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125 Year Old Beams

Started by POSTON WIDEHEAD, October 09, 2012, 03:52:39 PM

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POSTON WIDEHEAD

2 guys came into the mill today. I know them both and have not seen them for about 10 years or so.
They are in the demolition business and are in the process of gutting an old mil in S.C.
They called me this morning and said, "David.....we heard you have a band mill."  8) Well.....yes I do!

They have over 2600 old Pine beams coming out of this mill. Some are 8 x 12 x 12 foot long and the rest are
16 x 16 x 25 foot long.

The beams have already been de-nailed. But I still will check for metal.  :) I sawed 1 beam for him at no charge. BEAUTIFUL heart Pine!

They said they would give me half the beams for the sawing and we would split them up as they came in off the truck.

Suits me!

I have plans for 16 inch wide boards, 8 inch wide boards and 12 inch wide boards and the thickness will be up to the customer who orders boards from my mill.

What does 125 year old heart Pine sell for in a Southern market? We sawed the 1 beam into ¾" paneling for his house boat.  I used a brand new blade and he is gonna leave the finish the way it came of the mill. :D Gosh, that woods pretty.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

 
The older I get I wish my body could Re-Gen.

Riggs

That is sweet, you are sawing a little piece of history.  :)
Every man's life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another.~Ernest Hemingway

Norwood ML 26

Shotgun

Sounds as though you were smiled on from above today, David.  Neat story.  I bet it will work out just as planned.

Norm
Joined The Forestry Forum 5 days before 9/11.

clww

That's the kind of wood I'm using on the interior walls of the log cabin. Great stuff! I know heart pine flooring half that width can go for $3.50 to $5.50 per foot.
GRRR!   >:(  I'm so jealous!
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18-Wheeler Driver

redbeard

those are awesome!  Hang on to your half or put a big price tag on the boards. I regret every old growth board I sell cause I know someday iam gonna say sure wish I still had that old growth it would have looked so nice in my house. But $ usually help you part with it.
Whidbey Woodworks and Custom Milling  2019 Cooks AC 3662T High production band mill and a Hud-son 60 Diesel wide cut bandmill  JD 2240 50hp Tractor with 145 loader IR 1044 all terrain fork lift  Cooks sharp

Ga Mtn Man

Sure is purdy stuff David. smiley_gorgeous  How's it saw?
"If the women don't find you handsome they should at least find you handy." - Red Green


2012 LT40HDG29 with "Superized" hydraulics,  2 LogRite cant hooks, home-built log arch.

POSTON WIDEHEAD

Quote from: Ga_Mtn_Man on October 09, 2012, 04:49:34 PM
How's it saw?

Hi Paul, these beams actually sawed like HOT butter using a new blade. I wore a mask. The smell of old wood and lead paint made me go get my mask after the first cut.  :)
The older I get I wish my body could Re-Gen.

Piston

David,
That is incredable that you came across that deal!  Or rather, it came across you  8) 
That will make some beautiful lumber. 

If your plans are to sell it all, or most of it, do you think you may be able to get more from it selling it as whole reclaimbed timbers, rather than sawing it?  ???

I'd kill for a building made of reclaimbed timbers like that, maybe resawn just a tad to expose the fresh beauty.   ;D
-Matt
"What the Lion is to the Cat the Mastiff is to the Dog, the noblest of the family; he stands alone, and all others sink before him. His courage does not exceed his temper and generosity, and in attachment he equals the kindest of his race."

red oaks lumber

dont saw your half until you have an order, you might find you have a market for large beams or such.
the experts think i do things wrong
over 18 million b.f. processed and 7341 happy customers i disagree

Magicman

Quote from: POSTONLT40HD on October 09, 2012, 03:52:39 PM
What does 125 year old heart Pine sell for in a Southern market?

David, a "Southern market" should have no bearing on the selling price.  That is "high end" stuff.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

POSTON WIDEHEAD

Quote from: red oaks lumber on October 09, 2012, 05:42:14 PM
dont saw your half until you have an order, you might find you have a market for large beams or such.

Good point Steve. I don't wanna shoot myself in the foot. In fact, I promised to help them sell their beams first.
I'll store mine in a cool dry barn my friend has with a concrete floor in it and I'll stack and sticker it, even though  the beams are dry as a bone.



Good point also Magic.....advice taken.
The older I get I wish my body could Re-Gen.

Sawdust Lover

Not that I'm an expert at sawing heart pine beams but I have sawed about 200 or so beams. Even though they say they are denailed they most likely are not. The second floor flooring was nailed to them and thats alot of nails. Alot of times they will break the head of the nail off and not retrieve the rest of the nail. I will take and saw 5 or 6 beams and just take off an inch all the way around the beam with an old blade, this wood is sold as weathered look even though it was indoors. Now that I know the beams are free of nails I will change the blade to a new or sharper one to finish cutting the beam. Heart pine beams are full of pitch exspecially when your in true heart so this is where I put the lube right to it or the blades build up fast. Lots of wave if you have build up and that sucks when you waste a beautiful board. If you plan to make flooring or paneling out of it pam cooking spray works well on your molder rollers and cutters. I sell my heart pine for around $4.00 a bf and flooring for around $6.00 a bf here in Va. and N.C. I prefer cutting american chestnut. Here are some pics of what I have left for heart pine and american chestnut logs.

  

 

francismilker

Even though my little LT-10 would be in for a workout, I'd jump on the chance to saw a few of those beams.  That's some awesome looking grain in that wood.  I'd love to see some flooring made of it!
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Fla._Deadheader

All truth passes through three stages:
   First, it is ridiculed;
   Second, it is violently opposed; and
   Third, it is accepted as self-evident.

-- Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

Chuck White

Quote from: POSTONLT40HD on October 09, 2012, 05:48:30 PM
Quote from: red oaks lumber on October 09, 2012, 05:42:14 PM
dont saw your half until you have an order, you might find you have a market for large beams or such.

Good point Steve. I don't wanna shoot myself in the foot. In fact, I promised to help them sell their beams first.
I'll store mine in a cool dry barn my friend has with a concrete floor in it and I'll stack and sticker it, even though  the beams are dry as a bone.
Good point also Magic.....advice taken.

David; make sure you leave plenty of room for ventilation UNDER your stack of beams!
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

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You a LUCKY LUCKY LUCKY LUCKY LUCKY LUCKY BOY!!!!! :) ;D :) ;D :)
You're about to become a BUSY BUSY BUSY BUSY BUSY BUSY BOY! :D :D :D
Work out a good game plan with these guys. This could work out really well for all involved.

hackberry jake

To me it sounds like you are talking about around a million bf or close to that. I'm just glad I ain't your back or your sawmill might about now. If you made $1 a bf. that'd be a million bucks.
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Meadows Miller

Gday

A Mill on A Mill :) :)  ;)  :D ;D Looks to be clean good solid stuff with minimal checking sounds and looks like your on a winner Mate   ;) ;D 8)  I cut alot of Imported D/fir,Spruce and Pine  beams from wool stores and warehouses and Dad was over the bridge in Melbourne doing the same thing for afew years there where afew times either of us cut 40 to 60' beams down to 8-10&12' lenghts to fill furniture orders but it was a better return than beams at the time  :o :) ;) ;D  as others and yourself have said just keep it sticked out and out of the weather and they will last a bloody long time before you mill them into whatever people want  ;) ;D

With stacking Chuck made a good point AIRFLOW key as moisture even has a habit of causing some dramas in large sections we used 6x4"s on edge for the base if one hardstand or concrete and 2x2,3x2 or 3x3" as sticks every 4to6' feet stacks where 4' wide and I would leave atleast 1" spacing between each beam as you dont want them hard up together I will add though we where stacking ours out in the open  with a lift on tin roof so they stil got wet every now n then from driving rain unlike your plan to put them in a shed which is the best way to go Mate  ;) ;D 8)

Price with beams like those Retail here would go for  $3.50 to $5 a bft as is and remilled dried and dressed into furniture or flooring would be around the  $7.70 a bft mark Wholesale is abit lower but you could sell the lot either as is or remilled in one hit for a nice fat check though  ;)

Regards Chris
4TH Generation Timbergetter

Red Clay Hound

The guy I bought my mill from has 60,000 bf of heart pine from an old cord mill he tore down.  About half of it is beams and the other half is 4" thick t&g from the floors.  He tried to sell it to me when I bought the mill, but I don't have anyplace to put it.  He wanted $2 per bf for the whole lot.  I didn't know if that was a good price or not.  Anybody got any idea what old heart pine beams are worth?  They are not all as solid as the ones pictured above.

I may try to buy a few hundred bf to see how it mills.
2007 Wood-Mizer LT40 Super Hydraulic with 51 hp. Cat; 2007 Wood-Mizer EG200 Twin Blade Edger; Woodmaster 718 Molder/Planer; Stihl MS460 and MS362 Chainsaws; 2011 John Deere 5065 with JD 553 Loader

Sawdust Lover

I pay $40 to $50 per beam. 12"x14"x16'. The amount of beams available now with all the mills coming down is killing the heart pine market. Go by all the old furniture factories in S.W.Va. and there's piles of those beams outside be put in containers and shipped to somewhere. Last year I bought 200 beams for $3000.00.

Piston

Quote from: Sawdust Lover on October 09, 2012, 05:49:35 PM...Heart pine beams are full of pitch exspecially when your in true heart so this is where I put the lube right to it or the blades build up fast...

I'm confused (what else is new :D), I thought there was no pitch in the heartwood? Only in the sapwood?   ???
-Matt
"What the Lion is to the Cat the Mastiff is to the Dog, the noblest of the family; he stands alone, and all others sink before him. His courage does not exceed his temper and generosity, and in attachment he equals the kindest of his race."

Magicman

The serious pitch is in the heartwood and knots.  Also packed into old tree injuries such as lightning strikes, etc.

Old growth heartwood is so rich with pitch that it usually will not take paint, stain, or any kind of sealer.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

ely

MM , i have had good luck in my house where the rich pine wood was leaking sap, i would use a rag and some carb cleaner to wipe the area down before i sealed it over with varnish, so far so good. if it is just a plain dry pine knot it takes the varnish well.
i have spots in my bathroom door where the light shows through the pine knots in the raised panel.

Magicman

Pine knots, etc. are bad to bleed and show through paint, even when primed.  A coat of sanding sealer before applying the primer does a satisfactory job of keeping the bleed through in check.

I have re-sawed some timbers that were so "pitch rich" that I do not believe that the pitch could have been contained by any means.  Nothing could possibly stick to it to seal it.  The lumber would stick to your gloves.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Piston

WIth all pitch, how can you use something like this for flooring then?
-Matt
"What the Lion is to the Cat the Mastiff is to the Dog, the noblest of the family; he stands alone, and all others sink before him. His courage does not exceed his temper and generosity, and in attachment he equals the kindest of his race."

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