How long is too long?

[taylorsmissbeehaven]

I have been asked to look at some logs that a client of mine is considering buying. There is about 5k bdft of pine that has been stacked for AT LEAST 6 months. The ends are very dark and there is evidence of beetle activity all along the logs on top. I told him that I was skeptical but he was very disappointed and wanted a second opinion. So, could anyone with experience with pine  laying on the ground in the Southern summer share some advise. Thanks in advance, Brian

[WDH]

They could likely have pencil sized holes from the longhorn beetle grubs.  I am just as skeptical as you are. 

[Magicman]

As WDH indicated, you would have to slab 3" to get below the worm holes.  I would figure ~30-40% loss/waste.

[Chuck White]

Pine (any pine) doesn't have to lay out in the heat very long for the beetles to find it!

If you have to cut Pine, knowing there will be a delay in getting it sawn, if you peel the bark off of it, the beetles usually won't bother it!

Also, it will hold up better if you get the logs up off the ground!

[taylorsmissbeehaven]

Thank you very much for the advice/info fellas! Long horn beetle grub, I could not remember which beetle it was. I hate to disappoint, but don't want to see a good client make a mistake. Thanks, Brian

[warren46]

I think the answer is "it depends."  Mostly it depends on how the lumber is going to be used.  Once the lumber is stickered the grubs will likely cease to cause further damage in short order as the lumber dries.  If the final use can deal with a few defects, then go ahead and saw as soon as you can.

[Peter Drouin]

I have some W Pine that was cut in Feb, And just now the bugs are starting to get in them . Gotta love winter cut logs. :D :D

[WDH]

Pine Man,

Our beetles are a bit more lively than yours.  Your beetles come to Georgia to vacation on our pine  :D.

[tmbrcruiser]

Something else you may want to think about, the lumber will have blue stain. Good luck.

[Cedarman]

Take a chainsaw, slab off a 3" deep, by 3' long and see what you have.  Proof is in the pudding. "er, pine slab".

[slider]

No way I would pay for pine that's been down that long.MM is close on the loss due to decay I was thinking the same thing .

[drobertson]

  It really does depend on what the lumber will be used for.. and what is the price,, I would be shocked if there were no beetles/grubs, and some blue stain, but for the most part it should be plenty solid. I'm sawing about the same currently with great lumber coming off the logs, so really the price would be factor in my view.

[drobertson]

Finishing up a jag for a barn repair, had these two left this morning, and thought this would fit the bill to part of the question.
these logs were fell in Feb. and as the picture shows, there are bugs, but the wood is solid with slight bluing.


 
I chased this guy around while peeling the bark off, and found the travel routes as well,


 


  

 
And as MM mentioned, the depth is very close to 3" to get beneath the holes, but , the wood is very suitable for barn/shed construction.

[WDH]

David,

That is just what I would expect to see.  Nice pics. 

[Chuck White]

When you have that many grubs in your logs, you can turn off you lube valve!  ;D

[deadfall]

It's like I tell tell the inspector, "can't fall down... nothin' holdin' it up."

[bkaimwood]

Almost looks like those pics were taken at my place...if only the damage was an inch or 2 deeper, and the blue was heavier, it would be what I'm sawing now... I don't waste anytime gettin' her down to saw boards, cuz enen so, there are nice ones inside once you do...I just drop down hard, knock off 4 sides, no glitches to edge, and let her rip...fall off is so big it goes off right with the loader... Dice a log up quick, salvage what I can, and still end up with stacks of nice lumber...just sawed up 16 logs Tuesday by myself using this method. Just wanted to get rid of the spoiled logs and salvage what I could before it was truly too late...move onto something better without total loss...I'd saw those up for your client, just let him know about the losses to expect, bill hourly, and saw using this method. That way your not wasting your time and his money...you can still make your client happy letting him know he can still get a pile of useful lumber rather than nothing at all...

[Banjo picker]

You can actually hear those larvae in the wood eating it.  Banjo

[4x4American]

I just sawed some pine that was cut in december 2014 that I had laying around, stacked up off the ground.  There was some holes in the bark, but nothing that worried me.  The lumber came out nice.

[Kbeitz]

This pine was down for 6 years almost touching the ground.
The branches gave it some air space.
The tree died a few years before that.
Very little bad wood....




 



 

[taylorsmissbeehaven]

I declined the job. There is a bit more to the story. The logs had to be moved from the property they were on to a location to cut them. My property is 10 minutes from the log location and the client is an hour away. So, it would be buying the logs, paying me to move the logs, and then paying to saw the logs. I felt that my client would not come out well here. I would also be left to deal with these large slabs. I have  just upgraded to an LT 35HD so that I would not have to move large piles of logs around anymore. My equipment is small and slow and I decided a larger mill that was portable was the best choice to upgrade too. (my back loves it as well)Thank you all for your input, I greatly appreciate it, Brian

[petefrom bearswamp]

I have sawed pine and some Norway spruce with grub damage.
Sold it to customers who were siding sheds etc with no adverse feedback from the cust.
I did tell them at the onset that there were some holes in the boards.

[Magicman]

Sometimes "No" is the correct answer, both for you and the customer.  Good communication is essential to build a lasting provider/client relationship. 

[taylorsmissbeehaven]

You are exactly right Magic. I did not want my customer to be blinded by excitement and then disappointed with the end result. He has me cut lumber for him and he resells it. I did not see the $ working out for him on this one. We have dealt with one another for long enough now that I know how he is and he trusts me.I would like to make some $ with the new mill but I don't want that to get in the way of a quality product ;) Brian