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Can someone ID this for me?

Started by lowpolyjoe, November 03, 2012, 09:28:35 AM

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lowpolyjoe

Hey Everybody,

New to the forum.  Great place with helpful people.  Kudos

I'm hoping someone can help ID this tree for me and let me know if its hard/soft wood.   I don't know how to tell with a live tree.  I was thinking of setting up a DIY saw mill to cut boards out if it but don't know if its worth it unless its a relatively hard wood.  There was some fuzz on the fresh cuts I made so far.  Is that a sign of a soft wood?

Any help appreciated.   

http://youtu.be/Yr9KH2ep7W0

Thanks,
Joe

thecfarm

What state,city you from that will help some too.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

lowpolyjoe

Ah...  I'm in Wayne in northern New Jersey.

up2themtn

It would be nice to get a clearer look at the leaf, but it appears to be an American Basswood, one of the softest woods in the country.  Wood carvers use it a lot because it is easy to carve.

thecfarm

upthemtn,welcome to the forum and thanks for the helpful first post.
Other can explain it better,but if it has leaves it's a hardwood,needles are soft wood. But there are some kinds that have leaves are the softest of the hard wood and there are some that have needles that are the hardest of the softwood. Than the Tamarack or larch or hackmatack,Larix lariciana will loose it needles. This time of year they are yellow and getting ready to fall off in my area of Maine.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Jeff

American Linden commonly known as Basswood. One of our softest hardwoods. The tree really does not have the form or size to be really worthy of sawing on a sawmill unless you happen to have one handy and it clearly has some hardware in it, but as previously stated, it is one of the best species for wood carving.  You could process some of the lower trunk with a chainsaw into a few carving blocks. Be sure to avoid the nails and screws it may contain.
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

lowpolyjoe

Thanks guys.  I'm not a woodcarver but there's a carving school in my town and occasional shows at an auditorium near me.  Maybe I'll cut it into managable peices and see if anyone is interested in it.   

I'm a little bummed because I was hoping to try out The Beam Machine or something similar to cut a few boards and use them next year for some shelving or something.   Just as a memento.  But a softwood doesn't seem worth it

There is one bat house screwed into the tree but that should be all. I'll Definitly be careful to get the screws out before cutting it up

Thanks
Joe

Jeff

Actually, that tree has more potential of having a usable material (carving) in it being a basswood, than any use if it was most any other hardwood. simply because of the size and quality.

As a rule of thumb, most all broad leaf or deciduous trees (meaning they have grow and loose their leaves seasonally), are classified as hardwoods. Hardwood is a classification, not a description of the wood density.

Your softwoods generally are those that are coniferous (having cones and needle or scale leaf) such as the pines, firs, spruces and cedars.
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Ianab

QuoteI'm a little bummed because I was hoping to try out The Beam Machine or something similar to cut a few boards and use them next year for some shelving or something.   Just as a memento.  But a softwood doesn't seem worth it

There's no rule that say's you can't. I make plenty of furniture, shelves etc out of actual softwood. Pine, Cedar, Cypress etc.

As you are making it as a "momento" the actual cash value of the wood is irrelevant, it's the story behind it that matters. ("I made this out of a tree") And it's not like a shelf is a "high wear" item, so the softer nature of the wood doesn't really matter. Don't worry about the "fuzzy" look when it's rough sawn. Once it's dry, your planer and sandpaper takes care of that, and you will be able to get a nice varnish finish on it, which also helps harden and toughen the surface.

So go ahead and make something out of it if you want.

Ian
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

Jeff

Thats sort of what I started off to say, got side tracked, and never said it. Getting old I guess, Glad Ianab made his post. :D 

I've made all sorts of things around that house out of parts of trees most would normally throw away,
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Okrafarmer

The good thing about it being a softer (hardwood) wood, is that it is pretty easy to work with. You can cut it, carve it, plane it, sand it, all quite easily.

Good to have you on the forum, stick around, and you'll have a great time learning all kinds of stuff with us.  :)

BTW, you may find that some of your neighbors have blown-down trees of other species, so if you get their permission, you may be able to get some other nice wood to experiment with, too.  ;)
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1

Operating a 2020 Woodmizer LT35 hydraulic for Upcountry Sawmill, Dacusville, SC

Now selling Logrite tools!

