Jaager

For resawing, it is not the number of teeth that counts.  3 teeth per inch will do.  The Wood Slicer is thinner, has stronger steel and the teeth have almost no set.  The key is the tooth shape - it is technical.  A fine tooth blade will probably have too much set and not be efficient in wood removal thru thick stock.  The gullet will fill with sawdust before it get thru the wood and stop cutting. The set will leave a rough surface.  Look for a blade designed for resawing.

For resawing, it is not the number of teeth that counts.  3 teeth per inch will do.  The Wood Slicer is thinner, has stronger steel and the teeth have almost no set.  The key is the tooth shape - it is technical.  A fine tooth blade will probably have too much set and not be efficient in wood removal thru thick stock.  The gullet will fill with sawdust before it get thru the wood and stop cutting. The set will leave a rough surface.  Look for a blade designed for resawing.

For resawing, it is not the number of teeth that counts.  3 teeth per inch will do.  The Wood Slicer is thinner, has stronger steel and the teeth have almost no set.  The key is the tooth shape - it is technical.  A fine tooth blade will probably have too much set and not be efficient in wood removal thru thick stock.  The gullet will fill with sawdust before it get thru the wood and stop cutting. The set will leave a rough surface.  Look for a blade designed for resawing.

For resawing, it is not the number of teeth that counts.  3 teeth per inch will do.  The Wood Slicer is thinner, has stronger steel and the teeth have almost no set.  The key is the tooth shape - it is technical.  A fine tooth blade will probably have too much set and not be efficient in wood removal thru thick stock.  The gullet will fill with sawdust before it get thru the wood and stop cutting. The set will leave a rough surface.  Look for a blade designed for resawing.

I think of sanding sealer as being a thick product.  Useful on open pore wood like Black Walnut, Oak, and A finish plywood to fill the pores and give a smooth even finish.  Intended more for full size furiture.
 
Shellac is an excellent traditional finish.  It can be as thick or thin as you wish.  It is not good for applications where it can come in contact with water.  It hydrates and turns white.  It can be easily repaired, but do not use it to finish a coffee table. 
A shellac finish can be removed with alcohol.
The material can be preextracted and purified and comes as Orange (probably straight from the beetle) to Super Blonde - almost water clear.  The solvent is alcohol (methyl, ethyl, 2-propanol, probably propanol if you can find it).  You can buy it in flakes and make up your own solution as needed.  The more purified are the flakes, the lower the maximium concentration you can make.  The impurities increase solubilitiy in alcohol.  The more volatile is the alcohol (Me>Ethyl>Prop) the less working time if you are using a cloth for application.  Dilute shellac is a good first coat for most any other finish.  It is very compatible with other finishes.  French polish seems to be multiple layers of shellac applied with a cloth that has a bit of Linseed oil in the cloth.  I would guess that Tung oil or Walnut oil might work as well.

I think of sanding sealer as being a thick product.  Useful on open pore wood like Black Walnut, Oak, and A finish plywood to fill the pores and give a smooth even finish.  Intended more for full size furiture.
 
Shellac is an excellent traditional finish.  It can be as thick or thin as you wish.  It is not good for applications where it can come in contact with water.  It hydrates and turns white.  It can be easily repaired, but do not use it to finish a coffee table. 
A shellac finish can be removed with alcohol.
The material can be preextracted and purified and comes as Orange (probably straight from the beetle) to Super Blonde - almost water clear.  The solvent is alcohol (methyl, ethyl, 2-propanol, probably propanol if you can find it).  You can buy it in flakes and make up your own solution as needed.  The more purified are the flakes, the lower the maximium concentration you can make.  The impurities increase solubilitiy in alcohol.  The more volatile is the alcohol (Me>Ethyl>Prop) the less working time if you are using a cloth for application.  Dilute shellac is a good first coat for most any other finish.  It is very compatible with other finishes.  French polish seems to be multiple layers of shellac applied with a cloth that has a bit of Linseed oil in the cloth.  I would guess that Tung oil or Walnut oil might work as well.

I think of sanding sealer as being a thick product.  Useful on open pore wood like Black Walnut, Oak, and A finish plywood to fill the pores and give a smooth even finish.  Intended more for full size furiture.
 
