What I did this weekend

[jeff...]

I took down an old grand dad red oak, that was struck by lightning last summer.

Got 3 good sized logs out of it (11'x 22", 12'x23" and the butt log 12'x23", butt end 34"). the top was starting to rot, so that went for fire wood.

Rolled the 3 logs up on the trailer with a come-along, rachet straps and chains (manual labor, uggg... double uggg...)

Took the three logs to a local saw miller.

The top part of the tree housed a squirl nest, don't worry the two baby squirls survived the fall and were captured. They one male and one female are being cared for by a close friend, I'll get pictures of them soon.

Here are some pics only 4 as allowed per post.

 

[jeff...]

Here's the third log and some other pics, it's good to leave the miller a note when he's not around. I hope he didn't mind me using his tractor to unload the first 2, the keys were in it.

 

[DaveO]

Wow, nice haul. Keep us posted on the milling. I would be very interested in your yeild/saw method, and the cost of the sawing. Are you going to have it kiln dried or air dried?

4 pictures allowed per post????????????

Dave

 

[jeff...]

Dave, I'll sticker it in my shop and let it air dry till perhaps fall. Then I'll make a tent over it with a tarp and blow several tankfuls of carosine through it with my bottle heater, over the corse of a few weeks or unitll it's good and dry.

Hope to be able to work it this winter or next spring.

More pics...

 

[NCPete]

Jeff,
what you need there are some bigger logs! Nice Haul!

 

[DaveO]

Any reason that you are having it sawn thru & thru. I would at least have your sawyer square the logs up for you. That would only take a little time on a BS mill and save you from having to straight edge the stock later. Oh and, where do you live and when will you be out of town :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Dave

 

[NCPete]

time to start calling all the sawyers in the state, asking for a guy named Tardy!:lol:

 

[D L Ames]

Nice haul Jeff.:icon_thum Please let us know how much you end up getting out of those logs.

D L

 

[jeff...]

Any reason that you are having it sawn thru & thru. I would at least have your sawyer square the logs up for you. That would only take a little time on a BS mill and save you from having to straight edge the stock later. Oh and, where do you live and when will you be out of town :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Dave

Dave, By trial and error I've learned to not have the boards edged by the miller. I can snap a chalk line just on the inside of the sap wood, trim with my skill saw and get more usable wood per board that way. It's more work but worth the extra wood in the long run.

Now that I have a working digital camera, I'll take pictures of the project along the way, this tree will eventually become a king size poster bed for my wife and I, least thats the plan for now.

Good luck, shop is protected by guard dog

Last of the pics for now

 

[4yanks]

Jeff,
Nice haul. I know you'll be pleased with whatever you make. There is something satisfying about taking a project from its most raw material through completion. I've only done it once and I had help from a hurricane .

 

[Bernhard]

Jeff,

That will get you some nice lumber!
Who is doing the milling for you?
...and how did you load the log on the trailer? Looks like the the bigger log weighed at least 2000#.

As for drying, I am in a similar situation. I got a bunch of lumber air drying under canopies. MC seems to hover around 12-14%MC after one year for 4/4. Need to get it down to 8%. With the humidity around here, airdrying t 8% is not possible. So I thought about building a smallish solar kiln. I got the plans from Verginia Tech. Seems to be inexpensive and easy to do. BTW, Virginia Tech is holding a short course on April 27 and 28 on constructing and operating a solar kiln.

Also, I started to use AnchorSeal (some concoction of paintable parafin) to seal the end grain of the logs right after felling; I had much less splitting/warping and twisting.

Bernhard

 

[michaelgarner]

nice haul,,keep us informed,,i want to see the process of this.

 

[JohnsonMBrandon]

Nice haul. Looks like you will have plenty of wood for future projects.

 

[jeff...]

Jeff,

That will get you some nice lumber!
Who is doing the milling for you?
...and how did you load the log on the trailer? Looks like the the bigger log weighed at least 2000#.

As for drying, I am in a similar situation. I got a bunch of lumber air drying under canopies. MC seems to hover around 12-14%MC after one year for 4/4. Need to get it down to 8%. With the humidity around here, airdrying t 8% is not possible. So I thought about building a smallish solar kiln. I got the plans from Verginia Tech. Seems to be inexpensive and easy to do. BTW, Virginia Tech is holding a short course on April 27 and 28 on constructing and operating a solar kiln.

Also, I started to use AnchorSeal (some concoction of paintable parafin) to seal the end grain of the logs right after felling; I had much less splitting/warping and twisting.

Bernhard

Bernhard, I used ratchet straps (10,000 lbs), chains and a "mans (made in USA)" 4000 lbs come-a-long. Leaned 2 4x6's against the side of the trailer and rolled it right up on the trailer. Actually is not that hard with a big come-a-long, just a lot of cranking.

I thought I was the only one crazy enough to take a standing tree to finished project. It's great that there is someone else doing the same, I know of no better way to get a bunch of good material for next to nothing.

I hear you about the MC, my uncle who lives in WV, covers his stack of rough cut along and a de-humidifier with plastic, he says he can get the MC down to around 8%, I don't have a de-humidifier, so I havn't tried it. But I will heat up the stack before I get ready to work it by blowing however many tankfuls of Kerosene through the stack with my bottle heater, to kill any bugs and bring the MC down.

