How to cut a log into planks at home?

Wooden boards and beams are considered the most common materials in construction and joinery. However, not everyone has the opportunity to purchase ready-made sawn timber. To save your family budget, you can cut the logs into planks yourself. It is enough to have the necessary tool in your home inventory and know the basics of cutting technology.

Many simple and complex devices have been developed for cutting logs. The choice of this or that tool depends on the required number of logs of their size.

When the question of sawing a huge amount of wooden planks comes up, a sawmill comes to mind.... This device is a woodworking machine equipped with several saws, thanks to which the log is ripped.

To cut a tree trunk, you can use circular machine equipped with circular saws. Their design may include one cutting disc or several at once. Single disc circulars work with low quality material. Multi-disc are designed for cutting large diameter round timber.

Today are in great demand band sawmills... They are divided into horizontal and vertical types. The main cutting element in the structure is a belt blade stretched over pulleys. Band sawmills carry out longitudinal and mixed cutting of wood. The whole process of work is accompanied by minimal waste.

The presented types of cutting tools are most often used in the industrial field. However, their miniature counterparts can be found at the dacha of carpenters and people whose hobby is related to the manufacture of decorative wood products.

In addition to stationary equipment, there are many hand tools that allow you to process tree trunks. We are talking about a chainsaw and a hacksaw with ripping teeth.

Specialists in the field of wood processing for home use recommend chainsaws... They are distinguished by high power, capable of continuously operating for a long time, since they do not need to be connected to the mains. With a chainsaw, you can go to the plot, where you will be able to process a huge number of trunks. Moreover, this hand tool has several types of attachments designed for specific cutting options.

• Rip saw attachment. Designed for horizontal cutting of logs.
• Lightweight nozzle. It cannot be called a quality element of a chainsaw, since the resulting cut has irregularities.
• Fumigator. This nozzle in a short period of time is able to dissolve a log into boards of the required dimensions.

It may seem to someone that cutting a log into planks at home is as easy as shelling pears. But this is a wrong judgment, especially when it comes to the manufacture of building material for the construction of any structure.

The main phase of the dissolution should be started only by examining the logs. It may be necessary to remove bark and knots from them. If the logs do not have any flaws and defects, the processing process will go much faster, and the final lumber will exceed all the expectations of the master.

Today there are several types of log cutting, depending on the orientation of the tree rings of the felled tree.

• Radial... In this case, the cut must be carried out along the radius of the annual rings. The finished lumber will meet high quality requirements and will not deform even after long-term use.
• Tangential... This type involves sawing a log tangentially relative to the tree rings. However, the resulting lumber will not have the desired strength.
• Parallel... The most understandable option for cutting parallel to the grain of the tree.

When opening the log in the direction of the grain, it is best to use the roundwood option. Initially, the slab of the round timber is cut from the 1st side part. Then the log is turned 180 degrees, and the 2nd slab gets under the removal.

Despite the chosen method of cutting different logs, it is necessary to adhere to several general rules corresponding to the sawing technology.

• The log should not move during processing. It should be securely attached to the work surface.
• When using a chainsaw, you will need a chain for longitudinal processing so that the cut is smooth and the saw does not go sideways. It is very important that the chain is sharp and not sag.
• When sawing with your own hands, you should choose small pieces of logs.
• Before starting sawing, you should make the markings corresponding to the selected type of sawing.
• It is important to pay special attention to safety precautions at any stage of log processing.

Knowing how to properly loosen logs is only part of the technology for sawing wood. It is much more difficult to work from a drawing when you need to translate a paper drawing into reality. At the presence of a clear scheme every piece of sawing is carefully measured. Cut lines must be straight, which is extremely important in the manufacture of decorative products.

Before picking up a chainsaw, it is necessary to make a competent cutting of the log. Thus, it will be possible to get the maximum amount of quality boards with a small waste residue.

To begin with, a mark is applied to the tree, corresponding to the type of lumber conceived. Then the log is fixed on the working surface so that it does not move or dangle.

The log should be cut horizontally. Advantage This method involves the minimum effort required to hold the saw in your hands. To cut along the log, you will need a device for longitudinal dissolution. These add-ons can be purchased at the store or made by hand.

Using the rip saw attachment, attach it tightly to the body of the chainsaw and prepare a base surface against which to cut. Under no circumstances should you put pressure on the saw, it should move smoothly along the working surface. Well, for the convenience of work, it is best to invite a partner. Additional hands will help secure the workpieces to insert the wedges into the cut.

When working with a sawmill, it is important to take into account the parameter of the thickness of the boards, the taper and rotation of the raw material. The master can make a cut on a band-type sawmill according to several schemes.

• Easy sawing. In this case, the log is cut from start to finish, resulting in untreated boards, since the log is not rotated. This method is considered to be the simplest, but it has several disadvantages.The resulting boards have to be cut from the sides, and the lumber itself loses quality. Even during operation, the center boards can crack.
• Circular sawing... A cut is made, after which the sawman turns the log over to the other side. Thus, the tree is processed to its center. This method is considered the best for processing medium and premium raw materials.
• Sawing timber. Initially, the cut is made in a circle, and the center of the log takes the form of a bar of a specific size, which is subsequently cut out without residues of waste. This scheme is suitable for cutting low and medium grade wood.

For the application of sawing patterns for cant and circular sawing, experts use 2 methods.

The first assumes disregard taper, and the second requires you to pay attention to it. The first method chooses the worst edge for the initial cut. However, without taking into account the taper, there will be a lot of slabs. Sawing from the good side of the log runs parallel to the bark, which gives the craftsman a large number of excellent quality elongated boards.

In both cases, the final boards have the same characteristics. However, using the second method makes it much easier for the sawman to find the best edge.

As for the issue of the log coup. When the raw material is turned 180 degrees, uncut boards are obtained, the sides of which require additional processing. At 90 degrees, semi-edged and unedged boards come out, which need to be modified only on one side.

A 180-degree turn allows you to get high-quality samples of the final material with wide dimensions. If the sawmill has only one saw, it is much more convenient to turn the raw material in the same way as a right angle.

After the opposite edges have been cut, the worst part of the log is processed without taking into account the taper. But a good edge requires a cut parallel to the bark, which increases the quality of the final lumber.

When working with cutting equipment, it is important to follow safety rules, thanks to which you will be able to avoid even minimal injuries:

• bystanders, especially children, should not be present near the workplace and on the working site;
• when working with a circular saw, it is important to put on a protective cover;
• for your own protection when cutting logs, you should wear special items of uniform - glasses and a mask;
• there should be a first aid kit at hand;
• do not pour gasoline into the hot tank of the chainsaw;
• in no case should you turn on the chainsaw outside the workplace;
• the logs to be processed should be installed only on the right side of the master;
• when working with cutting equipment, it is strictly forbidden to use force on it.

Additionally, you can watch detailed instructions in the video on sawing logs into boards.