Writing fiction and nonfiction! Check my website.

DanG

Welcome to the forum, Joe.  This is a great place to learn while having fun.

The first thing I heard on your video(nice job, btw) is that it was your favorite tree.  You should try to make something out of part of it for a keepsake.  There will still be plenty to give to the woodcarvers.  I betcha if you gave one of them a box full of it, he would carve you a little doodad as a thank you. ;)
"I don't feel like an old man.  I feel like a young man who has something wrong with him."  Dick Cavett
"Beat not thy sword into a plowshare, rather beat the sword of thine enemy into a plowshare."

lowpolyjoe

Thanks for all the advice guys.

I finished cutting off all the limbs and I'm left with the trunk that forks at maybe 15' and then I left the thickest part of each prong. 

Still undecided about what to do so I haven't gone any further.   As for the small stuff - Have to either chip it with my small chipper or cut it under 4' peices and drag it to the street for storm waste pickup.  Not sure which will be easier.

The conifer / deciduous softwood/hardwood classification info sounds familiar now that I read the replies.   Thanks for the clarification.  After working on the tree a bit yesterday I can verify that it is a very soft hardwood.   After i cut off the large limbs and carried them to a clearing I was hackin off branches a couple inches thick with one swipe of my dull axe with no problem.   Very easy to work on that tree. 

i like that idea - donating some wood to the carving school in hopes that I'd get a little trinket back from them.   I would prefer to make something myself but I've got no artistic carving skills.  Don't really have any carpentry skills either, but I can build a shelf :-)

I do build home theatre speaker boxes from time to time.  Typically use veneer over MDF.  Was hoping I could use this tree for a solid front baffle if I got any nice decorative pieces out of it, maybe near the fork?   Not sure if a wood this soft will work well for that application.  Have to ask the audio nerds.   

I'll keep you guys posted

Thanks.
Joe





Okrafarmer

Well, this seems like an appropriate time for a joke-- "of course you can make a speaker out of BASSwood"  :D  ;)  ;D  :)
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1

Operating a 2020 Woodmizer LT35 hydraulic for Upcountry Sawmill, Dacusville, SC

Now selling Logrite tools!

Writing fiction and nonfiction! Check my website.

lowpolyjoe

Quote from: Okrafarmer on November 04, 2012, 10:42:42 PM
Well, this seems like an appropriate time for a joke-- "of course you can make a speaker out of BASSwood"  :D  ;)  ;D  :)

Heh.   I hope so

I'm leaning towards cutting it into boards.   My plan was to put together a one time saw mill setup with one of those chainsaw bracket attachments.  I was a little worried that my saw wouldn't be up to the task but after today I feel pretty confident.   I cut down the middle of a 25' piece of pine, diameter from maybe 12 to 16".   That was another fallen tree from the storm.  I'm making a mountain biking obstacle out of one half and my wife wants some benches out of the other.   My Rancher 455 worked like a champ!   

I cut 3 sections maybe 6' long each out of the trunk of the Basswod today.  Those are about the limit of what I figure I can handle alone trying to move them around and I won't need boards longer than that for most of my projects.   

Wrestling with the stump now... What a pain.  Trying to dig out the bigger roots and flatten the area the root ball turned up out of.  So much work by hand.   But Still no power at my house so I don't have much else to do ;-). 

Okrafarmer

Basswood you can freehand mill with your chainsaw, probably as easily as the pine. Just be careful, don't cut yourself!
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1

Operating a 2020 Woodmizer LT35 hydraulic for Upcountry Sawmill, Dacusville, SC

Now selling Logrite tools!

Writing fiction and nonfiction! Check my website.

lowpolyjoe

I fiddled with the website a bit and tried to update my profile and figured out how to upload a pics from my phone.