Shellac is an excellent traditional finish.  It can be as thick or thin as you wish.  It is not good for applications where it can come in contact with water.  It hydrates and turns white.  It can be easily repaired, but do not use it to finish a coffee table. 
A shellac finish can be removed with alcohol.
The material can be preextracted and purified and comes as Orange (probably straight from the beetle) to Super Blonde - almost water clear.  The solvent is alcohol (methyl, ethyl, 2-propanol, probably propanol if you can find it).  You can buy it in flakes and make up your own solution as needed.  The more purified are the flakes, the lower the maximium concentration you can make.  The impurities increase solubilitiy in alcohol.  The more volatile is the alcohol (Me>Ethyl>Prop) the less working time if you are using a cloth for application.  Dilute shellac is a good first coat for most any other finish.  It is very compatible with other finishes.  French polish seems to be multiple layers of shellac applied with a cloth that has a bit of Linseed oil in the cloth.  I would guess that Tung oil or Walnut oil might work as well.

I think of sanding sealer as being a thick product.  Useful on open pore wood like Black Walnut, Oak, and A finish plywood to fill the pores and give a smooth even finish.  Intended more for full size furiture.
 
Shellac is an excellent traditional finish.  It can be as thick or thin as you wish.  It is not good for applications where it can come in contact with water.  It hydrates and turns white.  It can be easily repaired, but do not use it to finish a coffee table. 
A shellac finish can be removed with alcohol.
The material can be preextracted and purified and comes as Orange (probably straight from the beetle) to Super Blonde - almost water clear.  The solvent is alcohol (methyl, ethyl, 2-propanol, probably propanol if you can find it).  You can buy it in flakes and make up your own solution as needed.  The more purified are the flakes, the lower the maximium concentration you can make.  The impurities increase solubilitiy in alcohol.  The more volatile is the alcohol (Me>Ethyl>Prop) the less working time if you are using a cloth for application.  Dilute shellac is a good first coat for most any other finish.  It is very compatible with other finishes.  French polish seems to be multiple layers of shellac applied with a cloth that has a bit of Linseed oil in the cloth.  I would guess that Tung oil or Walnut oil might work as well.

The common size for benchtop bandsaws seems to be 9 inch.  There are many models available.  You may not be happy with one smaller than this.  Check your big box hardware outlets and on line for this size.  With a strong enough motor, you should be able to resaw from 2 inch stock.  If you are going to use it to cut out patterns, you can cut tight turns with a 1/8" blade. I was disappointed when the 1/16" blades were discontinued.  If scroll cutting is to be your main purpose,  you might wish to look at Carter Products -Band Saw Stabilizer® Guide System for Scroll Cutting.  If it looks like something you would use, buy a 9 inch bandsaw that will match one of the available stabilizer models.  Over here, 59 1/2" is the common blade size for a 9 inch saw.  It is probably wise to pick a model that uses a readily availble blade size.
Since a bandsaw cuts in a constant downward direction, there is no vibration or chatter of a work piece as with a scroll saw or jigsaw.
Some models may be noisy, but most probably are not.  The issue is probably moot, since you would not hear it over the noise from the shopvac collecting the wood dust anyway.

The common size for benchtop bandsaws seems to be 9 inch.  There are many models available.  You may not be happy with one smaller than this.  Check your big box hardware outlets and on line for this size.  With a strong enough motor, you should be able to resaw from 2 inch stock.  If you are going to use it to cut out patterns, you can cut tight turns with a 1/8" blade. I was disappointed when the 1/16" blades were discontinued.  If scroll cutting is to be your main purpose,  you might wish to look at Carter Products -Band Saw Stabilizer® Guide System for Scroll Cutting.  If it looks like something you would use, buy a 9 inch bandsaw that will match one of the available stabilizer models.  Over here, 59 1/2" is the common blade size for a 9 inch saw.  It is probably wise to pick a model that uses a readily availble blade size.
Since a bandsaw cuts in a constant downward direction, there is no vibration or chatter of a work piece as with a scroll saw or jigsaw.
Some models may be noisy, but most probably are not.  The issue is probably moot, since you would not hear it over the noise from the shopvac collecting the wood dust anyway.

