Need info on quartersawing from log quarter.

Gyozu

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Just to say at the front, I realize this is not a sane way to acquire wood for instrument making, but I would like to try this and I've seen some interesting furniture made from Bradford pear. So with that in mind and the fact that local woods have a lot of supporters, onward.

So, I acquired a butt section from a freshly cut Bradford Pear. The ends were sealed within 8 hours using 3 coats of alkyd-latex paint. The log was then quartered using a maul and wedges. So, now I have 4 wedges that are about 7" on a face and ~23" long. I would like to resaw this for back and sides and maybe a few tops. I have been reading this site and several others and and confused on whether to saw to 3/16" or saw out thicker chunks , say 5/4 and resaw that when dry. Also wondered what sort of 1/4 sawing schedule/pattern would be best to follow. Hoping to find the method that will lead to the ending up with properly dried wood that is not twisted and cracked. Or is there something else I should consider. Any thoughts on how to handle this would be appreciated.

A doodle to see what I'm thinking about.
 

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I just went through this with some poplar I got under contract from Monticello. I let it sit on the ground for two years to spalt, then cut the biggest slab I could manage out of the middle to keep it quartered. Once cut into a rectangular shape (from a half log) I painted the ends with a thick coat of Titebond. It seems to be drying nicely without cracking, and cutting it into uke stock should be simple. Its from a tree that Jefferson had planted, so even the scraps are way too valuable to throw out. For cutting quarter logs of red spruce for Huss & Dalton brace stock I made a carriage to hold the "firewood" as I ran it through the bandsaw into quarter-sawn boards. Even so, there was a huge amount of waste. Your logs are so small that I think you should go for the nicest chunks you can get out of them, rather then the greatest yield. Then dry everything. You may get usable trim pieces from the bits, and without a ridiculous amount of work from the whole project.
There's pix of the poplar I cut on my website, on the Shop Gossip page.
 
Because it is a hardwood, or fruitwood, don't be too worried that you get it all quartered. Go ahead and get some pieces well quartered, but try a few flat-sawn, there may be some figure there.
I cut up a small Pear tree some years ago, it was at the most 8" dia. and I've used all the bits for many little uses, currently violin bow re-hair wedges.
 
I definitely would not resaw it thin and then dry it. Maybe doesn't need to be cut at 5/4, but you need some room for milling once it dries.
 
Thanks you for the replies. I will go with getting out thicker planks to dry and then resaw again when it is dry. I will look for other uses for the offcuts. Maybe see if there is something that can be flat sawn. Bradford pear is pretty quick growing around here, so we will see.
 
I resawed my neighbours pear , but I would use an end sealer, white, from woodcraft.B. pear here in kc mo checks and moves quite a bit. I would let it dry for 1in per yr and then resaw into whatever your plan calls for and then check it for dryness as it does warp a lot. There are a number of good youtube vids on buidling a sled for resawing on BS.
 
I resawed my neighbours pear , but I would use an end sealer, white, from woodcraft.B. pear here in kc mo checks and moves quite a bit. I would let it dry for 1in per yr and then resaw into whatever your plan calls for and then check it for dryness as it does warp a lot. There are a number of good youtube vids on buidling a sled for resawing on BS.


My thought is to come up with soem sort of resaw layout that gives me planks that are quartersawn and 4" and 5" wide by 6/4 or 8/4 and then recoat the ends, sticker and air dry or find a kiln that will dry them. I've seen the resaw sleds and I'm sure I will use some iteration of that. The twist does not surprise me due to it's fast growing nature, but I've seen some beautiful pieces made from local storm damaged trees that were converted to lumber. It is also subject to spalting which leaves wonderful patterns, but I think I'd rather buy that if I ever get the need.
 
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