rails Lubricating the rails is part of routine maintenance, especially if the mill sees a lot of down time. Here's some detailed advice.September 5, 2011
Drying Bowl Blanks One woodturner reports success with an alcohol pre-soak method. January 13, 2006
Drying Rounds Advice on dealing with the inevitable cracking in a round slice of a log as it dries. May 21, 2009
Blue Stain in Pine How big a concern is blue surface stain on softwood? June 12, 2006
Removing Urine Odor from Stored Lumber Can the smell of rat urine be removed from stored rough lumber before milling it? Here are some suggested remedies. October 8, 2005
Drying Cedar Siding Fresh cedar boards need only a quick air drying for exterior use. October 30, 2005
Setting Pitch in Southern Yellow Pine You have to heat the wood to 160°F to set all the sap. Otherwise it will ooze out, even through shellac or other sealers. February 9, 2008
Seasoning a Large Hardwood Slab A premium slab is a treasure, but drying it properly requires patience — and nothing will stop it from moving as it dries. April 30, 2006
Building Your Own Bandsaw Mill Thoughts on the practicality of building your own bandmill, from those who have done it (or chosen not to). April 11, 2008
Drying Capitol Christmas Tree Slabs Despite several interesting suggestions, Woodweb fails to provide a secret formula for drying cross-sections of a pine tree trunk with no radial checking. Still a fun thread, though. August 16, 2012
Holding a Cant Down on the Bandmill A bandmill owner gets help troubleshooting the situation when a cant seems to rise off the sawmill bed while sawing the last few boards. April 18, 2015
Building a Small Drying Kiln A long discussion of the considerations involved in building and operating a small backyard or garage kiln. August 8, 2008
Loading and Moving Big Logs with Minimal Impact This starts out as a conversation about block and tackle mechanical advantage, but develops into a detailed and useful discussion of ways to skid and load logs without tearing up the woods or lot. June 18, 2010
Stupid Woodworker Tricks With a nod toward David Letterman, pros discuss their least-best moments. January 24, 2005
American Chestnut Log Identification The Woodweb detective team tries to determine if one of the group has found a large American Chestnut log in a firewood pile. March 9, 2010
Log Scales, Log Size, Kerf Thickness, Lumber Yield, and Profit The estimated yield using one or another log scale may differ from the actual board footage of lumber sawn from a load of logs, for a variety of reasons. Here's a close look at how different scales, different logs, and different saws affect the yield, the price, and the profit. April 20, 2011
Recycled barn wood Processing and marketing reclaimed lumber. September 23, 2003
The "Sustainable" Chain of Custody How can a small shop get certification that its wood is sustainably produced, all the way back to the source? June 30, 2009
Framing Lumber for Planting Boxes A discussion of treated wood, naturally rot-resistant lumber, outdoor exposures, and pests. April 14, 2010
Economics of Sawing for the Tie and Pallet Market Ties and pallets typically get sawn as byproducts when producing higher-grade lumber. But in a down market, it's tough to sell any part of the log at a profit. September 6, 2010
Moving Beyond Drying A small drying operation wants to invest in planing, jointing, and ripping. March 18, 2005
What is value added? Forum participants give technical and personal definitions. April 2, 2002
Winches for Skidding Logs If you want the muscle to move logs, you should look at hydraulic winches, not electric. Read on for other skidding advice. July 3, 2008
"China Cedar" -- What Is It? "China Cedar" is a separate species grown in the Far East. However, Cedar logs from America do get sent to China and come back to North America as lumber, complicating the picture. December 30, 2007
Using Beech to Build Cabinets It's a beautiful wood, but is American Beech too unstable for cabinets? Not necessarily, say those who've tried it. August 21, 2006
Cost of Grid Power Versus Running a Generator Generators are a poor deal when fuel prices rise, but commercial power bills can get complicated. Here's a look at how the numbers crunch. March 3, 2006
Gene's value-added hints A bit of wisdom on adding value to your wood products, from Professor Gene Wengert. April 2, 2002
Price and Quality — Sawing Oak Boards for Dump Truck Beds Sawing for a utility market like truck bed liners carries its own set of economic calculations. Here's a practical business discussion that delves into the pennies and the board feet. May 23, 2007
How to move logs Creative and practical ways of loading, unloading and transporting logs. Illustrated. (Sawing and Drying Forum) March 23, 2003
Pricing for Kiln Drying Lumber Here are pictures of a drying kiln building under construction, with commentary on how to charge for drying wood with a dehumidifier kiln. December 8, 2012
Hardwood Lumber Tallies Are you being shorted on a lumber delivery? The answer could depend on the fine points of board-foot calculations. April 19, 2015
Parenchyma Cell Rings and Wood Grain Info about parynchyma cell rings, a structure similar to growth rings that can affect the appearance of sawn lumber. October 1, 2009
