# Sawing the Big Leaf Maple Burl



## gvwp

Sawing this beast was a challenge to say the least. :dash2::dash2: A full 4 1/2" over what Woodmizer claims to be the maximum diameter of my sawmill and I can clearly see why but I managed to get it cut into blanks. Took about 2 1/2 hours with a few choice words heard in the saw building. 

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## davduckman2010

gvwp said:


> Sawing this beast was a challenge to say the least. :dash2::dash2: A full 4 1/2" over what Woodmizer claims to be the maximum diameter of my sawmill and I can clearly see why but I managed to get it cut into blanks. Took about 2 1/2 hours with a few choice words heard in the saw building.



very very purty stuff duck


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## DomInick

Wow!!! That's awesome. Are those slabs full burl? That's beautiful


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## Jerry

You got to love it. Very very nice.


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## gvwp

DomInick said:


> Wow!!! That's awesome. Are those slabs full burl? That's beautiful



Some of the slabs are. The burl runs out toward the very center but towards the center we found some very figured wood. Light to heavy curl and wild swirly grain. Just a beautiful piece all the way through. 

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## DomInick

Joe Rebuild said:


> Wow I sure would like to make one big bookmatched table out of a couple of those. Nice score you got there.



+1 on the book matched table, or should I say tables. 
That's just ahhhhhh yea that's awesome.


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## conchwood

gvwp said:


> Sawing this beast was a challenge to say the least. :dash2::dash2: A full 4 1/2" over what Woodmizer claims to be the maximum diameter of my sawmill and I can clearly see why but I managed to get it cut into blanks. Took about 2 1/2 hours with a few choice words heard in the saw building.
> 
> Man your trees sure do grow straighter than ours in the south, now if you can just get them to grow square us millers would be in heaven!


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## Vern Tator

:wacko1: So I have to ask. How did you get the log peeled? Must have been much bigger before.


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## Mizer

Nice log! Been there and done that many times. At least you had the advantage of having it being nice and round. I know from experience that sawing big ones like that can be pretty nerve racking at times. Sometimes you are praying that it turns the way you want it too or else it will roll off and tear your mill up. I don't know about you but I liked the challenge of sawing big ones like that every now and then. I am sure that your time spent sawing it will be well rewarded with all the burl and figure that it had.


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## Mizer

Something I didn't notice before in looking at the pics was that log was a little short and you did not have very much wiggle room between your side supports and the end of the log, so extra kudos to you on your milling expertise.


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## gvwp

conchwood said:


> gvwp said:
> 
> 
> 
> Sawing this beast was a challenge to say the least. :dash2::dash2: A full 4 1/2" over what Woodmizer claims to be the maximum diameter of my sawmill and I can clearly see why but I managed to get it cut into blanks. Took about 2 1/2 hours with a few choice words heard in the saw building.
> 
> Man your trees sure do grow straighter than ours in the south, now if you can just get them to grow square us millers would be in heaven!
Click to expand...


 Yes, wish they all grew like that huh?? :rofl2::rofl2::rofl2:


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## gvwp

Mizer said:


> Something I didn't notice before in looking at the pics was that log was a little short and you did not have very much wiggle room between your side supports and the end of the log, so extra kudos to you on your milling expertise.



Good observation Mizer. Yes, NO room in fact. 90" at the longest point. Almost lost it off the back of the mill a couple times trying to turn it. Estimated weight at around 5000lbs. If it would have come off the back of the mill inside the building it would have just been a true nightmare to get it back up on the sawmill. I had to take a full length slab off one side with a chainsaw to start. Notice where my height is in the previous pics. Take a look at these photos. Another 1/2" and it wasn't going to happen. Nice thing was it was perfectly round. I'm sure you have seen those logs with a taper and you were good to go at one end only to find 4/5 the way through the log your blade guide was digging into the bark and shutting you down with only needing another 1" of width to get through. I hate running really big logs and this was beyond big for the LT70. Woodmizer was dragging their feet on getting me a quote to use their 1000 to get it slabbed so I cut it up anyway. Uggg. :dash2::dash2::dash2::dash2: I knew it was going to be a bear but I got it done. Now if I had the big 52" ambrosia Maple log that is sitting outside done.  I'm dragging my feet getting that one done as well. 

