Walnut Lumber

[jeff...]

Got two walnut trees coming, including the root balls. About 20" diameter and about 24' plus of good straight trunk before the crotch.

Was thinking of cutting the trunks into 6 or 8' sections, and the crotch as long as I can get, but wanted to know what rough cut dimensions would sell best, 1x or 2x? As for the root balls, since it will more than likely be highly figured, was thinking about thick slabs, whatever dimensions I can get out of them.

As you know I'm new to saw milling and don't have a good handle on what folks are looking for. I know what I would want, but I'm planning on selling the lumber. So please give me your thoughts, of what would be the most desirable dimensions.

By the way, I should have the solar kiln up and running by the time I saw these logs and root balls. If things go as planned, I should be able to kiln dry the lumber. But the root balls will be slabbed and coated with anchor seal, for resaw or turning.

Thanks...

 

[dancam]

Jeff,

Thanks for the heads up on the walnut. I for one would be most interested in 1X stock (1 1/8") for furniture. Let me know when available.

Thanks again.

Dan C.:roll:

 

[BobN]

Jeff,

I would be interested in some of your Walnut, depending on price. I would perferr 5/4. Would also be interested in some bowl blanks.

Bob

 

[jeff...]

Bob / Dan C. , thanks for the replies. I'm new to milling, but I'm learning, the more I mill, the more I learn. It’s important for me to understand what people are looking for, so I don't cut up a bunch of junk.

If you like I could slice up some 4/4 and 5/4 boards, I would expect they will be fairly wide but won't know for sure till I open up the logs and see how much sap wood there is... How many board feet you looking for?

As for bowl blanks, I should see some interesting figures in the root balls. What are the dimensions for bowl blanks and how many would you like? Or are you looking for one big chunk? I’m assuming you want it wet, coated with Ancor seal, so it won’t split?

 

[BobN]

Dan,
It depends on your price, but if it is priced right and looks good I could take 120 BD ft. My storage shed is full of qtr. sawn red oak or I'll take more. The bowl blanks also depend on price. I wouldn't want anything small as my lathe can turn up to a 24 inch bowl. A couple of blanks for a 10 - 12 inch bowl and a couple for a 18 - 20 inch bowl. Might also want a chunk that I could turn some hollow vessels from. Like I said before all this depends on price and how the wood looks.

Also, where are located?

Bob

 

[Mark Anderson]

i would cut them into cants (biggest square u can get out of them) and resaw them to special order. let them air dry and coat the ends to slow checking.

 

[jeff...]

Dan,
It depends on your price, but if it is priced right and looks good I could take 120 BD ft. My storage shed is full of qtr. sawn red oak or I'll take more. The bowl blanks also depend on price. I wouldn't want anything small as my lathe can turn up to a 24 inch bowl. A couple of blanks for a 10 - 12 inch bowl and a couple for a 18 - 20 inch bowl. Might also want a chunk that I could turn some hollow vessels from. Like I said before all this depends on price and how the wood looks.

Also, where are located?

Bob

Bob, I’m not counting my chickens before they hatch. I'll just have to see what rolls off the mill before I can set a price. But whatever it is prices, will be reasonable.



I'll save a big enough cant chunk out of one of the root balls for your turning blanks. We can always use a chain saw to cut it off to length. I know the root balls will be plenty wet and should stay that way if I give the slabs a good coat of Ancorseal. If you dont want it, I can resaw it later for someone else...

I was hoping to get enough requests that I could, load up a trailer and bring to Raleigh off of Capital (US 1) and have folks pick up from there. That way I could meet some of the folks here too...


I know lots of folks here like to work with walnut. I'll post pics that will help I'm sure...



The strangest thing happens, every time I open up a log, a board falls out. I really like my new WoodMizer, it's one sweet machine.

 

[jeff...]

First black walnut log is on the mill, the cant dressed out a little over 12" x 14", the 14" face was not near as pretty as the 12" face, so I cut the boards 12" wide. This is the first of two logs from the same tree. It's 14' long and has an interesting crotch figure, in the upper part of the boards. There’s a little splotch of sapwood about 1 inch wide and 3 or 4 inches long in some of the boards, the rest is all heart. Yield is 12 - 1x12-14 or 168 BF, plus about 40 or so BF in short lengths and various widths.

The butt log is next; it's 9' long and should dress out about the same, maybe a little wider. I’ll have to wait and see... If all goes well I hope to get about 350 BF from this tree.


This is the first of 3 black walnut trees; I plan on slicing it all at 4/4, it sure smells great on the mill. Not at all like oak, which smells like puke. Black walnut is just down right pleasurable to mill if you ask me…


Anyways I’ll try and snap some pics, when it’s lighter out, my flash is broken on my digital camera… Happy Fathers day everyone... :-D

 

[DaveO]

Man, that sounds like you got some nice boards :eusa_danc I look forward to the pictures. Walnut is just a joy to work with, smells good, works good and looks good. Red Oak, well it can look good :lol: :lol:
Are you going to kiln that stock? I'm sold on air dried Walnut, it maintains a much richer color and is even easier to cut and work.ee
Dave

 

[NCPete]

apologies if I missed this, What's it going to sell for?

