# Slabs...it's what I make



## SDB777 (Aug 26, 2012)

Not really sure if this qualifies for the sub-topic category of "Other Things We Make". But this is what I 'make' as a fun past-time, and also a few bucks on the side.

Fella contacted me through his son(local firefighter), seems he's been needing someone to make some big logs into 2" and 2-1/2" thick slabs! The logs were dropped off on Friday night(8/24), and I love the thought of making some slabs! So I got started on them first thing yesterday morning(8/25).

The temps weren't too bad in the early morning, but after a few hours and a few small rain showers, it got muggy!!! The hardest part about cutting slabs, has to be the moving of the logs....at least for me. I don't own a tractor/forklift/whatever....I am the tractor. But when you step back and think about what you need to do, a simple cant hook and some thick chunks of wood for ramps can be all you need.


Here's the log on the ground next to the mill:






And here's the same log on the mill:




(Of course, the magic of digital photography makes it look pretty easy. From on the ground to on the mill was approximately 8-10 minutes)

This log turned into this:




(The fella is going to sand these slabs down and make bookend table(s) out of them. Hope he doesn't need to move them around too much...them tables would be very heavy!)


Who says White Oak can't be purty?:


















Hope you enjoyed the woodporn? I know I get a kick out of being the first to see what the inside of a log looks like. A little sore, oh yeah....those slabs weigh around 150-200 pounds a piece(the 2-1/2" by 10'6" laying on the ground next to the mill will require the help of a young fella to get into the trailer. For whatever reason, everything seems heavier when it's wet?  Go figure??
The fella is suppsed to be here this afternoon to pick them up....hope he likes them(he got a pretty good deal on the cutting)!

Any questions? Feel free to ask.....love talking about milling.



Scott (can you say sunburn little guy) B


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## Katya (Aug 26, 2012)

Okay.. I'll start!  Fantastic photos, lots of fun to look at<g>.

I'd like to  know how long it takes for one pass of the saw to cut a slab, and what the blade? blades? look like.
Catherine


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## firewhatfire (Aug 26, 2012)

I might have saved a couple of bowl blanks off the end of one of those slabs.  Sounds like fun right up until you said they were heavy.


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## snowman56 (Aug 26, 2012)

*Slabs*

Where is the tractor?


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## mredburn (Aug 26, 2012)

in the Late 70s I helped my FIL set up a portable sawmill on his property. The idea was to give his son some way to make money. I have no idea why it was called portable, I think think it was built in the 30s. It had a 12ft long cart that ran on  2 tracks and was drawn by cable. The saw blade was 54inches in diameter and powered by a 300hp Cummins diesel. NO guards anywhere. We loaded the logs on with cant hooks and ran the cart down and back using a 5ft steel lever to activate the cable drum. For the next cut we had ratchets on the stanchions to move the log forward. We logged several oak species and walnut off his property. He had about 127 acres of timber. I used to have to carry and stack oak 8x 10 x 8'9"  for railroad ties. Green  I think they weighed more than I did. MY FIL and I ended up doing the work as his son ran away from home rather than do the work, literally.


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## robutacion (Aug 26, 2012)

Geezz mate, I would be a very happy chap if I had a machine such as that, I love milling but is not much fun with a 44" chainsaw mill...!

The only good thing about cutting logs in that weather is that the blade doesn't get too hot and there is no sawdust blowing in your face...!

Great job on those slabs...!

Cheers
George


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## Wright (Aug 26, 2012)

There is a guy that lives not to far from me that has a portable saw mill also. He sells his slabs as well and I have been thinking about seeing if he ever has any cutoffs? He does hard wood as well as pine.


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## BSea (Aug 26, 2012)

Gee Scott, it's amazing what that thing will do with a *sharp* blade.:biggrin:


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## reiddog1 (Aug 26, 2012)

Thanks for the wood porn Scott.  That's some fine looking slabs.  Just imagine that big slab of sexyness for a table top!!


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## NewLondon88 (Aug 26, 2012)

boom chicka wow wow .. :tongue:


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## alphageek (Aug 26, 2012)

BSea said:


> Gee Scott, it's amazing what that thing will do with a *sharp* blade.:biggrin:



Why do I get the feeling someone visited Scott when the blade was less than sharp?


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## SDB777 (Aug 26, 2012)

Whew, never would have thought this many people would look at this this quick. 

The blade is .024"(1mm) thick, 1.25" wide and 144" long. It travels on two wheels covered by fan belts. 

The between the guides cut is 20" and the slab can be 4" thick between that 20". The track can be as long as you want by adding 7' sections. I have two sections at 14'. But the mast on the two sections will let me cut up to 11'-ish. 

Was someone else's logs. So no bowl blank available on these. Sorry. 




Scott (sorry Bob) B


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## alamocdc (Aug 26, 2012)

If you will excuse me, I have to get something to clean the drool off my laptop! I LOVE QS White Oak! And that 8/4 slab was DA BOMB!