Here's the pine I ripped freehand.  It's ugly but the only requirement was a flat surface for biking... Didn't have to be smooth.   Glad I was able to rip it in one piece because now I've got both halves to play with :-)






mad murdock

Welcome lowpolyjoe. From the looks of things you may be coming down with a case of SiB!(sawdust in blood). Better be careful, if allowed to matastasize, yer only cure will be to get another saw or 10, and at the least a CSM, or if hit particularly hard maybe a BSM ;)
Turbosawmill M6 (now M8) Warrior Ultra liteweight, Granberg Alaskan III, lots of saws-gas powered and human powered :D

Okrafarmer

CSM = Certificate in Sawmill Management = 1 year successful experience
ASM = Associate's degree in Sawmill Management = 2 years
BSM = Bachelor's degree in Sawmill Management = 4 years
MSM = Master's degree in Sawmill Management = 6 years
DSM = Doctorate in Sawmill Management = 10 years
GSM = Guru in Sawmill Management = 25 years

:P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1

Operating a 2020 Woodmizer LT35 hydraulic for Upcountry Sawmill, Dacusville, SC

Now selling Logrite tools!

Writing fiction and nonfiction! Check my website.

mad murdock

Quote from: Okrafarmer on November 08, 2012, 08:58:51 AM
CSM = Certificate in Sawmill Management = 1 year successful experience
ASM = Associate's degree in Sawmill Management = 2 years
BSM = Bachelor's degree in Sawmill Management = 4 years
MSM = Master's degree in Sawmill Management = 6 years
DSM = Doctorate in Sawmill Management = 10 years
GSM = Guru in Sawmill Management = 25 years

:P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P
Good acronym list Okra, I was thinking Chain Saw Mill and Band Saw Mill but yours work just as well :)
Turbosawmill M6 (now M8) Warrior Ultra liteweight, Granberg Alaskan III, lots of saws-gas powered and human powered :D

Okrafarmer

With my lowly ASM, I stand amazed at the several GSM's who post on here.

There is one more rank possible.

The LSM.

The Legend of Sawmill Management. You must have sawyed for at least 50 years to do that. Then, they say, you are a Legend in your own time. Many are called, but few are chosen.  :-*
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1

Operating a 2020 Woodmizer LT35 hydraulic for Upcountry Sawmill, Dacusville, SC

Now selling Logrite tools!

Writing fiction and nonfiction! Check my website.

lowpolyjoe

Heh.   I'm not sure I'll be able to earn any of those titles but milling seems more interesting the more I read about it.

I see all these big logs laying on the side of the road since the storm and I wish I had a pickup or trailer so I could snag a few to play around with.   

One more question about my predicament....   There were 5 or 6 small trees that got badly bent over when this big guy toppled.   I already cut down a few that were cracked but I'm wondering if there's any way to save the rest.   I don't have a winch.  I used a ratcheting contraption to stand up some large bushes after they bent under a storm last year but I think it's too small to use on these trees. 

Should I cut them all down?   Should I let them grow sideways?   Any advice?  Seems Half my 'forrest' has been taken out  :-\



Thanks
Joe

Okrafarmer

If you're real adventurous, you could use a vehicle of some kind, with a long rope, to pull the smaller trees straight, and then tie them off to the base of other trees. However, this may have mixed results. Generally, any tree over +/- 8 inches, in my opinion, is very hard to straighten up. This will vary by species, for some species, it may be a smaller number.
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1

Operating a 2020 Woodmizer LT35 hydraulic for Upcountry Sawmill, Dacusville, SC

Now selling Logrite tools!

Writing fiction and nonfiction! Check my website.

Ianab

If they are badly bent like one I can see in that picture I'd take them out.

Chances are the area needs thinning anyway, the ones to be removed have just been pre-chosen for you. This leaves space for the remaining trees to grow bigger in the future.

It's good to have nice close spacing with young trees as it encourages them to grow taller, and shed those lower branches. Creates better quality logs in the future. But once they have closed in the canopy they are competing with each other for light. Remove the lesser quality trees (or broken ones) and it should improve the growth of the best ones.

Just watch for tension cutting stuff like that. They can be tensioned like a spring, and whack you in head when you cut them.

Ian
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

grweldon

Ianab beat me too it!  I was going to say that judging by the picture, that area needs to be thinned anyway!
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