My summer urban logging (very picture heavy)

[Daren]

I have not been around for awhile, I have been busy. I was at a point about this time last year I was not sure which direction I wanted to head. Things where slow and I was looking at milling for myself only. Sales are still are...but milling is not at least. I decided to roll up my sleeves and beat the streets like I did first starting out gathering logs and trying to give it another go. I thought I would share some pictures of what I have been up to since my last visit.

I just got these walnut logs last week (delivered). They came off a clearing job for new construction. I also got 2 black locust, 2 cedar and a birch not pictured. This was a nice haul, prolly 1500 bft in just the walnut. I am working on milling it now, pretty decent lumber so far.
 


 


 



I knew when I saw this mulberry show up there was something interesting under the bark 
 







I have been milling some spalted stuff too. A rotten old maple I found laying around.
 







I actually had to chase this white oak down. I had seen it in the tree service burn pile...before I could snag it they moved it. It ended up at my place thrown on a mixed load of other stuff he dumped in the yard.
 





More oak from the same guy, this was a little "fresher". They cut these down in a subdivision expansion.
 



Red oak. Very clear boards
 



Same with the white oak.
 



These honeylocust (and a couple osage) came from the same job.
 



Honey locust on the mill.
 





Some of the prettiest osage I have ever milled, very nice.




I got alot of storm damaged trees this summer/fall. Some where just small pieces, hey some small pieces are cool. I milled a few walnut crotches from storm clean up.
 







This was a big cedar that had to be removed for an addition to an existing home. I pulled 17" wide boards off the butt log.
 



And I got some surprises. A tree service dumped this in the the yard, he thought it was an oak  . He called me and said he dumped it in the yard, I said I was not too fond of oak but thanks anyway...Well I am fond of pecan though and that is what it really was 
 



I live near a recreational lake with camp grounds. One of the camp grounds decided to expand...all these darn cherry trees where in the way. My buddy got paid to remove them  and bring them to me. They where not huge, but very pretty 
 


 






I will try to round up some more pictures later. I do have more. Not one of these trees were cut just to be harvested. This was all "urban logged", they were removed because of construction or storm damage.

[Radar67]

Daren, that looks like you've been hard at it for a while now. Nice haul.

[Ron Scott]

Nice! Good variety.

[Dodgy Loner]

No wonder we haven't seen you around lately.  You've been up to your elbows in primo logs .  Great pictures!

[metalspinner]

   That's exciting!  That pile of walnut  looks really good.

How many BF do you think you have there all told?

[thecfarm]

Great logs,great sawing.    I look at logs and I see dimension lumber until you come along. What little I have sawn that is all I have ever done and seen.Don't be so much of a stranger and make us wait for some great sawn wood pictures.

[blaze83]

great pictures darren,

looks like you had a great summer, I'm jelous of those walnut logs, they are hard to come by here in my part of ohio, the spaulted white oak is really cool.

keep the pics coming

[Daren]

How many BF do you think you have there all told?

I lost track kinda. I do know that one tree service alone was bringing 1000 bft a week all of July/August and into September, he has slowed down now (went back to more residential, he had some big summer commercial contracts). He did bring those walnut last week, but that is all I have seen from him for almost 2 months. Now the crops are out I expect drainage and similar work to start, that has meant fencerow clearing and the like in past years, we will see about this year. I have probably 3000 bft laying in the yard right now to mill in the next few weeks...unless more shows up 

[Todd]

Very nice Daren!   Funny how things work out...you just need to stay around long enough for "luck" to find you sometimes!

[SamB]

Two old sayings come to mind......"write if you find work" and "a picture is worth a thousand words".......both apply here GOOD POST and GOOD SAWING

[woodmills1]

NICE LOGS

NICE LUMBER

keep at it..........it pays off

[Stephen1]

Nice supply of wood, and very nice pictures, nice of you to spend the time up loading the pictures so we could drool

[rebocardo]

Wow, whatever is in the soil were you live produces some nice looking trees. That set of crotches almost looks like armor vests.     That mulberry was interesting too. If I had such nice logs when I had my sawmill I might still have it.

[Kelvin]

Howdy Daren,
Looks good!  Do you pay cash for your logs, like that walnut?  Or is it just trade and barter?  Man you really have some good conections.  Nice pictures!
Kelvin

[urbanlumberinc]

Dooooood - take out your red crayon and color me insanely jealous

[Robert Long]

Nice logs Daren!!!!

Now I have a few questions.

Have you stickered all that yourself?    Did you hit metal alot?   what type of mill do you use?

Do you sharpen your own blades because the boards look so clean cut.

Now that's some nice milling!!!!

Robert

[Daren]

Do you pay cash for your logs, like that walnut?  Or is it just trade and barter? 

Yes all of the above. Trade/barter/get some free depending on who is bringing them, but those are most often ones and 2s, at most a car trailer/hay wagon/dump truck with 10 logs. I did buy the walnut load in the first picture and made a receipt for tax purposes. They were nice logs headed for another mill but he stopped by here first and I shot a price (on the trailer, right at dark, in the rain  ).

