Wood grain cutting technique

T

Tusker

Joined
Nov 1, 2005
Messages
2
Hello all. I recently bought a JL grinder from Ken McFall at K&G. Very nice guy to do busuiness with.
I have a very nice piece of ironwood that has ALOT of burl throughout.
I am trying to find information on the best direction to cut so as to take most advantage of the burl. I have been unsuccessful with the search on this forum. I have decided that rather that a direct cut across the grain, it may possibly be more proper to cut it at about a 45degree angle to get more useful pieces out of the chunk yet still be able to take advantage of the burl. I would be interested to hear what those of you who know, would do. What would be the proper angle in relation to the grain. I am sure that those who cut birdseye or other burls would know.
I have seen relatively few pieces of ironwood with any burl and don't want to waste any of this.
Thanks, Tusker
 
Tusker,
The Desert Ironwood that I have cut has been to optimize the number of pieces that I can effectively cut from the block. Usually the grain in a burl has radian symmetry and will show good pattern reguardles how it is cut. It is very expensive to cut. I usually use a 60 tooth carbide on a 10 inch table 3 HP table saw. I have a floating top for my saw so I can fasten to the floating top for secure accurate cutting...Ed
 
I agree with the last post.I use a lot of ironwood burl myself and for the most part the grain itself is undefined as with most burls.So I try to make my cuts so as to get the least amount of waste and with burl being the nature of wood that it is no matter how you cut it,it will be beautiful.....John
 
Tusker,
Quarter sawing, when you make your cuts radial to the center, will result in fewer pieces, but will give you a different look than standard rip sawing. Try it on a piece of oak , or the like, and see what the results are; then make a judgement on how to cut the pricey handle material. It should appear that the grain is "closer" when it is quarter sawed. Fred
 
you orient your tang hole. From the side of a Q sawn piece, your actuall looking at the growth rings at a 90o angle; straight down on the grain from the top. And all this is only possible if your cutting a log lengthwise. Looking at smaller (i.e. blocks, chunks ect...) pieces it is sometimes hard to tell how that piece was oriented in the first place. I've a friend who's a custom furniture maker and have picked up a lot over'ta his shop just watching him work. He knows wood so well I'm jealous. Saws, cures, and plains his own Mesquite. He showed me three logs, about six and a half feet long last time I was over there he'd paid a little over 4k for: the largest one, and I saw this myself, was 19 inches in diameter, sappwood included. Solid Texas Mesquite. It was impressive.

Here's an excellent illustration on cutting Q sawn wood...

http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/How_to_quartersaw.html


I think we should all have a saw like this one in our shop...

http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Quartersawing_on_a_WoodMizer.html
 
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