Keel from log middle?

[HarryH]

I have a sawyer who will saw a couple of white oak keel/skeg pieces for my boat project. He asked though, if he could saw through the middle of the log. Otherwise he may not have the log dia. needed.

What do you think? Am I in for major warp, etc.? And is the keel and skeg consisting to some degree of heart OK?

The stock will be planed after drying to 3" in thickness. The rough sawn sizes will be 12" wide x 12' long, and another 10" wide x 16' long. I will resaw each to go from max width down to about nothing over its length, as in a 2 piece keel/skeg for a powerboat.

White oak around here is tough to find at a decent price, so I hate to pass unless it is unwise to have my keel sawed this way.

Thanks for your help,

Harry

[gary porter]

Harry, I'm sure you will get many opinions here but I would not use the center of the log for anything.
The wood on either side of the center would be good and gives you basically quarter sawn lumber. If you need to use that log and there is not enough width to make the size you need I'd consider glueing up two or three pieces. You don't have to use epoxy, several glues would work and perhaps even better than epoxy. Anyway try to avoid the center.
Just my opinion here.
Gary

[Dave Fleming]

Say after me.....

FOHC FOHC FOHC FOHC FOHC

Hummya Hummya Hummya

[Bob Smalser]

Unwise. Besides those tight-radius growth rings warping...

...it'll not only probably crack all the way through in a (small) 3" slab, but even the small checks will admit water to the heart, which rots much faster than the surrounding heartwood.

[HarryH]

Well....what did I expect? I knew better, but since I wanted what he had, I was looking for the anecdotal "Well my Uncle Josh cut his 90' keel right through the heart, pith and all, and it's still sound and going strong after 70 years"...ahem.

I'm gonna take the best of the width, and glue it up as suggested.

Thanks,

Harry

[edsr]

Dave - What is FOHC ??
edsr

[Bob Smalser]

Lumber language....free of heart center.

[holzbt]

Your uncle Josh's 90' keel would most likely be boxed heart and could easily last 70 years. It's very unlikely that you would be able to get out a keel timber much over 12" x 12" without the heart, and most big boats live full time in the water which helps preserve them and avoids moisture cycling. Anything much under 12" x 12" you should be able to avoid the heart and certainly in a 3" timber it should be avoided if at all possible.

[Venchka]

Bob & Dave & holzbt...

Something like this is to be avoided, correct?

http://home.att.net/~willmarsh3/el/web_4904.jpg

Wayne
Wondering in the Swamp. :D

[ 08-25-2004, 02:58 PM: Message edited by: Venchka ]

[Dave Fleming]

Ayup on more than just the heart.

[htom]

Yikes! Yes, to be avoided.

[Venchka]

I thought so. Y'all are helping me learn.

Thanks!

Wayne
Grateful in the Swamp. :D

[Bob Smalser]

http://pic3.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/2595357/64773092.jpg

Good illustration of the problem.

Those tight-radius rings at the pith have almost no strength at all for when that keel gets a sideways bump....and when it's hauled and dries out, those rings will try to straighten themselves out, cupping on the port side and likely cracking at the pith on the starboard side.

Add to that the lack of rot resistance in the first couple rings of the pith...and you have many potential problems easily avoided.

Personally, I wouldn't use a boxed center stick less than 12 inches thick....and not even then if I could avoid it because of the cracking....DF can still be had in 12X20+ sizes and if that was impractical, I'd laminate.

[Ed Harrow]

And, if you want to see what heartwood looks like more than a few years later, send me your email address. In otherwords, D-O-N-'-T!