Oversized Walnut Log Stash

spanky · July 20, 2011, 02:24:07 AM

Greetings:
I'm new to your site and what's worse...a foreigner. I do have friends and a few relatives in the North Country.....hope that counts for something.
At issue is a 30 odd years collection (about 80 logs) of huge (26" to 72" diam.) Walnut logs I've gathered over the years. The logs are not only huge but are also very irregular shaped...not nice and pretty and straight. One 72" timber is a very large crotch piece which has been envied by more than a few. Another very large piece is a burl measuring about 3.5' oval. I have an almost unlimited supply of this wood as people in my area think of wood only for firewood. Picked up a huge (unfortunately cutup) tree not long ago...Silver Maple. I was sick...but as I said, the locals think of everything here as firewood. I love wood but at an early age could not figure a way to make a living with wood so...I became a football coach for all these years. Now retired, I'm looking to make these logs into something of a useful hobby and possibly a little extra cash. I have not been able to figure (in spite of all my research) the best mill(s) to use on this wood and get the best results/yield. I would like to slab some and mill some, especially since most of it is so large. Thought maybe I could get some advice from this forum.

duke · July 20, 2011, 02:46:25 AM

Look at peterson Dedicated slabber, talk with AAron. They have just what you need. tell him Marcel from Canada, said to talk with him.

Marcel

Ianab · July 20, 2011, 04:37:35 AM

Yeah. a swing-blade mill with a chainsaw slabber attachment will be the most economical way to break down those logs. The mill can cut normal dimension boards up to 6-10" depending on the model, then bolt on the bar and chain for slabbing large table tops. You can even get a planer blade for surfacing the large slabs before final finishing.

Large ugly logs like that are common here in NZ & Australia, so Peterson or Lucas (see the sponsor list on the left) can sort you out with a machine to handle the job.

72" might be a bit of a challenge for a standard mill, might need a bit of trimming first, but still a pretty impressive table top in there.

Ian

thecfarm · July 20, 2011, 07:09:33 AM

spanky,welcome to the forum. What part of the world are you from.?Must have some equipment to move those big logs? Going to need something to move those big slabs with too.

Magicman · July 20, 2011, 07:36:09 AM

Welcome spanky, to the Forestry Forum. Being a foreigner is not necessarily "worst". Everyone is a foreigner from somewhere else. ;)

It certainly sounds like a swingblade mill with a slabber is in order for you. There are a couple of sponsors listed to the left that handle those big logs.

sandhills · July 20, 2011, 11:33:26 AM

Welcome to the forum spanky, you definitely came to the right place for your answers, although I'm no help most folks here can tell you what you need to know. Where are from, can't be anymore foreign than the sandhills of Nebraska ;).

spanky · July 20, 2011, 12:04:10 PM

WOW!!! I had no idea the response I'd get...great information here. Just so all of you know, I wasn't certain of what kind of response I'd get so I've posted my note on several forums from the US to Australia...most all of the responses have been similar. I shouldn't be surprised because every where I go "wood workers/millers" are a tight group of people with a lot to share. First thing I will do is post some pictures. They will be coming soon.
When I found this forum, the posts I read were all from Canada and I thought the forum was a Canadian sourced forum which is why I introduced myself as a foreigner. I can see I was wrong...contributors are from North America.
Thanks for all the input and I look forward to hearing more once I post pictures.
Spanky (TD)

LeeB · July 20, 2011, 12:25:23 PM

Most of us are from the US, but we have members from around the world and pretty much every continent. welcome aboard.

beenthere · July 20, 2011, 12:29:33 PM

Spanky
Welcome, but just where are you from? ;)

Fill out your bio a bit more, would help.

Sprucegum · July 20, 2011, 01:17:08 PM

:P A place where walnut trees grow big, everybody likes football, and Canadians are foreigners....I bet ya'll eats grits, eh? :D :D

Brad_bb · July 20, 2011, 03:09:10 PM

Welcome to the forums! We have members from Australia, and New Zealand. Filling out your profile will allow us to see by your user name in each post, where you're from etc.

If you're going to be a regular, please consider contributing to our group project:
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,18953.0.html

Send your block to
Jeff Brokaw
3210 Bischoff
Harrison, MI. 48625

shelbycharger400 · July 22, 2011, 08:00:08 PM

grits... only had them when i was in arkansas 10 yrs ago. no place in mn sells them with eggs and pancakes

the burl... you might be able to sell that to someone ... i have seen ads here for people that want them
but then again... they make AWESOME tables , that bring good money.

you will have to weigh your costs to have your logs done to what its going to cost to buy a machine, from slabber, to band mill, to circle mill

mills generally run 4k up to tens of thousands.

Used mills are 1500 to 40k

I have heard of 9 ft headsaw blade... and i want myself a picture next to one

Jeff · July 23, 2011, 12:47:05 AM

Ya mean like this? ;D

Jeff · July 23, 2011, 12:59:36 AM

Here is a photo of it in it's crate.

