Slabbed up a couple of cedar logs recently. On Thursday by myself then today with a friend. I am sure they are all from the same tree, the logs were a bit misshapen and kind of rotten one side. I got 9 slabs in total (well 8 plus two half slabs). The biggest was probably 28" wide by nearly 8 feet long. There are still two more big pieces left, enough for probably the same amount again. Plus a crotch pieces that thought I might work at later. Unfortunately it had quite a large crack in it, perpendicular to the best way to cut the crotch. So I am not going to bother with it in light of that.
Not entirely sure what kind of cedar they are. My guess is Monterey Cypress, which is a somewhat common street tree here in town, although it is endangered in its native habitat. Had a lovely mild aroma, I think is kind of a cinammon spicy kind of smell, my friend thought it more like tobacco. In any case definitely milder than our local red or yellow cedars, I would say milder than Port Orford cedar too, but most similar to that one.
Some of the boards have some nice grain in them, good colours and nice straight grain. Others are a bit gamey with knots and wild grain that is not particularly attractive.
One of the saws is running well, the other is giving me some grief. I have been having problems with the chain getting quite loose very quickly It also makes some disturbing noises when it runs, it sounds like the sprocket or the clutch. The motor itself seems fine. I have been using it just for the first cut, then switching to the other saw for the remainder of the cuts.
Hopefully this will be the last of the slabbing for a while. I need to get back to the bookcase and I also need to build a bigger storage area in my backyard for more slabs!
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