# How to harvest figured timber (Minimal tools)



## BCLuxor (Aug 24, 2010)

Hi all, I have way to much timber period, but there is always room for more  I have put this little noobtorial together to show some of the newcomers that you don't necessarily have to spend lots of cash or have many power tools to get nice timber.

Here is a list of the requirements.

1. A large pruning saw/ bow saw. (Found on eBay for cheap)

2. A standard cross cut / resew hand saw.

3. Lubricant/wax

4. A keen eye for a tree 

5. Bench vice/work horse.

6. Protein powered effort.

Firstly ensure you have all correct tools as listed above, any additional are a bonus. If you have a band saw then why are you here!







Now the fun part! Go out unto the blue yonder and locate a knarly old twisted hag of a tree and take slices to the approximate total width of desired board yield. For example my template dictates a 4" wide board so the minimum guestimate I take is a branch the width of my fist. For the length I always cut an additional 2" either side to allow for moisture escape "checking". Again my example would be a 5" required length so I cut 10" thatis about as long as my .... huh hmm kids about  ha ha ...



The tree used in this exaple is a crab apple that could do with some TLC to be honest, at present she maintains hold over my catch box backstop  the idea however is to illustrate that even mundane looking trees can yield beautiful feature filled timber.



Once back in the shop secure the log into your vice and square of both ends neat and flush.



now rotate the timber vertical and ensure a firm hold in the vice prior to cutting. I have drawn on the lines to illustrate the kind of depth and where I would place cuts into the log to yield desired boards at the end of processing. Simply then take your saw and get your sweat on! ( note keep checking periodically that the cut is tracking roughly straight to vertical).



When you have cut the maximum amount of usable blanks from your mini log you can then cut vertical at the base to "chop" the blanks free from the main limb.



You can then plane the faces of the blanks to give a smooth flat finish or sand them flush this is however optional. I guess it is also worth mentioning that you should let your timber season (Dry) for a period of time before cutting like this. This will allow the moisture to diminish over a period of time. I do get lucky with smaller logs however and find that as log as they are stacked with good airflow and a thin wax coat they tend not to warp or check.









pictured is (Crab apple, Laburnum and Eucalyptus)


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## treefork (Feb 1, 2010)

The grain . WOW !!!


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## Tentacle Toast (Jan 17, 2013)

Great read, BC! Very nice tutorial, there. You ( & your girl, it seems ) have a great eye for wood


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## leon13 (Oct 4, 2012)

That's a great tut thanks for showing 
And what a nice grain 
Cheerio


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## Tentacle Toast (Jan 17, 2013)

So, not trying to get dirty here, but what's the lube for?


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## BCLuxor (Aug 24, 2010)

Ha ha saw blade TT, I find some of the fresh cut timber can gum up a little ,wax helps keep blade moving


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## Tentacle Toast (Jan 17, 2013)

Gotcha, thanks  I was trying to figure it out on my own, but my mind just kept getting gutter balls...


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## Chuck Daehler (Mar 17, 2015)

That's perdy wood amigo. Eucalyptus is some decently hard wood as well. I love it.


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## bigron (Nov 29, 2012)

great tutorial BC and some beautiful wood thanks for sharing


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## BCLuxor (Aug 24, 2010)

Thanks for the comments ! I just find it a lot more satisfying harvesting the timber prior to the laminating and cutting it makes the whole process much more start to finish


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