The common size for benchtop bandsaws seems to be 9 inch.  There are many models available.  You may not be happy with one smaller than this.  Check your big box hardware outlets and on line for this size.  With a strong enough motor, you should be able to resaw from 2 inch stock.  If you are going to use it to cut out patterns, you can cut tight turns with a 1/8" blade. I was disappointed when the 1/16" blades were discontinued.  If scroll cutting is to be your main purpose,  you might wish to look at Carter Products -Band Saw Stabilizer® Guide System for Scroll Cutting.  If it looks like something you would use, buy a 9 inch bandsaw that will match one of the available stabilizer models.  Over here, 59 1/2" is the common blade size for a 9 inch saw.  It is probably wise to pick a model that uses a readily availble blade size.
Since a bandsaw cuts in a constant downward direction, there is no vibration or chatter of a work piece as with a scroll saw or jigsaw.
Some models may be noisy, but most probably are not.  The issue is probably moot, since you would not hear it over the noise from the shopvac collecting the wood dust anyway.

I don't know why anyone invented it, but I used a push stick that I inherited from my father that was Aluminum - plastic grip - inch scale engraving.  It came in contact with the blade and removed a carbide tooth.  What was a smooth running expensive Freud rip blade was then out of balance.  I had the tooth repaired, but I suggest using Fir or Pine from a scrap 2 x 4 or furring strip to make a push stick. Use one for each hand.
Ripping (resawing) is best done with a band saw.  You can use short pieces of wood, no kickback and the kerf is significantly less.

Care needs to be taken with the name Poplar.
The accolades for the wood are most likely for - Liriodendron tuuipfera - Yellow poplar, Tulip poplar,Tuliptree, Canoe wood.
This is an excellent wood, especially if you like working wood with a hardness similar to Basswood.
 
Poplar is also the name for a different family of trees - probably closer to tall growing weeds  -  some of these
Populus nigra - Lombardy Poplar | alba - White Poplar | deltoides - Cottonwood | tremuloides - Quaking Aspen | x canadensis - Carolina Poplar.  
These tend to be "dirty" trees.  Rapid growing, weak-wooded,  fragile in wind storms, and drop a lot of junk.  I think the wood is soft and subject to splitting.  I am not sure which was the actual species, but I grew a row of "Siberian Poplar" - I think advertised on the back of Parade Magazine (never a good omen).  It did grow fast,  was dirty, brittle, and did not even make good fire wood - burned too fast with little heat.  Might as well use cardboard as that wood.

With a proper band saw and a thickness sander, you should be able to provide yourself with all of your timber needs from normal stock lumber or what you can harvest in the wild.  The wood from the supplier in your link seems to be really expensive.  Is there a hardwood supplier near you who sells to furniture makers?  Or better, a wholesaler?
The bowl blanks will not help you. Of the self select, only the cherry (Prunus serotina), maple (if sugar/rock Acer saccharum), sycamore (if English -not our Buttonwood/Planetree Platanus occidentalis) and steamed pear.  The steamed pear would rate as Swiss pear and is the only one that I think would be worth anything like those prices. 
You want clear, straight grained, no pore, as little contrast in grain as possible. These are not characteristics of interest to wood turners and exotic furniture makers.  Find a supplier of banal looking wood.  Think about using wood dyes (not stains) on light colored wood for contrast rather than exotic tropicals which often have contrasting grain and open pores.
 
If you are going to pay prices like those, you need a good quality band saw blade.
http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/woodslicer12resawbandsawblades705to137.aspx?utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Wood%20News&utm_content=THW+5
This blade is excellent steel, thinner than most with not much set, so the kerf is less and the finish is close to planner smooth.  Only use it for resawing.  I have it in my mind that this product is made from material made in France.  I cannot verify that, but you may find it in a local product and not have to import it.

Rather than risk Physics and time working to reverse your efforts , spilling and scarphing would be a more harmonious way to contour a plank curve in the thick dimension.
 
How about using a rice / vegetable steamer to heat a plank?   There are some relatively inexpensive ones  and they have dual use.
 
I think a while ago, experiments showed that water alone was as effective as household ammonia in wetting wood for bending.  It is less deletorious to the wood also. Household Ammonia was only ever suggested because it was confused with the industrial anhydrious ammonia process.  They are not similar methods.

6 foot is a bit much to stand on end and make a vertical slice.  Ideally, you want the bisecting cut to follow the plane of the pith.  Securing a log to do a free hand longitudinal chainsaw cut is still difficult for me to see how to do.  You want to see where it is going and not move and not bite into the dirt.  2 x 4 's and large nails ?   You probably should use a chalk line as a guide.   Ripping with a chainsaw is probably a bit more dangerous than crosscutting.  If you don't use one for a living, you may wish to get help from someone who does. An accident with one of those things.....  I know it looks simple enough to do, but free hand is much more dangerous than using a mill rig.  It is probably going to want to kickback the whole time.  It scared me enough that I used coorse toothed hand saws
 
If you can get the cuts done - here is a repeat of my advice on how to handle the wood.  (With the simple kiln, you should get something usable in a month or two.  But a 300 W light bulb on 24 hrs/day for a month - it will increase your electric bill a bit.)
 