This one will cut just as big a log though...

Ianab · July 23, 2011, 02:20:04 AM

Cool , but I'd still go with the swing-blade / slabber ;)

This is an Oversize chainsaw slabber that Lucas make. 9.5 ft cut

Makes stuff like this

Normal size chainsaw slabber

Those boards were being sawn at the Ag Fieldays a few years back. Kauri and Rimu, and those big slabs were being sold for ~$1,000 each, and were selling like hot cakes. If you have the right logs you will be able to pay for the mill quick enough.

Ian

Magicman · July 23, 2011, 08:21:14 AM

Wow, that is sawing some big stuff guys. For a moment, I thought that was Bibby from behind, but surely he would never run a sawmill with two blades. ;D

shelbycharger400 · July 23, 2011, 11:01:25 AM

my parents neighbor has a double head saw, i think his was a 52 bottom, 28 top. first time i seen it...i was HOLY #@!$

I had him do my 36 in dia boxelder... just to big, and my mill wasnt done.

somewhere northern mn... i have heard their is a monster mill at an amish mill

Left Coast Chris · July 23, 2011, 11:24:09 AM

Hi Spanky,
Several of us are in the Western US here on the FF. Im in Anderson Ca. which is just south of Redding. It sounds like I have had a similar challenge over the years.

We wanted to build a new house about 18 years ago and wanted Agg land so we ended up buying an old English Walnut orchard. You can see where this is going.

As the trees slowly reached their life span I did not want to waste the wood and I enjoy wood working. I had a couple of guys come in with wood mizers and saw for 50/50 at first but they quit for various reasons.

I also enjoy metal working so I built a woodmizer clone. It can cut up to 27" wide. For the occasional large log I simply chainsaw rip them. If they are huge, I quarter them with the chainsaw. At first there was a bit of waste until I learned to get better rip cuts with the chain saw. The end result are walnut boards or slabs up to 27" wide.

The one time I decided to slab a very large oak, my brother came over with a Lucus slabber and sawed for 50/50.

My cantiliver head home built mill will take a 36" log so I don't have to rip too often and built it for around $3k including the 24hp honda engine.

How many logs do you have? If you only have several dozen it might pay to have them sawn or if you just want to do hobby sawing with an occasional sale you need to think about the size of boards you want and what the clients want. Slabs are nice but unless you have a specific plan for selling them, most people want furnature lumber. Gunstock blanks are another possibility for the big tree with the crotch. If you want a slab table then you woud need to bring in a slabber.

You are welcome to PM me and come by and see my mill and operation if you live in the area or will be coming through.

Let us know how you do!

SPIKER · July 23, 2011, 12:05:13 PM

Also might add the way the logs have been stored could come into play as your time above seems like these logs may be worth fire wood if they were not dipped/submerged in a lake to keep them from drying to a state where sawing concrete may be easier or rotted if stored on the ground & be worth mulch only...

mark

spanky · July 25, 2011, 01:52:30 AM

Greetings, again:
In re-reading the post replies and going out and taking these pictures, I'm not at all certain what you folks expect...nothing I see that I haven't looked at many times...not that impressive. I did notice another post showing a massive walnut slab from another member...my gosh, I've never seen such a huge piece. Unfortunately, none of my stuff is cut yet so can't see whats really there except that I had a local fellow help me cut a piece of ours with a small chainsaw jig...two days later, I had some visitors and they bought the slabs on the spot...I probably gave them away, I was so excited to find someone was actually as interested in the pieces as I was. When I look over this mess, I'm reminded of how many years it has taken me to collect these pieces. Some have questioned whether they will have any value because of their rustic/rough/weathered appearance...not to worry. I've cut open these wonderful beauties...they're gorgeous. The only explanation I have for their well-preserved inside look is the oil in the Walnut and our extremely dry climate. Anyway, let me know if the pieces I've posted do them justice and thanks for all the encouragement.
Side Note: I know I'm going to catch hell about this but...Sorry, I'll be damned if I figure out that picture upload stuff on this site. If you would like some pics, go to the Wood Work Forum (http://www.woodworkforums.com/f132/oversize-walnut-log-stash-138450/) Nothing too impressive after looking at some of the pics posted here. ....Anyway, I'm not really the sharpest tool in the shed when it comes to that upload stuff.

Ianab · July 25, 2011, 02:07:13 AM

Logs can sometimes last a surprisingly long time.

The big kauri log that's being cut in the pic I posted had been sitting in a swamp for ~3,000 years!!!!

With Walnut, the sapwood will rot after a few years, but the heartwood can last for years. The juglone (a natural toxin) kills off any fungus or bugs that would otherwise attack the log.

The thing with those live edge table tops, the crazier the grain and knots, the more people like them. So ugly logs that would be rejects from a normal commercial sawmill, but get them sliced up ready to make coffee tables out of, and they are worth good money.

Ian