Resaw Recycles Barn Timber

Resaw Recycles Barn Timber 34-4-8 Barnstormerswood has built a national reputation turning old barn timbers into flooring, false beams and other construction uses. Along with metal detectors and a denailing crew, the key to the process is a good "resaw". Karl Kirven of Barnstormerswood swears by his Baker Products Resaw. "The Baker is a great machine, adaptable and easy to run," says Kirven. " We resaw a lot of rustic beams. We got started when contractors were looking for barn wood to make cabinetry and flooring. Now we take old boards and timbers and resaw them into whatever is needed." Clyde Reed, Baker Products, says resaws are ideal for using wood that might not otherwise find a market. "What's neat about the Resaw is that you can hit a 16 penny nail and cut right through it," says Reed. The Baker Resaw fits in a 3/4-ton short bed pickup truck. Motor sizes range from 15 to 30 hp. It features a 6-in. wide conveyor, powered hold down and hydraulic, variable feed speed control of 0 to 120 ft. per min. Baker Resaws start at just under $17,000. "We don't put a lot of bells and whistles on our Resaw," says Reed. "However, it has the right balance of power, blade, blade wheels and blade tension system. At the system's heart is the band blade æguide plate' that guides and supports the blade during the cut. Add to that a quality feed system that delivers material to the cutting head evenly and consistently." Kirven says resawing is the key to adding value to barn wood. "Until it has been dismantled, denailed, processed and stored, old barns are white elephants," he says. "There may be 8,000 to 12,000 board feet of wood, but only 6,000 to 8,000 that are useable. With a resaw, what you get depends on the quality of the wood." While Kirven sells lots of barn board and timber without resawing it, the process can extend the value of rare, hand-hewn beams and lumber that were originally cut with a circle saw. The surface marks left on both are increasingly popular as they become more rare. The hand-hewn beams can be used intact or surface slabs (skins) removed and reassembled into false beams. Kirven uses a resaw to slice 2 by 4's originally cut with a circle saw. This gives him two valuable marked surfaces for use as flooring. "We run them through a ripsaw so they are uniform and then through a moulder for edging" explains Kirven. "When they are laid down and buffed, the circle saw marks are clear. It has a great look." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Clyde Reed, Baker Products, P.O. Box 128, Ellington, Mo. 63638 (ph 573 663-7711; info@baker-online.com; www.baker-online.com) or Barnstormerswood, 1594 Knox Rd. 17, Gilson, Ill. 61436 (ph 309 368-7472; Karl@barnstormerswood.com; www.barnstormerswood.com).

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