5 Tips for Choosing and Sawing Wood Stock
Over several decades of working with steam-bent wood, I’ve developed some tips and guidelines for choosing and sawing stock. Following these points, I have timbered out many boats without breaking a single frame.
David Stimson
A tapered white-oak butt log, with measurements being taken from the bed of the sawmill to the top of the log to ensure that the log’s top surface is level.
1. Use the Butt Log
About 50 years ago my mentor, Mert Long, taught me that one should use only lumber from the butt log; wood from higher up the tree will be stiffer and hence more difficult to steam-bend.
2. Look for Wide Growth Rings
I have found that wood with wide growth rings is more pliable and less likely to break than wood with tight rings.