Cryin shame...

VT_Forestry · January 29, 2009, 03:58:38 PM

I had heard recently that our forestry club had been given some wood by a local tree care company instead of them having to find a place to dump it. Perfect for us in school because it means we don't have to go out and buck it and haul it back to the shop for firewood. I went by the shop today to check out what we'd gotten, and much to my dismay it was a load of black walnut, looked to be at least 2 trees, each one of them at least 30" DBH. I couldn't believe my eyes when I looked at that pile and saw split pieces of wood that were nothing but brown heartwood. I didn't have my camera or I would have taken pictures. The entire thing was bucked into firewood lengths, and the whole pile smelled of that sweet fresh sawn black walnut aroma. What a shame to see it go up in smoke, but I did manage to slab some of the smaller ones (15" or so ) with a maul (splits VERY nice

) so I'll maybe get a chance to make something out of it...in my woodshop that is the patio and living room of my apartment haha

grabbed a few pics of one of the pieces I grabbed, 4.5" thick, 11" wide, 26" long

Tom · January 29, 2009, 05:16:33 PM

Who bucked it up, the tree service, or someone in the Forestry Club?

It happens all of the time. People with different agendas who don't take the time to learn what they have.

I heard the same story from a builder friend of mine. He was given a building that was built of old,hand hewn SYP beams. He was going to dismantle it but the developer's backhoe operator got to it before he could (the next morning) and destroyed it. "I got her on the ground for you", he said proudly.

Lord only knows how many millions of dollars of pretty wood has burned by people who think that lumber comes from somewhere else.

VT_Forestry · January 29, 2009, 05:45:40 PM

It was someone from the tree service...it's my guess that they were expecting to have to haul it to the dump or wherever else they take their junk wood. I'm sure they see stuff like that all the time and they just don't have the means to put it to a good use...I did the same thing with that white oak that I posted pictures of, but it's still a shame when it happens. Makes me wish I was in more of a position to put some of this stuff to good use.

SwampDonkey · January 29, 2009, 05:47:42 PM

Looks quartered VT, can you make a bench seat, ottoman or something? Carve it just right for comfort. Need to go back for some leg/glider stock. Got a shop lathe and planer at school? The club pack rat. :D ;)

metalspinner · January 29, 2009, 06:09:09 PM

Just the right length for some nice bowl blanks. ;)

Ironwood · January 29, 2009, 08:38:03 PM

You just need one of those wood stretchers that Sears came out w/ just before Christmas :D. Looks like interesting streaking as well. Bummer.

I rescued some heart pine from a landfill last year, about 12,000 bd ft worth. Quite a "crap shoot", but in the end it was worth it. I was literally between the construction roll off dumpster and the excavator, I would just point to the trailer or the dumpster. Darn shame ;D.

Ironwood

DanG · January 29, 2009, 08:50:31 PM

Don't despair, VT! Just think of all the things you can make out of 26" Walnut! 8) 8) You can split out blanks like the one pictured, then rip them on the table saw to make little boards. Grab all of them you can! ;D

VT_Forestry · January 29, 2009, 10:44:11 PM

I'm grabbing as many as I can, going to pick up some more on Saturday!

Dodgy Loner · January 30, 2009, 08:43:18 AM

When I was in the forestry club at UGA, we got call from people all over Athens any time they had a tree down, regardless of species. I got pretty tired cutting so many nice logs into firewood. The oak didn't bother me so much, but I ended up purchasing quite a bit of "firewood" from the forestry club in 8-10' lengths ;D. I got several cedar logs and a few cherry, elm, and sycamore logs that way. Since we split most of the firewood by hand, only the cherry would have been good for firewood, anyway.

Glad you'll at least be able to save something from that walnut. There's a lot that can be done with firewood length wood. When I first bought my lathe, that's where all my turning stock came from!

Ironmower · February 07, 2009, 06:29:16 AM

If ya gotta burn it, try some in your grille. I like the "bite" it puts in my chicken, and mix with some cherry in my homebuilt Grille-B-Smoker mannn (humm). Its supposed to be in the 60's today, I gotta gitter' fired up!

SwampDonkey · February 07, 2009, 08:00:12 AM

Might reach 25 F here. I ain't wading the 2 feet of snow out there to the fire pot and pic nic table. :D

VT_Forestry · February 07, 2009, 02:50:00 PM

I'd never really thought about using it in the grill, might have to try that. We got a few slabs out to make some award plaques for a forestry club competition we have coming up, I'm gonna work on them here in a few days and post up some pictures of them

Ironmower · February 07, 2009, 06:55:27 PM

Ended up 62 and the chicken was awsome, send some of that snow my way. Here locally maybe 2 inches of snow, and 1 inch of ice. Really hurts my plowing contracts. Man, wish we had smell-a-vision!!!!

howellhandmade · February 27, 2009, 12:49:46 AM

This thread prompts me to ask about a couple of trees that I must remove near my house. Black oak, very old and massive, one about 5' dia, the other a little less. I regret taking them down because they provide good shade, but the trunks are swollen, several crotches are swollen and rotten, and they are dangerous. I have assumed that they are firewood because of their condition and the likelihood that they are full of nails and stuff. They are actually connected by a steel pipe between them that must have been for a swing, decades ago, now about 15' off the ground. I was not aware of any value for this species to counter their defects, but it seems the time to ask is before they are bucked into 18" lengths.

Thanks,

Jack

LeeB · February 27, 2009, 09:01:54 AM

With all the hardware you describe in them, sounds like firewood at best.

Tom · February 27, 2009, 12:33:08 PM

You might get some use for the wood in the tree that is above the part where nails would be commonly driven, though children have been known to build ladders with nails and boards all the way to the top of a tree. Some of that wood might be good for personal projects, if you turn on a lathe or build small objects for your home. Other than that, it is probaby better used for firewood.

The piece of pipe might be a beam that was used to pull engines from cars. I've seen many trees with heavy timbers or pipes attached for this purpose. Swings usually go on the limbs. "They are actually connected by a steel pipe between them that must have been for a swing, decades ago, now about 15' off the ground. " It's good to know that things like pipes and nails don't move upward as the tree grows. The pipe was installed at that height. Most nailing in a trunk is usually below 8 feet because most folks don't nail higher than they can reach.

howellhandmade · February 27, 2009, 04:11:24 PM

Thanks very much for the answers. I can use the firewood, and I reckon there are far better candidates for slabs than my goony black oaks.

Jack

chevytaHOE5674 · February 27, 2009, 11:28:31 PM

When I was doing ROW clearing work I can't tell you how many nice walnut/cherry/oak logs we fed through the chipper, or bucked to firewood for the homeowner. When you have lots of work to get done you have to get them cut and moved quick.

I did save a "few" nice oak and walnut logs over the years.