Our friends at Tule Peak Timber recently invested in a saw, a very big saw! For those who are new here, Tule Peak Timber is a supporter of The Patriot Woodworker and mainly our troops. We love to see what they have been up to, and Rob the owner sent me some pretty danged cool pics of their newest addition to their lineup of machinery. So here ya go, you want a slab? How big ya want it!!!!

Quote from Tule Peak Timber "Tule Peak Timber just invested in a super -slabber mill that is capable of producing slabs up to 6 feet wide ! Old growth super big boards as
well as table rounds, burls, and giant crotch wood up to 20 feet long."

Now, dining room table anyone??????

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John Morris
The Patriot Woodworker
Proud Supporter of Wounded Warrior Project and Homes For Our Troops

takes all the work out of making the table top doesn't it?

Only one word..................WOW!

An amazing machine

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Greg
Scroll Saw forum host

http://www.thesawdustfactoryga.com/

Wonder if I could fit that in the shop? (No way)

Man those are beautiful slabs!

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John Moody
Site Administrator


John Moody Woodworks
http://www.johnmoodywoodworks.com

That is quite the machine fellas! What I'd like to know is the air dry time for those humungous slabs. I believe the general rule of thumb is 1 year per inch thickness, but when dealing with extra wide slabs does that generality fluctuate wildly or not.

Think of the surface embellishments you could do with a slab table top that big. I would love to carve or grind in some recesses right in the center of the table for a little rock pond or for candles, how cool would that be!

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John Morris
The Patriot Woodworker
Proud Supporter of Wounded Warrior Project and Homes For Our Troops

you might ask them what they do about  end checking and splitting and get 'em to talk about different native species. As often as I've tried large slabs I end up with firewood. I protect the ends  only to find that the large faces betray me.

Different woods tend to have dramatically different drying patterns.  I have had oak spit up internally so badly  that the lumber I got from it fell apart in my hands.  Siberian Elm  and Maple are  almost  idiot proof.  Elm is so idiot proof  that the very first time I got a hankerin' to do it myself  (& in complete ignorance)   I seasoned  a whole 8-foot cube pallet of Siberian Elm as whole logs and didn't do anything about the ends and got great lumber from it.  Apple  and the other fruit trees I've harvested are really good about not checking up too. I have yet to find a Black Walnut I could harvest.

Cliff, here is a great reply from Rob Durfos owner of Tule Peak Timber.

 

 

Cliff,
All good questions. There is a wealth of information from the federal
gov't. on urban lumber utilization. There are companies, such as
Woodmizer and Nyle Corp., who print booklets on drying wood. There are
numerous books out on the subject of urban lumber utilization. Woodweb
on the internet has a sawing and drying forum that is absolutely
excellent. This forum, along with their other information sources, is
current and active daily.

That said; there is a great amount of reading to do on the scientific or
documented side of drying every kind of lumber there is. I strongly
suggest that you research these free resources and read, read, read.

Six years ago I asked myself the question "why can't we make wood from
the trees around us?" I bought a small chain saw, cut up some boards and
dried them in my living room. It became obvious immediately that there
is a lot more to this process as I posed questions very much like yours
early on. After reading all of the information I listed above, and then
some, it became evident that there is also some "art" involved in wood
drying, mainly having to do with where you live, the trees you are
utilizing and your local weather patterns, to name a few things. One of
the things you might consider doing is purchasing a kiln which will
allow you much tighter control over your drying process, thereby
lessening the art side of drying wood.

So to sum it up; reading and education on what has already been done
and certainly well documented along with your particular drying
situation and needs will take you a long way. Record keeping and
documentation of your successes and failures is very important.

I have attached some photos of some of the slabs processed through the
shop this week as well as some in the yard cut in the last couple of days.

Hope this helps. Have a Happy Holiday Season.
Rob, Tule Peak Timber

Cliff said:

you might ask them what they do about  end checking and splitting and get 'em to talk about different native species. As often as I've tried large slabs I end up with firewood. I protect the ends  only to find that the large faces betray me.

Different woods tend to have dramatically different drying patterns.  I have had oak spit up internally so badly  that the lumber I got from it fell apart in my hands.  Siberian Elm  and Maple are  almost  idiot proof.  Elm is so idiot proof  that the very first time I got a hankerin' to do it myself  (& in complete ignorance)   I seasoned  a whole 8-foot cube pallet of Siberian Elm as whole logs and didn't do anything about the ends and got great lumber from it.  Apple  and the other fruit trees I've harvested are really good about not checking up too. I have yet to find a Black Walnut I could harvest.

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John Morris
The Patriot Woodworker
Proud Supporter of Homes For Our Troops and Wounded Warriors Project