I too a few years ago looked into the Virginia Tech solar kiln, but don't have enough space facing the right direction, my yard is mostly shade. Here's a link with some good information about drying lumber. http://www.colostate.edu/programs/cowood/New_site/Tech%20Tips/All_tech.htm
I'm sure we could also tap into the knowlege and wisdom of many members of this site.

If you have the space for a solar kiln, I sure would be interested in talking with you, maybe we could split the cost and work together to build it, you own it and both use it? If that sounds like a good idea, please send me a PM and we can hook up and chat about it.:icon_thum

Thanks

 

[Bernhard]

Bernhard, I used ratchet straps (10,000 lbs), chains and a "mans (made in USA)" 4000 lbs come-a-long. Leaned 2 4x6's against the side of the trailer and rolled it right up on the trailer. Actually is not that hard with a big come-a-long, just a lot of cranking.

I thought I was the only one crazy enough to take a standing tree to finished project. It's great that there is someone else doing the same, I know of no better way to get a bunch of good material for next to nothing.

I hear you about the MC, my uncle who lives in WV, covers his stack of rough cut along and a de-humidifier with plastic, he says he can get the MC down to around 8%, I don't have a de-humidifier, so I havn't tried it. But I will heat up the stack before I get ready to work it by blowing however many tankfuls of Kerosene through the stack with my bottle heater, to kill any bugs and bring the MC down.

I too a few years ago looked into the Virginia Tech solar kiln, but don't have enough space facing the right direction, my yard is mostly shade. Here's a link with some good information about drying lumber. http://www.colostate.edu/programs/cowood/New_site/Tech%20Tips/All_tech.htm
I'm sure we could also tap into the knowlege and wisdom of many members of this site.

If you have the space for a solar kiln, I sure would be interested in talking with you, maybe we could split the cost and work together to build it, you own it and both use it? If that sounds like a good idea, please send me a PM and we can hook up and chat about it.:icon_thum

Thanks

Jeff
Thanks for the info. As we are practically neighbors, we need to hook up.
I send you a pm.
I am still amazed that loaded these logs just with straps and come alongs.

Bernhard

 

[jeff...]

Jeff
Thanks for the info. As we are practically neighbors, we need to hook up.
I send you a pm.
I am still amazed that loaded these logs just with straps and come alongs.

Bernhard

Bernhard - Yes we are practically neighbors, I'm really looking forward to meeting you. I should have taken pictures of how I loaded them, will do next time. I'm hoping we can get together and perhaps take down some tree's for lumber, if we do, I'll show you how I did it. I can show you eaiser than I can explain it.

It's rather difficult to explain, but I'll try. I didn't drag the logs, I rolled them. I cut the logs to length, pulled the trailer up to the first log. dug a hole up under the center of the log to get the two straps you see in the pictures, under the log. Hooked both strap ends to the far side of the trailer, came over top of the log with the other ends. leaned two 4 x 6's against the tailer. One strap functions as a safety and the other is what I atached the come-a-long to. hooked both ends to the same far side of the tailer and started cranking. As the log starts to roll up the 4x6's and or the come-a-long is spent, I would tighten the saftey strap, so it would not roll back when I lossened the come-a-long. I would re-ajust the come-a-long and it's strap and cranked some more, repeating till the log was up on the trailer.

Don't feel bad I had a US Marine and one of my sons helping and they were confused too, both said there is no way I was going to get those logs up on that trailer and laughed. Untill they seen how I did it. Then they eat their words and were eager to help (testostorne !). There is no way I could have done this by dragging them or even lifting one end high enough to get the trialer under it, but rolling with the strap works. I've loaded logs like this several times, even a little larger 28" white oak.

 

[Bernhard]

Jeff,

I got to see how you load your logs. I can't quite figure it out. as you said, it's probably obvious once I see it in person.
Anyway, who did your sawing or are you one of those fortunate people who have a mill?

Bernhard

 

[jeff...]

Got a call from Tardy's wife, boards are ready to be picked up. She said they had to charge me for 6 hours of mill time or $150.00 ($25.00 an hour) and that Tardy had a rough time with the logs, they were big, but he got em, she said. Kinda figured He might have a rough go of them, since I had him saw em at 5/4, I think he's in his 80's, thats why I offered my help, I know they gotta be heavy. I'm going to try and pick them up during lunch tommorow, if I can find the time. If not I will have time Sat mid morning. I'm real courious to see how clear the boards are and how may board ft the three logs yeilded.

I'll be sure to snap some photos to share with everyone.

 

[jeff...]

Couldn't wait any longer, ran out for lunch and picked up my lumber from the Miller. I stand corrected Tadry is 74 (guess I'm not good a guessing age). Anyways, here's some more pics. (Sorry, still no squirrel pics)

I'm being conservative in my board foot estimate of 450. I have various widths and estimated 12" wide boards although some are upwards of 22". I counted 37 boards total. Tandy’s new mill can only do 23" wide boards, so he had to square up 3 sides on the butt log.

Hope to off load, trim and sticker this weekend, sometime and I’ll get a better board feet estimate then and of course more pics…

Thanks

 

[Canuck]

That's one awesome load of wood, Jeff!!

Hope that you don't get highjacked!!!:BangHead:

Cograts on the quick sawing turnaround! You must be very pleased!

Wayne