We don't have much White Oak down here. But we do have Live Oak. And the heritage trees (60 yrs old or more) have some amazing curl. I know this because I smoke with it and splitting it is a &!#(^. I'd love to be able to slab some of that stuff. It's HARD!


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## SDB777 (Aug 26, 2012)

Katya said:


> Okay.. I'll start! Fantastic photos, lots of fun to look at<g>.
> 
> I'd like to know how long it takes for one pass of the saw to cut a slab, and what the blade? blades? look like.
> Catherine


 
One pass with a full width piece like these.....about 2 minutes, maybe 2-3/4 minutes at most. To get a super fine finished cut, I turn the volume up on the water system and go really slow...maybe 5 minutes for a cut! Almost can get away with a starting grit of 220 or so.....





snowman56 said:


> Where is the tractor?


 
I wish! I'll end up with a chain hoist on a gantry style system in the post/beam shed I'll make.





Wright said:


> There is a guy that lives not to far from me that has a portable saw mill also. He sells his slabs as well and I have been thinking about seeing if he ever has any cutoffs? He does hard wood as well as pine.


 
If he will let you dig through his pile-o-scraps...go for it. For that matter, anyone near me is welcome to dig in mine(we're under a burn ban and I'd love the cutoffs to disappear!).






reiddog1 said:


> Thanks for the wood porn Scott. That's some fine looking slabs. Just imagine that big slab of sexyness for a table top!!


 
Tables and benches are what these are destined to be. Hope someday I get to see the end product!






Scott (bacon bomb has been eaten) B


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## GaryMGg (Aug 26, 2012)

Nice WM; nice work; and I'll bet those will make gorgeous tables when they dry.


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## ericofpendom (Aug 27, 2012)

Have a look at this site if you want to see some wood porn.  I came across this site a few years ago and I check it out now and then to see if he has anything new.  There are some fabulous slabs here.

Eric...


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## 76winger (Aug 27, 2012)

There's a guy about 15 miles away from me that cut some Cherry logs for me a couple years ago. What a great machine to have. Too expensive for everyone to have though, but they sure make nice slabs!


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## thewishman (Aug 27, 2012)

Now I understand why they call it a Wood Mizer - 1mm blade doesn't chew up much wood. Thanks for sharing the purty pictures.


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## robutacion (Aug 27, 2012)

ericofpendom said:


> Have a look at this site if you want to see some wood porn.  I came across this site a few years ago and I check it out now and then to see if he has anything new.  There are some fabulous slabs here.
> 
> Eric...



Eric,

And that web site is...???????

Cheers
George


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## Tom T (Aug 27, 2012)

Nice stuff, thank you for sharing.


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## SDB777 (Aug 28, 2012)

ericofpendom said:


> Have a look at this site if you want to see some wood porn. I came across this site a few years ago and I check it out now and then to see if he has anything new. There are some fabulous slabs here.
> 
> Eric...


 
I haven't cut many slabs for the website lately, they just don't sell...thinking that the price is too low on them and folks run thinking something is wrong with them. And those that are interested get killed by shipping(why I've gone for local pick-up). I'll try to get a few pieces back int the 'slabs' area of the website, just so folks can see something.




76winger said:


> There's a guy about 15 miles away from me that cut some Cherry logs for me a couple years ago. What a great machine to have. Too expensive for everyone to have though, but they sure make nice slabs!


 
The LT-10 is the base modeled bandsaw mill, with the engine upgrade(when I purchased it) it was only $3350! I know people with lathes that cost more! Got some Cherry that is next in line for the mill, and some more Sweet/Redgum, and then my gaint Hickory logs that have been spalting up pretty good on the ends and around the outsides!
You might think about asking to go through his scrap pile(we all have one by the mill), might find something that was on the way to the burn-barrel?




robutacion said:


> ericofpendom said:
> 
> 
> > Have a look at this site if you want to see some wood porn. I came across this site a few years ago and I check it out now and then to see if he has anything new. There are some fabulous slabs here.
> ...


 
Signature line below....





Tom T said:


> Nice stuff, thank you for sharing.


 
Thanks! Never knew this many people would respond to something like this, but I thought I'd show a few where those pen blanks actually come from. I'll try to put more photo's up as I go(sometime forget to take a camera with me while I'm playing in the backyard). Of course, if your close enough, ya can always come over and watch/help. I typically pay for help with some wood to take home





Scott (just call first) B


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## greggas (Aug 28, 2012)

"You are the tractor".... Ouch...man do I know that feeling...I recently decided to retire " as the tractor".  Thanks for sharing...which you lived closer...I have some monster burls I need to slab


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## keithkarl2007 (Aug 28, 2012)

Sweet setup. Man I wish I had one of those. There is a huge bog oak log near us, I mean huge that would be well worth slabbing along with some bog yew logs. Dang, dang, dang. I bet they are expensive.


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