 

[jeff...]

Thanks for the reply DaveO, Well it will air dry forsure, till I get my solar kiln up and running. Didn't know Black Walnut would loose it's color if kiln dried, thanks for the info:icon_thum.

I was thinking I might skip plan to 1" and let em go for a real resonable price. I still havn't settled on a price per BF, but was thinking I would sell the mother load to who ever wants it. When I saw up the butt log, I'll tally what's there and set a delivered (within reason) price. Only because the lions share, is wide and it's just good looking lumber... I know someone will make something awesome out of it. If you don't mind me asking, what's a really resonable delivered price?

If it don't sell, I'll just hang on to it and make something out of it one of these days... when I have spare time :roll:

I got 2 more trees coming and I'll have plenty for LOML's projects. When I have spare time...:roll:

I'm really getting into saw milling, It's so cool to open up a log and see what's in there. It's even cooler to try and get the best looking boards out of what's in there.

My saw will give me a work out if I let it, but it's just down right fun...

 

[Kyle]

If you steam walnut that kills the color. Most commercial outfits do that to "blend" the sapwood to the heartwood. I personally hate steamed wood.Air drying adds to the richness of the color but kiln drying makes it so the "critters" wont emerge later eating the rest of your stock.135 degrees for 24 hours kills bugs, larvae and eggs. I agree with Dave. Air dried walnut rocks.

 

[jeff...]

Kyle, if I hear you correctly, what your saying is to let it air dry for a while. Then at some point in time bring it up to 135 degrees for at least 24 hours to sterilize it. Then allow it to finish air drying? If I kiln dry it, it'll loose some of it's color richness. Makes sense, I think I can do that...

One other question for you, the one log is 14' 6" or so, would you advise and making 7 footers or leave the boards at 14'?

The butt log is 9' 6" or so and I plan on leaving the lumber 9'

it's odd lengths 7 and 9 or 14 and 9 but that's how it was taken it down...

Thanks much for the advise Kyle, much appreciated.

 

[dozer]

Jeff I would be interested in some of the black walnut but definitely don't need it all. If someone up around the Raleigh area buys it I would be willing to buy a little bit of it off who ever buys it.

Also as far as the random pieces go let me know what you have i might just want that instead for a few small projects.

 

[BobN]

Jeff,

I still want some of it.

Bob

 

[Kyle]

Air drying then subsequently kiln drying will not affect the color. The staming process which is done in the log or green lumber stage will affect the color. The kiln drying phase you will have to use a drying schedule and step up to that temperature or you can damage the lumber.

 

[jeff...]

I promised pics, this is the heart of the heart persay and has some interesting figure (notice the heart shaped grain :eusa_thin). My camera really doesn't do this lumber much justice. It's a chocolate blend of colors... boards from this log were cut at 4/4 (1 and 1/8").

I still neet to get the butt log on the mill, it's a big butt, for a black walnut, 24 incher down to 19 or 20 on the small end... 9 foot long. Nothing like the monster stuff Kyle works with

Here a pic of the butt at the end of the loading ramps

 

[Mark Anderson]

don't cut to lenth untill the lumber has dried, you are likely to get some checking at the ends, no need to let that get further into your lumber.

i personaly would not bother to cut to lenth unles a customer asked for the service, i would rathe sell a 9 footer as an 8 than to cut a foot off for the scrap pile

 

[jeff...]

Some more pics... it's the pile on the left, whats on the right is some scrap cedar. There's some nice and not so nice lumber in this stack, so I'm calling this first log 150 BF total. There's also some interesting crotch figure in most of the boards. all the board are cut at 4/4.

The small burls and shorts are already spoken for by a certian pen maker...

 

[jeff...]

Butt Log yield is

11) 1x12-9' - 99 BF
5) 1x8-8' - 26 BF
3) 1x6-5' - 7 BF

Total 132 BF

This is fairly straight grained with no real interesting figure, but pretty never the less (Choclote blend of colors). There are no bookmatched interesting figures either, just some good soild wide board black walnut. I'll try and get some pictures when I'm stacking it...

All the lumber in this stack is at least 1" thick, cut by the Wood Mizer 4/4 scale which is 1 1/8".

I offered it to Dancam first and he passed. So it's for sale. I've been having folks name their own price and it's been working out pretty well so far. Shoot me a Private Message if your interested in purchasing this stack (132 BF) of Black Walnut.

If there is no purchasing interest in this thread, after a few days I'll post it in the for sale thread.

Thanks