Milling Techniques for Rescued Logs

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my name is scott landis and i’m the

president of greenwood

an educational nonprofit that connects

sustainable forest producers

with a talented network of woodworking

entrepreneurs and world-class designers

it’s a whole value chain approach

linking wood from managed forests

with artisan producers quality designs

and ultimately

good markets we aim to deliver the

highest value from every harvested tree

to the people who live closest to the

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forest

after a tree has been fell transforming

the logs into lumber is the first step

of almost

all woodworking activities this process

is most often achieved by use of a

sawmill

it’s a multi-step process that prepares

the wood for drying and further

transformation into furniture

musical instruments or artisanal wood

products there are many different types

of sawmills but one of the most popular

especially in remote forest areas is a

portable bandsaw mill another popular

option is a chainsaw mill which is

sometimes referred to as an alaska mill

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milling is a critical step in the

transformation of most wood

products and it’s important to break

down the log in the way that will yield

the best

quality wood for your intended market at

the end of the day the strategy and

techniques you employ

in milling each log should maximize

yield minimize waste

providing lumber that can be used most

efficiently by the woodworkers who will

produce a finished product

adding the greatest value to each

harvested tree

my name is john curtis i am vice

president of greenwood i live in mexico

and work with forest communities

and i’ve been with scott for many years

and we’ve together we’ve been to

peru and honduras and now we’re here in

puerto rico

working on this very interesting project

and we’re

very happy to be here

after a hurricane event a wide variety

of downed

trees become available the origin of the

tree

will determine some of the logs

characteristic trees

for example that are sourced from the

plantation natural forest

or an urban area will differ in trunk

length

wood quality and accessibility while

plantation logs are

straight and less dense natural forest

logs will have

longer trunks but are less accessible

while plantation harvested logs

are maintained to be straight clean and

ideal for the development of wood

product

rescued urban logs often have unique

characteristics that

woodworkers should be aware of

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rescued urban logs may contain metal

debris such as nail

they also may have insect damage from

being in contact with the ground

for extended periods after a hurricane

the most important steps in rescuing

logs are to identify

which ones are actually worth milling

next the ends should be sealed and the

logs should be elevated

in a shaded area to protect them from

direct sunlight

insects and moisture while rescued urban

logs come with their challenges their

often unique characteristics tell an

interesting story of the life of the

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tree

rescuing any log the first step is to

plan the dimensions required for your

project there are standard dimensions

of the lumber created in the milling

process depending on the project at hand

for example when making furniture the

standard is to

cut lumber that measures four quarter

five quarter

six quarter and eight quarter which

translates to

one inch inch and a quarter inch and a

half etc

to prepare your log for milling you must

first remove the bark

and use a metal detector to locate metal

that might damage the saw

afterwards clean up the ends of the log

which allows you to

analyze the log for best yield and

finally position the log for your first

cut

before milling your log into lumber

prepare your sawmill equipment by

checking

the gas oil and coolant supply

then check the tension and sharpness of

the blade also

be sure to clear obstacles from the work

area and make sure

you’re wearing the proper safety

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equipment

there are several different knowing

techniques each with their own benefits

the most popular milling technique is

through and through milling

sometimes referred to as flat sawing

through and through milling is the most

common technique because

it’s the easiest and the fastest way to

saw a log

this technique produces the most variety

of grain patterns

although there is more shrinkage and

movement in half of the board

and this technique produces the lowest

value per board foot

but the highest yield

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another popular technique is quarter

sign quarter sawing is a favorable

milling technique because

it yields higher quality boards these

boards are more stable because they

shrink less

across the width also quarter sawing

produces

less variation in brain pattern while

quarter sign

requires more work and produces a lower

wood

yield the resulting boards are of higher

value

finally the radial sign technique

produces the highest value per board

foot

the grain pattern is the most uniform

but depending on the species

can be quite spectacular however this

technique requires the most

time and effort because additional

equipment is needed

this technique also has the lowest wood

yield

it’s also important to note that quarter

sawing

and radial sawing techniques require the

highest quality logs

i’m not an artisan but a lot of what

motivates me

is applying artisans with the raw

material and this is

some of the highest quality raw material

that there is

and so it gives a great satisfaction and

that’s why it’s my favorite technique

but

it is a lot more work

are an extreme climate event that have

great effects on trees and forests

the 2017 hurricanes in puerto rico and

the u.s virgin islands left hundreds of

thousands of fallen tropical hardwood

trees

much of this valuable wood was lost the

experience raised awareness of the need

for training and capacity building in

the wood industry in order to make the

best use of the wood for local

economic and cultural benefits milling

is a key step in the journey from a

fallen tree to a high value wood product