Best tree to harvest

[tyb525]

I've got an opportunity to have logs sawn (circle saw) by my grandpa's friend for real cheap. Only thing is I don't have any logs to saw yet. I have 60+ acres of nice hardwood, so I can basically take my pick. I have already picked out a few nice cherries, oaks, walnuts, and maples, and hickories. Now I just need to narrow it down to one or two trees.

Could I get some advice on which would be the best (most valuable, easiest to dry, etc.) to harvest? (If you have other species in mind say so, I might have them also) This will be my first time having lumber sawn, and some tips on air-drying would be helpful, too.

Thanks, Ty

[WDH]

Depends on what you are going to do with the wood.  If you are building furniture, then cherry and walnut are the cream of the crop.  Both are very valuable and dry well.  However, it all depends on your objective.  If you want flooring, oak and maple are traditional. 

[tyb525]

I'll use it mainly for woodworking.

[WDH]

I happen to love cherry and walnut .

[metalspinner]

I happen to love cherry and walnut

Ditto.   Walnut is a very forgiving wood.  It is quite difficult to screw it up from air drying all the way to using it in a project.

[Dodgy Loner]

Cherry and walnut happen to be the easiest to dry, too.  Oak has a tendency to check and split when dried too quickly.  Maple has a tendency to develop gray stain when dried too slowly.  Cherry and walnut are quite forgiving.  The lumber will be easier to dry if you cut all of the logs to the same length, but if you have logs of different lengths, stack the longer boards on the bottom.  Stacks will dry best if they're about 4' wide, but my stacks are 5' wide to make it a bit easier.  You'll need to lay stickers about every 2'.  Stickers 1' x 1" are best to ensure adequate airflow, but I use 3/4" x 1" stickers, because that's what I've got.  Line up the stickers vertically as you stack as best you can.  Be sure that the base you're stacking on is reasonably flat, otherwise you lumber will assume the shape that they're laid upon.  Good luck , and welcome to the forum

[Ron Scott]

Ditto! to the cherry and walnut.

[Left Coast Chris]

Next is thickness and width.  I like 5/4" thickness so I can plane out any warpage if making furnature.  If you want a bar top you need it to be thicker.  If you want to turn bowls you need block wood.

For width think about your planer.  Many wood workers use 6" wide and splice together for tops and sides.  The wide stuff is good if your planer will take it and you put enough weight on it when drying.  You need big logs for the wide boards especially if you want quarter sawn.  If its walnut, I have had good luck with either quarter sawn or flat sawn.  Its very stable if the knots are small.  Not sure about cherry.

[tyb525]

Thanks for all of your responses guys. I'll probably go with cherry, because i already have some old walnut that was cut 30 some years ago by my grandpa and is still fine.

-Ty

[tyb525]

Also could I stack the wood in my barn, or should it be outside where there is more airflow?

[Dodgy Loner]

Is the barn open-sided?  If so, that would be an ideal location for drying it.

[tyb525]

Actually, I do have an old barn that is open-sided, bu I didn't think of that. Thanks for the tip.

-Ty

[AlexHart]

If you can stack your wood out of the rain and sun thats definately the thing to do.   Also be sure to use stickers so the air can circulate through the pile.   Its a good idea to give the wood a couple years before you actually make furniture out of it unless you have acess to a kiln.   

I also have found ash atractive as well as being very nice to work with.  What are you planning on making? 

[tyb525]

Well, I don't have anything specific yet, but I'm sure I'll come up with some things over the next 2-3 years, when the wood is dry enough for furniture. Maybe I'll have a lathe by then and can do some turning.

[Left Coast Chris]

Ty,  since you are storing the wood for awhile you need to think about powder post beetles.  If you have them in your area, you need to spray the wood with a borate spary like Timbore.   Some sawyers in your area would know if it is a problem there.

There is nothing like finding your whole stack ruined by borrers and having an epidemic on your property.   If your firewood pile has fine sawdust here and there towards the end of the year or after leaving it there two years you have the problem.
Don't let that get away from you.   Don't ask me how I know.

[AlexHart]

I enjoy turning bowls and believe it or not some of the best pieces I've made have come from junk soft maple I've salvaged out of my firewood operation.   Keep an eye out for burly maple if you want to start collecting turning blanks.   Turning is also a little different from woodworking in that its not a bad thing to turn wood when its green and/or has a higher moisture content. 

[tyb525]

Boy the potential blanks ive seen go by while cutting and stacking firewood.
I remember cutting up what I thought was a junk maple log and , after I split it, seeing that almost all of it was curly. 
Oh well, heat in the winter is more important 

I haven't noticed any powder post beetles in my firewood, but I know that they are around this area sometimes. I'll look into Timbore.

Also, would slippery (red) elm be worth sawing?

Thanks for the info guys.

[WDH]

Slippery elm, Ulmus rubra, has interlocked grain and will be difficult to dry without warping and twisting.  However, the wood is very pretty with a bold wavy grain.  If you are willing to put up with some aggravation, you can get some nice boards.  Realize, also, that some boards will be junk.  Your yield of good boards will be lower than with the straight grained woods like oak, poplar, cherry, etc.

[Polly]

  :)is 5/4the best thickness for furnature making any one else have any thoughts on the subject i got eight or 10ft logs i am ready to start onby the way it is walnut also does anyone know anything abourt butternut

[WDH]

I saw my hardwood for furniture 1 & 1/16" thick.  That leaves some for shrinkage and at least 1/4 " allowance to be able to plane the board down to 3/4" final thickness.  For a lot of what I make, 5/4 would be wasteful since it is too thin to re-saw, and too thick for conventional furniture. 

I also like to saw a little 8/4 stock as well to be used for table legs and such.