6 foot is a bit much to stand on end and make a vertical slice.  Ideally, you want the bisecting cut to follow the plane of the pith.  Securing a log to do a free hand longitudinal chainsaw cut is still difficult for me to see how to do.  You want to see where it is going and not move and not bite into the dirt.  2 x 4 's and large nails ?   You probably should use a chalk line as a guide.   Ripping with a chainsaw is probably a bit more dangerous than crosscutting.  If you don't use one for a living, you may wish to get help from someone who does. An accident with one of those things.....  I know it looks simple enough to do, but free hand is much more dangerous than using a mill rig.  It is probably going to want to kickback the whole time.  It scared me enough that I used coorse toothed hand saws
 
If you can get the cuts done - here is a repeat of my advice on how to handle the wood.  (With the simple kiln, you should get something usable in a month or two.  But a 300 W light bulb on 24 hrs/day for a month - it will increase your electric bill a bit.)
 

Unless you intend to use it for 1:1 scale furniture, 16 -18 inches should be long enough.  That is about 70 feet at 1:48.  Section out the straight areas.    That is a heavy log to handle even at 18 x 10 inches.  That thick can be difficult to manage on a non-industrial band saw - keeping it from rolling during a pass.  Even using a chainsaw to cut it down the middle might be worth the loss to kerf if the sawyer can get you a flat plane down the middle.  This way you should lose the pith, which you don't want anyway.  Splitting is likely going to produce a torqued plane and leave the pith, which you would then want to box out.  With a half log, you may be able to get a billet that is 7-8 x 1-2 x 18  from each side,  but 7-8 inches is a lot of work on a saw motor.  A Wood Slicer Resaw band saw blade will make it easier on the saw,  produce a nice surface, have about as narrow a kerf as you can get, and be very resistant to breaking.  But as you diagram out your billets, consider just how wide you really need the billets to be.

Unless you intend to use it for 1:1 scale furniture, 16 -18 inches should be long enough.  That is about 70 feet at 1:48.  Section out the straight areas.    That is a heavy log to handle even at 18 x 10 inches.  That thick can be difficult to manage on a non-industrial band saw - keeping it from rolling during a pass.  Even using a chainsaw to cut it down the middle might be worth the loss to kerf if the sawyer can get you a flat plane down the middle.  This way you should lose the pith, which you don't want anyway.  Splitting is likely going to produce a torqued plane and leave the pith, which you would then want to box out.  With a half log, you may be able to get a billet that is 7-8 x 1-2 x 18  from each side,  but 7-8 inches is a lot of work on a saw motor.  A Wood Slicer Resaw band saw blade will make it easier on the saw,  produce a nice surface, have about as narrow a kerf as you can get, and be very resistant to breaking.  But as you diagram out your billets, consider just how wide you really need the billets to be.

Unless you intend to use it for 1:1 scale furniture, 16 -18 inches should be long enough.  That is about 70 feet at 1:48.  Section out the straight areas.    That is a heavy log to handle even at 18 x 10 inches.  That thick can be difficult to manage on a non-industrial band saw - keeping it from rolling during a pass.  Even using a chainsaw to cut it down the middle might be worth the loss to kerf if the sawyer can get you a flat plane down the middle.  This way you should lose the pith, which you don't want anyway.  Splitting is likely going to produce a torqued plane and leave the pith, which you would then want to box out.  With a half log, you may be able to get a billet that is 7-8 x 1-2 x 18  from each side,  but 7-8 inches is a lot of work on a saw motor.  A Wood Slicer Resaw band saw blade will make it easier on the saw,  produce a nice surface, have about as narrow a kerf as you can get, and be very resistant to breaking.  But as you diagram out your billets, consider just how wide you really need the billets to be.

A crevise tool attached to a shopvac - mounted on top of the table at the back will get pretty much all the the wood dust.  It is just noisy.  A useful mounting method is to remove the lamp shade from an inexpensive swing lamp and attach the crevise tool and some hose to the distant arm of the lamp swing mechanism.  You can put the end of the tool where you want it and get it out of the way easily. 
 
