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Cypress on the ground

Started by bluffman2, January 04, 2015, 02:40:36 PM

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bluffman2

How long after you fall cypress trees do you have until you get them to a mill to get them kiln dried, cut,planed etc.  Talking whole logs that are on the ground.  Cut a few days ago

Thanks!

ellmoe

  Several months is OK, two or three is better.
Thirty plus years in the sawmill/millwork business. A sore back and arthritic fingers to prove it!

bluffman2

I just re-read my OP.  I'm on my phone and post should have been some cut a few months and some a few days ago.  1st were cut 10/22/14 and the others were cut last Thursday   

Ianab

How much degrade can you put up with?

Generally the sooner you saw them the better, but durable softwood like cypress should be OK for months. Eventually the sapwood will start to stain and go rotten, and things gradually go downhill from there.

Cypress is easy to air dry. If you get it sawn, stacked and stickered for air drying it will be safe, especially if you have it under some sort of open cover. Think carport of open shed. You can then take it to a kiln in ~6 months to finish the drying if you need to.
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

bluffman2

Ianab

These are whole logs that are going to a mill.  They will do everything from here on out.  I just laid them to the ground and piled the logs up. 

Magicman

I have sawn Cypress that had been felled a year or more without any degrade.

Cypress is a high moisture species.  Here, it is always air dried at least 6 months after sawing before kiln drying.  Depending upon the use, if you wait a year, you can skip the kiln.
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

bluffman2

Magic as u know from our phone calls, it will be going in the new house. Can a Mill cut them and go straight to kiln and skip the air drying?  I don't have the amount of time u are saying to air dry

Magicman

Nope, too much moisture.  I had a customer in Durant that hauled a load to Jackson to a kiln.  They refused it until it had air dried for at least 6 months.   It was brought back to the sawing site and stickered.


 
Here it is loaded on the trailers.


 
Now it is being unloaded and stickered. 
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

bluffman2

So I'm assuming trading out trees for finished product is my only solution

Magicman

Here is a LINK to the thread where I sawed the above Cypress.  I sawed 12,103 bf in five days.  Notice that the lumber was loaded onto trailers for the trip to Jackson, but the trailer came back and the lumber was then stickered at the saw site.
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

Magicman

Quote from: bluffman2 on January 04, 2015, 04:44:40 PMSo I'm assuming trading out trees for finished product is my only solution
That is certainly an option.  I got a call last week from someone wanting Cypress lumber, but I do not buy logs or sell lumber.  He might be an option.
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

Ianab

I think the issue would be because of the high moisture content of the wood it would take too long in the kiln from green. If they increase the drying rate too much you get excessive degrade, surface checking and internal collapse etc

The kiln could be run on a slower drying cycle, but if it takes 4X as long it's just not economically viable. Hence the 6 months to air dry, get the moisture down under 20%, then it's only a few days in the kiln to finish it off.

Cypress air dries well, but not so good if you are in a hurry.  :(
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

Magicman

@bluffman2, I just looked at the caller ID, area code 228.  Was that you calling?  Anyway, we were disconnected and did not finish the call and I forgot to call back when I got a better signal.  Whoever it was was looking for Cypress lumber.
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

bluffman2

Now I'm lost.  Got all these trees on the ground and I NEED boards that have been dried, cut , planed etc. ( not in exact order) to put is the house to please the MRS.   I'm stumped. No pun intended

bluffman2

MM no that was not me calling.

Magicman

Then hopefully this could work out.
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

bluffman2

It was a auto answering machine that answered.  Wasn't a personal voice mail box

bluffman2

Ok now I'm in a jam.  The guy that was going to take the logs and go from start to finish with them just said he took on a few jobs  that will not allow him to get to mine.  Any suggestions on where to look for someone to take 25 cypress trees and trade me for finished boards or to take my trees and do the whole process?   My ole lady is going to kick my a$$

Magicman

I do not see that it is your bad when someone else defaults on an agreement.  Something will work out, you just do not know what/how yet.

Maybe that # will return your call because he was wanting Cypress for siding,

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

bluffman2

MM on his behalf, he told me this may happen.  So I can't lay blame on him

ellmoe

  I regularly kiln dried 1" cypress that has been air-dried only a couple weeks. It will usually take 2 weeks to dry to 10-12%. which, in Florida, is what I'm shooting for. On 2" stock I shoot for 6 mos. A/D, but have dried as little as two months before putting in kiln.
Thirty plus years in the sawmill/millwork business. A sore back and arthritic fingers to prove it!

pineywoods

Local guys saw a lot of cypress. We have found the quickest way to dry cypress is right off the saw into a solar kiln. Not as fast as drying hardwood in a conventional kiln, but faster than air dry, then kiln...
1995 Wood Mizer LT 40, Liquid cooled kawasaki,homebuilt hydraulics. Homebuilt solar dry kiln.  Woodmaster 718 planner, Kubota M4700 with homemade forks and winch, stihl  028, 029, Ms390
100k bd ft club.Charter member of The Grumpy old Men

bluffman2

I need a facility to take logs and prepare them to go in a house.  I can't dry them etc

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