Tough Decisions

I recently found a 12′-6″ pine log that was about 60 years old. After it was opened on the mill, it was obvious that it was solid. After the opening, I start making a plan by asking myself, “How can I get the most lumber out of this log and keep the waste down to a minumum?

I needed some 1″x10″x6’6″ boards, and some 2″x6″x12′ boards. The log was not long enough to get two 6’6″ boards, and if I used the log for this, there would be a lot of waste. I chose to cut 1″ live-edge boards while making the cant, so that they could be re-sawn for a few 1″x10″ boards. I continued cutting 1″ boards, rolling the log, and after the cant was made it yielded some solid boards.

The log gave me 15 – 2×6 boards, and a few 1×10 boards. There is waste in every log, but managing the waste is part of being a sawyer.