I got a series of sanding drums with a slit and core hole for friction clamping, that allowed for the use of sheet sandpaper on the drum.  Neither Peachtree nor WoodCraft seem to be vending them anymore.  Norton Premium sand paper seems to hold up much better than anything else I have tried.

I find Apple to be an excellent wood for just about any use for our purposes.   It feels a waste to see it burned.  It is probably a bit too dark to use as deck planking.  Although not nearly as vulnerable as Holly,  getting it into 1-2 inch billets as soon as possible for drying is probably wise. It is subject to invasion by fungus while wet.  I would debark as soon as possible.  It smells good to us and it probably smells good to beatles.
The color varies from tree to tree, but it makes for attractive keels, frames, hull planking, beams and other internal structures, rails, deck structures.  It should turn well.  You should get as much as you can, a go to wood for just about anything.

Here is my take on this subject:
Swiss pear - is usually Pyrus communis - it has about 2 inch fruit, but it is often used as root stock and fruiting varieties are grafted to it.
The "Swiss" part is (I believe) a treatment done to the dried wood - steaming(?) to get a uniform color.
 
Most any fruit food will provide excellent working stock.  With the thicknesses that we use friutwood stability is not a problem.
Nice color, hard, no pores,  relatively little contrast in grain,  bends well  - tight grain =  all the traits we are after.
 
The furniture cherry wood is Prunus serotina (Black cherry).  It has ornamental value, and because birds like the fruit, is often found in fence rows, but the friut is small.  It is not likely a variety  grown for its friut.  The wood from backyard cherry trees is useful, but will likely be a different color.  The furniture wood is not difficult to obtain or expensive from hardwood dealers.
 
The difference between hardwood and sapwood is due to the tree storing "extractives" inside the cells.  It makes this section denser and a different color.  It is less likely to shrink during the drying process.   The sapwood is more prone to checking.  When dry, the sapwood is useful for our purposes, it is just a different color.   No need to discard it.
 
If you can billet (1-2 inch slab)  your wood,  I would debark it.  In any case, make sure, - this is important - make sure there is no beetle infestation.  If there are beetles, burn it.  If you billet, box out the pith and discard it.  The effects of drying will be more to your liking with it gone.   Coat the cut ends and branch cuts with wax, latex paint, varnish -  something to stop the rapid water loss from the cut ends.
 
You can speed up the drying process by making your own kiln.   Use the foam sheething that comes in 4' x 8' sheets.  The foil surfaced type is probably better, with the foil surface on the inside of the box you make.  The heat source only needs to be  a 200W to 300W incandescent light bulb, or heat lamp if incandescent bulbs are no longer available.    The water vapor needs to be exausted, but a $10 computer cooling fan mounted in a hole on one end is sufficient.   Air leaking in the seams where the six sides come together  will replace what the fan pulls out.  The size only needs to be what encloses your stock.
 
When you stack it, sticker it for proper air flow around the billets. 1/2" x 1/2"  sticks will do.
You can get a moisture meter for $10-20 from Amazon if you want to follow the process. 
 
For billeting, you cannot beat a band saw.  Try to find one with at least a 2HP motor.   
Getting a round log into rectangular  slabs - 
First, you need to get 2 perpendular flat surfaces on the log.
Use a sliding carrier board to ride on the saw table and against the fence.
Fix the log to the carrier board.   The carrier board should be longer than your log, so that you can attach at both ends of the log.
For attachment, I use the right angle support braces used in house timber framing and wood screws.

Here is my take on this subject:
Swiss pear - is usually Pyrus communis - it has about 2 inch fruit, but it is often used as root stock and fruiting varieties are grafted to it.
The "Swiss" part is (I believe) a treatment done to the dried wood - steaming(?) to get a uniform color.
 
Most any fruit food will provide excellent working stock.  With the thicknesses that we use friutwood stability is not a problem.
Nice color, hard, no pores,  relatively little contrast in grain,  bends well  - tight grain =  all the traits we are after.
 
The furniture cherry wood is Prunus serotina (Black cherry).  It has ornamental value, and because birds like the fruit, is often found in fence rows, but the friut is small.  It is not likely a variety  grown for its friut.  The wood from backyard cherry trees is useful, but will likely be a different color.  The furniture wood is not difficult to obtain or expensive from hardwood dealers.
 
