Splitting Wood

[Charles Cadenhead]

Is there a certain way to split a log or can I bisect it any ol' way (I can hear the jokes now )? For example, take this piece of water oak, what's the best way to split it? Thanks!

EDIT: For clarification, when I say bisect or split I talking about cutting it through the pith. What I'm wondering is if I need to bisect it at a certain direction or angle to get the best grain.

 

[Ron Solfest]

Assuming you’re looking for best functional use for bowls you’d typically slit the pith such that the pith was centered on each half (roughly horizontally in this case); if you’re more into art you can be creative

 

[Richard Coers]

I usually stay off the pith by at least 1". Directly cut on the pith is still open to lots of cracking. The direction ( top to the pith or top towards the outside of the log) you cut the bowl from the log makes the difference on grain, not the split of the log. https://turnawoodbowl.com/bowl-turning-grain-orientation-wood-blank-direction/

 

[John Snow]

Looks like that piece is showing you where to split it.

 

[R Henrickson]

Looks like that piece is showing you where to split it.

Indeed. Since I've made several Windsor chairs, one reaction was "wedge and sledge", or perhaps a froe. But that log is definitely telling you where to split it, although removing the pith is necessary.

 

[Charles Cadenhead]

I usually stay off the pith by at least 1". Directly cut on the pith is still open to lots of cracking. The direction ( top to the pith or top towards the outside of the log) you cut the bowl from the log makes the difference on grain, not the split of the log. https://turnawoodbowl.com/bowl-turning-grain-orientation-wood-blank-direction/

That's how I've been cutting but I've noticed that some blanks looked better (had better features) then others. Reading the article you referenced, the part about balancing the blanks is interesting and something I haven't thought about before. With the example log I can see two different cuts, 1 right down the middle and the other cutting off the pith completely by removing the lower 40% or so of the log. I guess I need to decide which cut will produce a better looking bowl.

 

[Dean Center]

If your goal is to have a "balanced bowl", you would NOT split it in line with the crack that's formed. That would put the pith, and therefore the center of the grain in your resulting bowl, WAY off to the side. Cutting roughly perpendicular to the crack, along the horizontal line that Ron mentioned, will give you a balanced bowl. Some folks may not care about having a balanced bowl, but if you do, that would be the cut to make.

Also of note with this particular piece of wood is that with the pith that far from the center, the wood will probably be pretty 'lively' and move more dramatically in one direction than the other. (I'm guessing this is a branch, to be so far off center)

 

[Charles Cadenhead]

Indeed. Since I've made several Windsor chairs, one reaction was "wedge and sledge", or perhaps a froe. But that log is definitely telling you where to split it, although removing the pith is necessary.

It seems like it. I'm probably overthinking how I cut pieces but I've noticed some blanks look better than others. Even blanks cut from the same tree and orientation. I guess that's just the nature of the wood.

 

[Charles Cadenhead]

If your goal is to have a "balanced bowl", you would NOT split it in line with the crack that's formed. That would put the pith, and therefore the center of the grain in your resulting bowl, WAY off to the side. Cutting roughly perpendicular to the crack, along the horizontal line that Ron mentioned, will give you a balanced bowl. Some folks may not care about having a balanced bowl, but if you do, that would be the cut to make.

Also of note with this particular piece of wood is that with the pith that far from the center, the wood will probably be pretty 'lively' and move more dramatically in one direction than the other. (I'm guessing this is a branch, to be so far off center)

Can you believe that's not a limb but a piece from a 20 foot tree with 2 trunks. The trunk split off down near ground level.
Dean, are you suggesting cutting it here?

 

[Brian Gustin]

If you want a bowl with balanced grain, your cut line is about right - that is, assuming the crack is not too deep into the log - If there's length to permit it I'd probably trim off ends of the log to see how deep the crack goes before deciding to cut it that way - Otherwise I'd probably cut out the pith (cuts on either side of the dark brown circle made by pith in your photo) which would also cut either side of the crack.

 

[hockenbery]

others have similar suggestions. I suggest you cut to get a deep bowl and a shallow NE bowl.

Unfortunately, the big bowl blank has a bad crack if it is deep the bowl is cracked.



In this blank it is tempting to cut following the crack - then you have 2 poor bowl blanks.



But keep cutting.



You have spindle blanks for all sorts of turnings: goblets, endgrain hollow forms, boxes, finials, gavels……

 

[Dave Landers]

Others have had good advice. Here's a picture, maybe to make some of it clearer.

Normally, I'd say cut on the blue line. That'd give you a couple "balanced" bowls. Having the same grain structure/density/etc on each side of each bowl - it'll usually look better and will dry more uniformly. One bowl will be bigger and the other smaller, but each will be better balanced. This is what I'd do - if the crack can be cut away (surface only, not deep).

If that crack goes deep, you might have to cut this down the red line. Those 2 bowls might warp cock-eyed as they dry, and the grain "center" will be off to one side of the bowl. Not bad, not wrong - just maybe not always the best result.

I think if it were my log, and that crack went deep, I might cut along the blue line and get a little dish from the lower part. Then split the upper part down the crack (red line) and end up with 2 bowls or 2 hollow forms from those pieces.

A tip on cracks - get some stainless steel zip ties (usually in the electrical dept of home/hardware stores). They're thin and stiff and make great probes to check crack depth.