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## gvwp

Vern Tator said:


> :wacko1: So I have to ask. How did you get the log peeled? Must have been much bigger before.



This was a veneer rejected log. It had been on the veneer machine and was peeled perfectly round before it was decided there was too much inclusion to make good veneer. Good for us it came to us perfectly round as you see. I haven't a guess at how big it was originally. Could have been 4-5' or more.


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## Kevin

You and Mizer are talking as if sawing big logs is a big feat of some kind. If it fits between the guides it gets sawn. No big deal. Hell even in Texas we saw big logs like that. We just don't have the burl in them. :dash2:

I wish we did. That log is a peach.


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## Mizer

Kevin said:


> You and Mizer are talking as if sawing big logs is a big feat of some kind. If it fits between the guides it gets sawn. No big deal. Hell even in Texas we saw big logs like that. We just don't have the burl in them. :dash2:
> 
> I wish we did. That log is a peach.


There you go David, no need to worry about that 52 incher, just load it up and send it to Texas.:no dice. more please:


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## gvwp

Kevin said:


> You and Mizer are talking as if sawing big logs is a big feat of some kind. If it fits between the guides it gets sawn. No big deal. Hell even in Texas we saw big logs like that. We just don't have the burl in them. :dash2:
> 
> I wish we did. That log is a peach.



Actually it is a big deal. The Woodmizer portable mills are not really setup for sawing super large and/or very short logs. There is only 29" of throat space on the LT70. Woodmizer boasts the maximum log size is 36". Well thats in a perfect world just as they boast about the mill being able to saw 930bf an hour. With 2000+ hours of experience on the sawmill I can guarantee this has never happened. At least not with sawing 4/4 lumber. I can, however, saw up to 1200bf an hour when sawing pallet cants but they are large and not many cuts required. Its not that the sawmill has any trouble with power. Loads of power but to saw you have to be able to get the blade through the log between the blade guides and around any defects and you have to be able to turn the log. Not such an easy task with a 4000lb or more log which has bumps and defects. Easier with a smooth defect free log. I always get a kick at the shows when they use 14" 4SC Poplar logs with no defects. Saw these all day long in minutes. Big difference from a 36" knotty White Oak log. :wacko1: Not to put down my sawmill. Its a WONDERFUL piece of equipment and I could not do without it. I just tend to shy away from doing super large logs.  Mizer can probly chime in on this as well.


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## gvwp

Mizer said:


> Kevin said:
> 
> 
> 
> You and Mizer are talking as if sawing big logs is a big feat of some kind. If it fits between the guides it gets sawn. No big deal. Hell even in Texas we saw big logs like that. We just don't have the burl in them. :dash2:
> 
> I wish we did. That log is a peach.
> 
> 
> 
> There you go David, no need to worry about that 52 incher, just load it up and send it to Texas.:no dice. more please:
Click to expand...


Woo hooooo! Problem solved!


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## Mizer

I think a 52"er would be a good candidate for splitting with a chainsaw.


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## gvwp

Mizer said:


> I think a 52"er would be a good candidate for splitting with a chainsaw.



Yes, I think you are right. It will have to be cut down a bit.  I want to learn how to use black powder to blow them big suckers apart. I've seen that done and there isn't hardly any explosion at all when its done right and the two pieces just lay down side by side ready to saw. Its great!


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## DavidDobbs

When you get ready to do that tell me. It would be well worth the 2 1/2hrs its going to take to get there 






gvwp said:


> Mizer said:
> 
> 
> 
> I think a 52"er would be a good candidate for splitting with a chainsaw.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yes, I think you are right. It will have to be cut down a bit.  I want to learn how to use black powder to blow them big suckers apart. I've seen that done and there isn't hardly any explosion at all when its done right and the two pieces just lay down side by side ready to saw. Its great!
Click to expand...


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## Mizer

Here is a neat way to break one apart.


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