Future of Sawmilling Here's a long, conversational thread on the economics of sawmill operations and the big picture of the general economy. August 31, 2009
Sustainable forestry How sustainable forestry relates to the woodworker and consumer demands. June 3, 2003
Toxicity of Black Locust The leaves, bark and wood of Black Locust are poisonous to both people and livestock. March 31, 2008
Adding value to old pallets Examples of how woodworkers have recycled pallets and other old wood into new products. June 5, 2002
Figuring Sawing Prices Sawmill operators share views on how to charge for their product or service. December 12, 2008
Can a Beginner Make a Living with a Portable Sawmill? Experienced sawmill operators counsel a newcomer on his odds of success with buying and operating a sawmill in a tough market — and describe what his life will be like if he tries it. November 16, 2010
Economics of Sawmill Operations This thread takes a close look at some hard numbers for logs and various sawn lumber products, and teaches some valuable lessons about how sawmills can make money, or lose money. September 6, 2010
Rates for custom milling An extremely detailed look at different systems of charging for custom milling. May 30, 2001
Portable sawing rates Methods for charging, plus more on the business of sawmilling. January 21, 2002
Wood, the environment, and Man A wide-ranging overview of the state of the primary processing industry, and where it may be going from here. August 10, 2000
Durable Wood for a Screen Door A craftsman's question about screen door materials kicks off a long discussion about the qualities of various wood species, old growth and second growth. October 4, 2005
Dry kiln operator's manual The modern dry kiln is a unique product of research, development, and experience. It is the only practical means now in wide use for rapid, high- volume drying of lumber to conditions necessary for maximum serviceability in housing, furniture, millwork, and many other wood products. As part of our c ......
Twisted timbers Determining the cause of twisting in Douglas fir construction timbers. August 10, 2000
Measuring Logs and Lumber Lumber measurement - Professor Gene Wengert clears up questions regarding proper measurement techniques. May 28, 2001
Causes and cures for sticker stain The Wood Doctor weighs in with comprehensive information about the causes and prevention of sticker stain. 1998.
I've Got that Shrinking Feeling Specific information on lumber shrinkage during the drying process. Includes 'typical shrinkage' tables for red and white oak. 1998.
Steambending How much time to allow based on thickness and proposed radius of wood. September 23, 2003
Applied wainscot Creating fake raised panels for the lower portion of walls. April 3, 2002
Fortune Teller: Making More Money in the Wood Industry Wood Doctor Gene Wengert makes some educated guesses about the near future in the wood products industry, and offers some advice about how wood-based businesses can profit from change. April 15, 2013
Comparing sliding and vertical saws Woodworkers voice their views on the virtues and liabilities of both sliding and vertical saws. November 15, 2000
Cherry Color After Aging When cherry shelves are constructed years apart, how dramatic will the color difference be? May 8, 2004
Water and Wood Some options for measuring moisture in lumber during the kiln-drying process. 1998.
Think before you take the CNC plunge WOODWEB technical advisor Brian Personett offers some food for thought to those thinking about purchasing CNC equipment. November 15, 2000
Keeping a tally Ideas for tallying BF while custom sawing. May 2, 2001
Drying Rewetted Kiln-Dried Lumber How to render kiln-dried lumber, which has been rewetted due to flooding or excessive humidity, useful once again. 1998.
Dry Kiln Information Resources A list of clubs, organizations, books and publications providing information about drying lumber for use in woodworking. 1998.
Lindane Information on Lindane, a pesticide used to control powderpost beetles. June 21, 2000
20 Steps to Drying Hard White Maple The Wood Doctor's 100 percent guaranteed, sure-fire, no-snake-oil method for successfully drying hard white maple. 1998.
Working with hickory How to get around the difficult machining characteristics of hickory. July 24, 2001
Wood weight and highway transport How to accurately estimate the weight of a truckload of air-dried lumber to assure compliance with trucking regulations. Includes access info for resources. August 1, 2000
Drying Siberian Elm Slabs Prone to warpage and bug damage, Siberian Elm is tricky wood to dry. March 31, 2008
Sunlight and a Cherry Entry Door Cherry is a problematic wood for any exterior use, because it is known to first darken, then bleach, from exposure to sunlight. April 24, 2006
Quartersawn lumber Techniques and reasons for quarter sawing lumber. November 21, 2000
Aromatic cedar for closet lining A discussion of drying and machining, aromatic red cedar for closet lining. Includes ideas on marketing the finished product. March 4, 2000
Steaming beech for veneer production Questions and answers on various technical aspects of steaming beech lumber, preparatory to producing veneer. Includes ideas for further reading.
