Where’s My Moaning Chair?

[Dave Hadfield]

About 6 hours of labour.

6D0E2BFA-8FCF-4647-8A3F-5BD333FE11B1.jpg

It’s ironwood for a boomkin replacement on Drake III. Very tough stuff. Totally dry and nearly as hard as… iron. So I was cutting from both sides to rip it to rough 1 3/4” thickness. (Old Craftsman 10” table saw.)

Oh well. I do also need some rubrail sections.

[Dave Hadfield]

Re: Where’s My Moaning Chair?

This is what I started with. Quarters split and chainsawed out of a 12” trunk I cut last winter.



It was like splitting elm — a miserable sweaty frustrating hard-earned lesson in structural tenacity.

[wizbang 13]

Re: Where’s My Moaning Chair?

shoot, go ahead and split it and resquare it?
I mean...ironwood ?
spruce should do

[Rich Jones]

Re: Where’s My Moaning Chair?

I can see that happening to me!!
How is your blade doing cutting that wood?

[Hugh MacD]

Re: Where’s My Moaning Chair?

Did that with a big hunk of walnut. I was lucky that I could glue it back together for my project. How'd your blade hold out?

[koederfischgriller]

Re: Where’s My Moaning Chair?

Just two more passes and you have three nice ironwood boards. Wasn´t that the plan?

[Edward Pearson]

Re: Where’s My Moaning Chair?

About 6 hours of labour.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]137713[/ATTACH]

It’s ironwood for a boomkin replacement on Drake III. Very tough stuff. Totally dry and nearly as hard as… iron. So I was cutting from both sides to rip it to rough 1 3/4” thickness. (Old Craftsman 10” table saw.)

Oh well. I do also need some rubrail sections.

Dave there's no inner fence stopping just after the front teeth and no riving knife behind the blade. With a partial thickness cut that's asking for a kick back. While the wood's heavy, I'd be concerned that post cut movement could push it into the blade, like what happens with Iroko. Very strong timbers have internal tensions some times that release when it's cut (see how the post cut line isn't straight even with a table saw's cutting blade width). That plastic plate looks pretty flimsy and less supportive than ally. Just saying that's as unsafe as it could be especially on a partial thickness cut when the wood is more likely to be in contact with the top of the blade and fire towards you and possibly move. Don't want you to get an eye full.

[Dave Hadfield]

Re: Where’s My Moaning Chair?

Thanks Edward. Yes, you're right, although I've been using that table saw (Craftsman 10") in that configuration since the 1980s, and still have all my fingers. BTW, the red cover is steel, not plastic.

To be honest, my new Dewalt cordless circular saw did better than the table saw at the ripping cuts. I was quite impressed.

As for the use of ironwood Ostrya virginiana it'll last much longer on the boat than spruce. And it's here, already sectioned and on my property.

Here's the wood source after the first split, followed by chainsawed quartering -- the picture may not have come through above.

IMG_3052 sm B.jpg

[jpatrick]

Re: Where’s My Moaning Chair?

For what it's worth to others... I agree with Edward in post #7. Cuts like that scare the bejeebers out of me. I prefer to do deep rips on my bandsaw.

Jeff

[Dave Hadfield]

Re: Where’s My Moaning Chair?

For what it's worth to others... I agree with Edward in post #7. Cuts like that scare the bejeebers out of me. I prefer to do deep rips on my bandsaw.

Jeff

I wish I had a bandsaw that would handle this stuff. Mine is light-duty only.

In actuality, the safest solution is to use my chainsaw-mill more. I didn't set it up because the outside temps here are quite high at the moment.

chainsaw lumbermaking.jpg

[John Meachen]

Re: Where’s My Moaning Chair?

I don't know if you have one,but there is a reason why sawmills use bandsaws for that kind of cut.Mine will cope with 8 inch thickness,rather slowly, but if I stick to the line I know what I will get.

[Dave Hadfield]

Re: Where’s My Moaning Chair?

I’d love to have a bandsaw mill. Especially since a quarter of my forest is dead or dying Ash.

But it’s about a $10K expense, and probably won’t happen.

My shop bandsaw is a 14” King. Not a very robust unit.

Anyway, I persevered today and ripped a rubrail piece out of my “mistake”. And cut the 2 stern cleat bases I need.

Heavy wood — I dropped the cleat base into a bucket of copper napthanate wood-preservative, and it sank. Doesn’t even need a rock to hold it under.

[Edward Pearson]

Re: Where’s My Moaning Chair?

If I knew what I know now 10 years ago, I'd have 'gone big' on the bandsaw. The 13" one I have is OK for 90% of work and it'd just about cut 4" of Spruce, but when I was trying to saw off 4" from a 20ft x 4 x 12" Sitka Spruce board for a mast, the issue of supporting it 20ft either side of the bandsaw and push it through on your own from a way back leaves you not able to see the cut and you'd need a ton of supporting plastic feather things. I've got some of that now, but still need a bigger bandsaw for the weight, stiffness, motor power and throat height, so I know how it is Dave. In the end I made a similar cut to yours - two partial thickness, but I had a tracksaw to hand (no table saw either then) and that worked without incident though I had a very firm grip on it and it felt a bit of a tool abuse.

[Ron Williamson]

Re: Where’s My Moaning Chair?

Unless that saw has had a serious HP upgrade, kickback shouldn't be a problem.
With a 10" rip blade soaking up much of the power,the internal stresses biting on the sides of the blade and the inertia/mass of the timber,that saw should be easy to stall and trip a breaker.


Freeballing away from the fence at the end of the cut is a big concern,though.

The last time I tried working some ironwood, it all ended up in the woodstove, having shrunk,cupped and twisted in the kiln.
R

[Sandlapper]

Re: Where’s My Moaning Chair?

[QUOTE=Dave Hadfield;6861119]Thanks Edward. Yes, you're right, although I've been using that table saw (Craftsman 10") in that configuration since the 1980s, and still have all my fingers. BTW, the red cover is steel, not plastic.

QUOTE]

OK Dave, I read your statement of pride in using your tablesaw with more than a tinge of regret at my identical attitude up until October,15 of last year. I'm older and even more experienced at the tablesaw than you and continue to suffer from the same attitude I had before October, 15. As I look at my right hand minus all working parts other than the thumb and a partial pinky, I'm feeling pretty dumb. Yes, this is unrequested advice but maybe the best you will ever get.

Sawstop is your friend, regardless of the value of your current saw and worth every penny, but only if you get one right now. Looking at my surgeon's bills and much more, the high cost of a Sawstop is damn cheap. Not to mention that my days of feeling pride in my woodworking skills is over.

I was not a fan of Sawstop for some time but continue to see mangled hands that would mostly be avoided if fellow woodworkers would retire their dangerous beasts.