The difference between hardwood and sapwood is due to the tree storing "extractives" inside the cells.  It makes this section denser and a different color.  It is less likely to shrink during the drying process.   The sapwood is more prone to checking.  When dry, the sapwood is useful for our purposes, it is just a different color.   No need to discard it.
 
If you can billet (1-2 inch slab)  your wood,  I would debark it.  In any case, make sure, - this is important - make sure there is no beetle infestation.  If there are beetles, burn it.  If you billet, box out the pith and discard it.  The effects of drying will be more to your liking with it gone.   Coat the cut ends and branch cuts with wax, latex paint, varnish -  something to stop the rapid water loss from the cut ends.
 
You can speed up the drying process by making your own kiln.   Use the foam sheething that comes in 4' x 8' sheets.  The foil surfaced type is probably better, with the foil surface on the inside of the box you make.  The heat source only needs to be  a 200W to 300W incandescent light bulb, or heat lamp if incandescent bulbs are no longer available.    The water vapor needs to be exausted, but a $10 computer cooling fan mounted in a hole on one end is sufficient.   Air leaking in the seams where the six sides come together  will replace what the fan pulls out.  The size only needs to be what encloses your stock.
 
When you stack it, sticker it for proper air flow around the billets. 1/2" x 1/2"  sticks will do.
You can get a moisture meter for $10-20 from Amazon if you want to follow the process. 
 
For billeting, you cannot beat a band saw.  Try to find one with at least a 2HP motor.   
Getting a round log into rectangular  slabs - 
First, you need to get 2 perpendular flat surfaces on the log.
Use a sliding carrier board to ride on the saw table and against the fence.
Fix the log to the carrier board.   The carrier board should be longer than your log, so that you can attach at both ends of the log.
For attachment, I use the right angle support braces used in house timber framing and wood screws.

Here is my take on this subject:
Swiss pear - is usually Pyrus communis - it has about 2 inch fruit, but it is often used as root stock and fruiting varieties are grafted to it.
The "Swiss" part is (I believe) a treatment done to the dried wood - steaming(?) to get a uniform color.
 
Most any fruit food will provide excellent working stock.  With the thicknesses that we use friutwood stability is not a problem.
Nice color, hard, no pores,  relatively little contrast in grain,  bends well  - tight grain =  all the traits we are after.
 
The furniture cherry wood is Prunus serotina (Black cherry).  It has ornamental value, and because birds like the fruit, is often found in fence rows, but the friut is small.  It is not likely a variety  grown for its friut.  The wood from backyard cherry trees is useful, but will likely be a different color.  The furniture wood is not difficult to obtain or expensive from hardwood dealers.
 
The difference between hardwood and sapwood is due to the tree storing "extractives" inside the cells.  It makes this section denser and a different color.  It is less likely to shrink during the drying process.   The sapwood is more prone to checking.  When dry, the sapwood is useful for our purposes, it is just a different color.   No need to discard it.
 
If you can billet (1-2 inch slab)  your wood,  I would debark it.  In any case, make sure, - this is important - make sure there is no beetle infestation.  If there are beetles, burn it.  If you billet, box out the pith and discard it.  The effects of drying will be more to your liking with it gone.   Coat the cut ends and branch cuts with wax, latex paint, varnish -  something to stop the rapid water loss from the cut ends.
 
You can speed up the drying process by making your own kiln.   Use the foam sheething that comes in 4' x 8' sheets.  The foil surfaced type is probably better, with the foil surface on the inside of the box you make.  The heat source only needs to be  a 200W to 300W incandescent light bulb, or heat lamp if incandescent bulbs are no longer available.    The water vapor needs to be exausted, but a $10 computer cooling fan mounted in a hole on one end is sufficient.   Air leaking in the seams where the six sides come together  will replace what the fan pulls out.  The size only needs to be what encloses your stock.
 
When you stack it, sticker it for proper air flow around the billets. 1/2" x 1/2"  sticks will do.
You can get a moisture meter for $10-20 from Amazon if you want to follow the process. 
 
For billeting, you cannot beat a band saw.  Try to find one with at least a 2HP motor.   
Getting a round log into rectangular  slabs - 
First, you need to get 2 perpendular flat surfaces on the log.
Use a sliding carrier board to ride on the saw table and against the fence.
Fix the log to the carrier board.   The carrier board should be longer than your log, so that you can attach at both ends of the log.
For attachment, I use the right angle support braces used in house timber framing and wood screws.