Value of Dead Standing Oak Moth-killed Chestnut Oak (also called Rock Oak) need not be felled immediately, and can produce valuable boards and timbers. October 1, 2009
Straightening Old Bowed Floor Joists Overloaded wood deforms over time (it's called "creep"). There's no quick way to reverse the process. December 1, 2005
Ironing Plywood A cabinetmaker has success straightening out bowed plywood with a hot iron. December 28, 2005
Sawing "on the shares" A discussion of sawing lumber in exchange for a share of the yield. June 20, 2000
Spots revealed in dry, planed lumber Dr. Gene attempts to find the causes of discolored spots on dried lumber, revealed only when the stock has been planed. 1998.
Red cedar vs. white cedar siding The differences between the two woods, specifically, their suitability for use as siding. October 17, 2000
Sticker stain solutions A look at potential causes and solutions for sticker stain. July 11, 2000
Quartersawn mahogany, or is it? An architectural woodworker seeks specifications and industry guidelines for what constitutes truly quartersawn mahogany. March 5, 2000.
Curing pitch buildup on blades Sawyers offer various approaches and potions for preventing pitch buildup on bandmill blades. June 20, 2000
Cures for sticker stain Drying lumber can suffer from sticker stain for a variety of reasons. June 20, 2000
Moisture content of walnut -- and measuring it A woodworker seeks information about acceptable moisture contents for walnut used in furniture, and wonders what makes moisture meters tick. 1998.
Defining the Term "Board" Boards, flitches, and cants - here's how to keep 'em straight. February 26, 2005
DH kiln preferences A look at dehumidification kiln construction, and manufacturers of DH units. July 26, 2000
Gluing white oak panels Because of its density, white oak lumber must be machined carefully for panel glue-up, and assembled within an hour of preparation. 1998.
A good, cheap end sealant? A discussion of the pros and cons of various sealants used on ends of boards in primary lumber processing. April 22, 2000
Air-dried oak for casework? Air-dried lumber needs to live in the environment it will inhabit prior to fabrication. 1998.
Controlled spalting Is it possible to control spalting to produce unique turning stock? June 20, 2000
Smelly lauan The Wood Doctor is quizzed about bad-smelling lauan in a commercial bar. Diagnosis: anaerobic bacteria. Prognosis: terminal. Prescription: replacement. 1998.
A rubberwood primer Rubberwood's machinability and comparability to teak. January 31, 2001
Moisture transfer in humid climes Do tropical and sub-tropical species re-absorb moisture when left in their humid, native lands? September 6, 2000
Salvaging lumber from submerged wood The best chance for salvaging lumber from submerged wood lies in cutting it quickly, and drying it slowly. 1998.
Stained oak from supplier There are solutions for stained, milled, not-yet-dried oak lumber, but first , one must determine the cause of the staining. 1998.
Gross tally vs. net tally The difference between "gross" and "net" tallies in lumber processing is explained. July 18, 2000
Wet bulb, dry bulb An explanation of the terms "wet bulb" and "dry bulb" in reference to temperature measurement, and their particular usefulness. March 6, 2000
ITEMIZER - From R & R Drummond, Inc. Use your computer to generate efficient layouts for cutting sheet material into desired sizes (a link to a demo download is provided)1998
Quartersawing thoughts and help Some thoughts on doing quartersawing with a circle mill versus a bandsaw mill. Also an offer of instructions. March 7, 2000
Hardwood Utilization Book Review "The Management, Manufacture and Marketing of California Black Oak, Pacific Madrone and Tanoak" covers the various aspects encountered by the forester, the logger, the sawmill manager, the marketing people, and the business owner - 1998
Best preparation for bent ash Dr. Gene advises a fishing-net maker on the best ways to prepare ash for bending into frames for his products. 1998.
Harmful saw dust Steering clear of cedar dust, and what could happen if you don't. January 16, 2001
Kiln velocity and sticker thickness The necessary volume and velocity of air exchange, and sticker size, for a small dehumidification kiln are discussed. November 29, 2000
An overview of sawmill operations Sawmill operators swap experiences, "war" stories, and ideas for production profitability. October 17, 2000
DIY grading The legal ins and outs of grading your own milled lumber. January 28, 2002
Dealing with Blade-Diving Waves More blade tension, better blade lubrication, and a sharpening modification may help keep bandsaw blades from wandering when cutting larger logs. December 1, 2005
Tree Burls — Causes and Value Burls from a tree trunk can yield valuable material for custom craft work. Here's some info on what they are and why they appear. June 14, 2014
Powderpost Beetles in Furniture Pinholes and powder are a dead giveaway of a beetle infestation. Here are some facts about the bugs and how to handle them. February 19, 2006