Log boom milling

[redbeard]

Had a union pile driver buddy haul over some of his stash of Reclaimed logs he been collecting over the years. They were cleaned and metal detected but you know how that goes. Hit some rust pockets but didn't seem to bother the blade much. But I did pull a small rock throw one of the opening cuts. Didn't lose the blade but had too stop and retrieve my blade with chainsaw. We quarter sawed a majority of it lots of VG boards. Jury is still out on it being Doug fir hard to tell with all the mineral stains and the boards have a unique smell, can't explain that yet. Going to see what they look like tomarrow. They are old growth.

  

  

  

  

  

[redbeard]

 

  

  

  pretty sure it's Doug fir but the mineral stain in the SAP wood sure is odd. Really dark.  These logs have been out of salt water for and staged on a dock for over 10 years and there not chemical treated there was no sign of that. And no rot or decay even on the ends.

[rjwoelk]

very interesting coloring would make an interesting table or coffee table side table.

[Magicman]

The value of that lumber should be it's uniqueness and source. 

[petefrom bearswamp]

The surest way to find metal is to put a saw blade into the log.
Some nice lookin stuff!

[DMcCoy]

Port Orford cedar perhaps?  It has some very unique qualities to it, strength and rot resistance being some.

[nas]

Looks an awful lot like cedar to me.  I cut a lot of old red cedar utility poles and they look similar.  I also resaw a lot of reclaimed and new doug fir and your wood doesn't look like any fir I've seen.

Nick

[azmtnman]

That's cool!
  I used to cruise through your neighborhood on my way to Nanaimo from Keyport, WA and back.

[Quebecnewf]

It's DFir for sure. If it's cedar you will tell by the smell even over the creosote .
If they have creosote on them and they look like they do do not use them inside. At least not in beams in a basement that you plan to finish or as beams in a house that you plan to live in. The smell of creosote never goes away.

I know a guy who used one of these as the main centre beam in his home. He tried everything to get rid of the smell but finally had to jack the house and remove and replace the main centre beam.

The older creosote logs have real nasty stuff on them very poisonous so gloves and breathing protection . Wash up real well after and throw away your clothes. I ruined a new pair of overhauls and a few other items that went in the washer machine with them.

Take care
Quebecnewf

[redbeard]

Iam going to rule Doug fir out, the outer area SAP wood is too dark even if they were power poles with treatment the SAP wood is always lighter. Iam L meaning toward port orford cedar. Maybe you Oregon guys can tell by the bark picture. And the small 2' slab is port orford cedar.

  

  

  

 

[Ianab]

The smell is the give away for Port Orford Cedar. It has a very intense "Ginger" smell to it, very different from any other wood I've ever sawn anyway.

It's also commonly used for posts / poles etc because it's very durable.

The trees that grow locally are much faster growing because of out climate, so you get much wider growth rings that makes the wood look a bit different, but that small crotch piece looks exactly like Port Orford.

[redbeard]

Yes the small crotch slab is port orford and the fragrance was there when I milled that order up a few weeks ago.
Iam a bit puzzled on these boom and piling logs because the smell is gone from being in the mud and saltwater. I was able to get small section of bark off of one of them. This grain is extremely tight and very straight. The QS boards are top knotch. Other than the dark grey stain that was where they were pile driven into mud.

[DMcCoy]

The last picture with the board would have me saying Port Orford, they used it often in out door bleacher seats.  But Port Orford is a Chamaecyparis (lawsoniana) and the bark looks closer to Western Red Cedar. --
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamaecyparis_lawsoniana

That bark picture screams Abies sp. to me or true fir, not Doug Fir or Port Orford.  Maybe white fir or noble maybe?  I don't know your local fir species but that would be my best guess.

[Dave Shepard]

Could it be larch? That would be a strong rot resistant species that looks like Doug fir.