 

[Charles Cadenhead]

I didn't think about the spindles, that's an interesting idea. Looks like I got options.

 

[Bob Brown]

Look for the Todd Hoyer hand out to get idea of the outcome of your cutting.

 

[Bill Boehme]

Ideally, for balanced warping and balanced grain pattern, it should be cut along the red horizontal line as shown below and as a number of other replies have also said.

 

[Dave Bunge]

A center finding ruler can be helpful in finding the line that puts equal amount of wood on each side of the pith:


I normally use a Sharpie to highlight the pith and make it easier to see. Then put the ruler on the log with the zero point on the pith and rotate it until there's an equal amount on each side, measuring to where the wood stops and cambrium starts.

Having the ruler on the log also helps to visualize what the blanks will look like after cutting. Any type of ruler or even a strip of Masonite will work if you just want the visual aid.

 

[Charles Cadenhead]

For a log that has the pith in the center how do I decide my cut for a more balanced bowl? What do I look for?

 

[Kirk Amidon]

You've been given great advice on how to cut that specific log to produce a visually balanced bowl. One other piece of advice one of my mentors has given me (and it has been harrrrrrrrrrrd to follow) is to worry less about maximizing the bowl you can out of a piece, and instead find the best bowl in the piece, even if it means cutting away more than you keep. We all have this instinct to want to get an 8" bowl from an 8" piece, but sometimes it is far better to get a 4" bowl from the same piece. The mentor points out that all the same cuts are used on a smaller bowl, as on a larger one and they all take longer. If you can make a small bowl, you can make a bigger bowl later.

Finding the best bowl within a log is one part art and one part science (and perhaps a sprig of luck). Look at the end grain and bark sides for clues - are their knots, or other creases on one side or the other of the log? Probably best to avoid. For a basic bowl, probably want to have symmetry in the growth rings, with the pith centered on both ends of the blank.

David Ellsworth advocates starting bowls between centers until you learn more about what is contained in the form. Adjustments can be made by moving the centers to better align what you find.

 

[hockenbery]

For a log that has the pith in the center how do I decide my cut for a more balanced bowl? What do I look for?

I look at the bark contour.
Semi circle great for bowls
Waves, ridges, peaks make super NE bowl rims

healed limb scars make terrific openings for hollow forms provide the height for pitcher rims

 

[Lyle Jamieson]

Is there a certain way to split a log or can I bisect it any ol' way (I can hear the jokes now )? For example, take this piece of water oak, what's the best way to split it? Thanks!

EDIT: For clarification, when I say bisect or split I talking about cutting it through the pith. What I'm wondering is if I need to bisect it at a certain direction or angle to get the best grain.
View attachment 49256

Hi Charles, Great question!
For a balanced grain bowl, it ALL starts with the chainsaw....
Lot's of great advice, here's a little more in depth explanation of my process.
Have Fun!
Lyle

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ytk-OLomUSU&t=162s

 

[Dean Center]

Can you believe that's not a limb but a piece from a 20 foot tree with 2 trunks. The trunk split off down near ground level.
Dean, are you suggesting cutting it here?

Yep. With the pith that far off center, the small piece is going to be pretty useless. Maybe a couple pen blanks.

Since the diameter of this piece of wood is not large (maybe 6"?), the bowl will be small. With that it mind, the idea of cutting 2 really nice spindle blanks makes a lot of sense. Or just one larger box blank.

 

[Rusty Nesmith]

Ideally, for balanced warping and balanced grain pattern, it should be cut along the red horizontal line as shown below and as a number of other replies have also said.

View attachment 49265

Curious if the pith runs through straight or at an angle. If the pith is in the center or past the other direction that will make a difference.

 

[Charles Cadenhead]

Curious if the pith runs through straight or at an angle. If the pith is in the center or past the other direction that will make a difference.

@Rusty,
There's the other end. I cut off the end so I could see the pith better. The pith did travel back some towards the center.

 

[hockenbery]

@Rusty,
There's the other end. I cut off the end so I could see the pith better. The pith did travel back some towards the center.
View attachment 49291

One thing I neglected to mention you have discovered. I look at both ends of the log section when selecting a cut line.
When the pith is in a different position on the ends - where the pith is between the two ends is an educated guess.
Off center piths usual means tension wood. One side grew bigger to hold the limb or tree up.

 

[Charles Cadenhead]

One thing I neglected to mention you have discovered. I look at both ends of the log section when selecting a cut line.
When the pith is in a different position on the ends - where the pith is between the two ends is an educated guess.
Off center piths usual means tension wood. One side grew bigger to hold the limb or tree up.

That makes sense. This tree was growing at an angle because it was being crowded out by the other more established trees. It's one of the reasons I removed it.

 

[Charles Cadenhead]

I was able to get 3 bowl blanks and 2 spindles from that little trunk I cut. I still have to cut and rough turn the last bowl. I wasn't playing attention to the bigger bowl and the inside walls are too straight and doesn't match the outside curve (you can really see it in the picture). We'll see in 6 month how these bowls turned out.

 

[hughie]

I dont have any set method of doing this, as it depends what I am going to do with it and how I want the grain orientated on the finished piece. But I dont make many bowls, rather hollow vessels and the like.