Since I started this in 2004 I never wanted to pay anything for logs and didn't, almost as sport...that is why I was running out last year, many of my "free" sources had dried up for one reason or another. The biggest loss was some of my connections to the building trades/construction in this economy. New construction came to a halt practically and even public works projects slowed. One of my best sources was a good friend who ran an excavation business, he used to bring loads like in the first picture for a case of beer. He was getting paid by the ton to haul them off. He went to work for another much larger company as a project manager, had to sign a no compete clause and leases all his own equipment out of state now.

I had to change my tune some if I wanted to stay in the game, wasn't crazy about it but I did it. I still get free ones from homeowners-farmers-rural road districts-municipalities-cemeteries-etc. But this one guy in particular who brought the walnut has been selling all his logs for many years and splitting what he could not sell to mills for firewood so to get loads like that I had to get off my checkbook. He will dump free ones/2's still if he is working close, like that mulberry was free from him. He had cut that mulberry and 2 elms and I was on his way home so the butt logs ended up here.

To sum up I have spent more out of pocket this year on logs than all the previous years combined.

[Daren]

Have you stickered all that yourself?    Did you hit metal alot?   what type of mill do you use?

Do you sharpen your own blades because the boards look so clean cut.

I work by myself, so yea log hunting/milling/sticker/marketing is on my shoulders.

I would not say I hit metal alot...but I do hit it. I know where to look for it most often and can avoid most of it. I know if the logs come from the middle of town I should expect to look harder. I still get surprised. I had a walnut (looked perfect) dropped by the rural road commissioner. I saw where it was standing, virgin timber, it had to be removed for drainage work. I went on the job with him before they started and flagged all the trees I wanted. On the first face of this "perfect" timber walnut was 2 nails and 2 deer slugs...someone nailed targets to it and sighted in their shotgun  .

I use a http://www.taschmid.com/ manual mill. I can't say anything but good about the machine. I have worked it hard since 2004. It cuts very good lumber, as you can see, and so far the only thing I have had to fix was a broken starter rope, not bad upkeep for sure.

I actually run a sharpening shop. I sharpen woodworking tools/barber-beautician stuff/pet groomer stuff/knives/lawn and garden...basically full service. I still send my own blades out to resharp. $6.50 a blade set/sharpen, I cannot afford to do it for that. I have thought about investing in a setter -sharpener for bandmills, but I would have to work it to pay for it. I have enough other stuff to do.

[Daren]

Do you pay for your logs? 

And I have to add I am only paying for delivered logs. If I have labor in fetching them I don't pay out of pocket.

[Kelvin]

Good job Daren.  I've got to the point where i'm paying for things like that too.  If you wait for free ones, the tree service guys might rather let them rot then bother driving across town for me, but if i give them something, i pay from $.10 bd ft for low grade stuff (still saw logs) to $.50 for cherry, walnut and nice veneer quality logs, though i'm near a veneer buyer who gets most of the good stuff if there is any quantity.  ( He was paying from $1.50 to $4 a bd ft for venner logs, not sure whats up now though)  Though i have to say, now that i've got my log supply up the lumber sales have tanked.  Looks like i'm going to have to sit on some lumber for a few years till people start having money to spend on hobbies.  I've got really nice lumber for sale at less than 1/2 local sales places, some even 25% ,with not much interest.  This is a hard nut to crack.
I really like the mulberry and osage.  I think those are good markets, nobody has that!
Keep up the good work, and best of luck!
Kelvin

[Daren]

Though i have to say, now that i've got my log supply up the lumber sales have tanked. 

I am in the same boat. I am buying more logs than I am selling lumber right now. Oh well, it is good lumber and I have a place to store it, money in the bank I guess. Heck if nothing else buying a gorgeous log for a couple bucks and milling it is cheap fun (if you are a sicko like me  ) I am about "break even" right now between expenses and profit at the mill, I'll keep doing it as long as I can. Other work (sharpening/welding/woodworking) feeds me/keeps the lights on.

[Dodgy Loner]

How thick do you normally saw your walnut crotches?  I have some walnut crotches that I sawed 5/4, cherry crotches sawed 4/4, and white oak crotches sawed 4/4, 5/4 and 8/4.  They're all stacked and drying right now, and I've yet to use anything but a small walnut crotch for a drawer front.  I'm not sure what sizes I'll find most useful in the future.

[Daren]

How thick do you normally saw your walnut crotches?

Since I use/sell most of mine for things like small free form table tops I mill them 6/4. I started milling them 5/4 but they like to cup sometimes and by the time they where sanded flat they where under 1". I have one guy wanting all the walnut and white oak crotches I could provide sawn 1/4", he is a floor installer and they use them for medallion inlays and such. I would have to saw them thick and resaw I think to keep them from splitting. The $ is not there really. I have sold crotches like this for $100 to woodworkers to make tables from.
 



It has been raining a bunch here, pouring this morning, so milling is slow. I have worked on that walnut a little more. This is what a guy likes to see when he knocks the bark off one, 4 sides perfectly clear  . A couple more flips and that sap was gone leaving me a 12" x12" clear heartwood cant to saw off of.
 





I have 2 piles going a small one with boards that may have a little sap/a knot... and this pile of FAS. 650 bft in this pile so far.
 



And every single board in the pile looks like these  . Not much to say, just nice clear lumber minimum 8" wide and 8' long. There are some 12" x10'rs on the bottom ('cept maybe that sawyer did a good job, look at that grain orientation   )