iDRY Vacuum Kilns

Sponsors:

Slabbing Large Trees in WNY

Started by SVFBrett, June 02, 2017, 01:57:07 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

SVFBrett

So I have access to a 48"d x 14.5' L Soft maple tree recently cut by a homeowner to save a power line in WNY.  I am having trouble finding anyone with the capability to cut it into whole slabs on site.  I have convinced the wife to consider allowing me to purchase a 56" Alaskan Mill Mk4 C2 and a H-3120 to run it.  Hoping to get a workbench top, farmhouse table, porch table, kitchen island top, out of it.  Any guesstimates on what it would cost me to buy a 10'l x 4'w x 6"h slab of wet or kiln dried soft maple in this region if I had to source it on my own because we didn't take the obvious choice and buy the gear?  Is there a reason there are no Granberg mills operating in this area and I just don't know?  Any info would be appreciated!



Brett


Bruno of NH

Welcome to the FF  :)
I don't think that soft maple will stay flat.
Jmo others with more experience with hard wood slabs might chime in :) :)
Lt 40 wide with 38hp gas and command controls , F350 4x4 dump and lot of contracting tools

ChugiakTinkerer

I'm not trying to dissuade you from something that looks like a lot of fun, but have you taken into account how long it will take the slabs to dry?  If your need is on the order of months rather than years, you might be better off buying slabs.

And welcome!

P.S. the resale value of Granberg mills seems up and down, but the big investment will be the saw.  That should hold value pretty well if you end up selling it.
Woodland Mills HM130

nativewolf

Nice slabs run from hundreds to under a thousand depending upon the quality species, etc.  The big question is are they dry?  Many are sold green and you have to dry them anyway.  Lots of slabs for sale, craigslist is a good source.
Liking Walnut

SVFBrett

Thanks for the info guys.  Yeah the log is green and wet but it was a healthy tree but those that size don't come along often in this region so I understand this opportunity might not come along again.  I know I'd have to air dry before use.  There are kilns in the area but I don't really have a pressing need except for a work bench top.  I should be able to get into the rig for under $3k. Slab the wood, complete the workbench top, and sticker the rest to dry in a barn while I figure out how to source or build a diy kiln or just sell the wet slab into Buffalo to try and recoup cost.  Should be an adventure at the least :-)

Ox

For a soft maple that's a solid looking tree.  My experience with smaller soft maple is it's full of tension and will move around a lot.  I've never had any sort of beam or post come out straight like with pine.  My little advise would be to maybe slab thicker and wider than what you need, let her dry, then mill again to flatten and true it up.  I've never milled one that large, my biggest was about 24" and it moved as much as a 12" tree did.  Maybe when they're huge like yours the tension ain't as bad. 

The dark/light grain patterns is nice to my eye and I like seeing it.  Others hate it.  Eye of the beholder type stuff.  Good luck with it - she's a beaut.
K.I.S.S. - Keep It Simple Stupid
Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without
1989 GMC 3500 4x4 diesel dump and plow truck, 1964 Oliver 1600 Industrial with Parsons loader and backhoe, 1986 Zetor 5211, Cat's Claw sharpener, single tooth setter, homemade Linn Lumber 1900 style mill, old tools

SVFBrett

I'm going to call a giant kiln in Ellicotville on Monday to see if they know anyone who can slabmill it to about 6" slabs and transport it to the kiln and dry it.  If I can make that happen for less than $1500 I'd love to pay someone to do it.  If that's not feasible then wife has green lighted me to acquire the Granberg 56" C2 mill and the H-3120 to power it. I'm easy either way. :-)

PC-Urban-Sawyer

If it was easy, everybody would be doing it...

Good Luck!

Be Careful!

Herb

Magicman

I question whether you will find a Kiln Operator that would put a fresh sawn 6" slab in his kiln.  I also question whether that is what you would want.   :P
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

scsmith42

Brett, each species of lumber has a maximum safe daily drying rate. For every inch that the thickness is increased, the rate is reduced by approximately 60%.

Kilns are operated on schedules which guide the operator in adjusting the temperature and humidity conditions inside the kiln as the lumber dries.

A 6" thick maple slab is not practical to kiln dry from green. For starters, theoretically it would require about a year or more in a kiln, and if it were included with a batch of faster drying lumber the more aggressive kiln schedule would severely damage the slab.

Realistically, you would need to air dry a 6" maple slab for about 4 years and then you could put it into a kiln for a month or so to finish it off and sterilize it.
Peterson 10" WPF with 65' of track
Smith - Gallagher dedicated slabber
Tom's 3638D Baker band mill
and a mix of log handling heavy equipment.

1ruralmailman

not to put another damper on this project,but how would you move a six inch slab?do you have forks on a skidster,or tractor?that thing would weigh a ton,or at least more than most men could physically move.i have done some 3 inch x 24x 9ft oak and maple,its all two guts need to do to lift one end up into a truck to slide them in.please dont get me wrong it is a great project,but slab it to around 3/4 inch over what you want sticker it out of the sun for a year ,then if you want to kiln it,you can.it can then be trued up with a router sled and bam its god to go.good luck,and keep us posted.

Sawmill Man

 A slab that size will weigh around 1300 lbs or so. But you saw the customer what the customer wants lol
"I could have sworn I went over that one with the metal detector".

SVFBrett

I've got a 45HP tractor with forks that can move the slabs and a truck/trailer to xport them.  Place is 1/2 mile from my house (an old amish dairy farm I'm converting to modern, I'll start air drying the slabs in the hay loft of the barn).  The log is literally located 1/4 mile from an amish sawmill, just not one that can handle logs that big.  The mill owner has a few 44" and 46" logs in his yard that he can't saw.  I might try and trade him sawing up his big boys if he mills the 20-36" logs from the top of the tree I'm working with.

Thanks again for the heads up on the kiln operator not being a likely viable avenue.  Will still call them to see if they know someone with the gear to do this so I don't have to buy it just yet.  Do I need to worry about debarking while it's in the round awaiting sawing?  Granberg says 6 weeks to ship their C2 mill and from how long it's taking their chain sharpening guides to get here I believe them.  So in theory I'd have 6 weeks before I begin milling, would you leave bark on or should I attack it with ye olde bark spud?

1ruralmailman

   personally i would leave it on,its helping keep moisture in there right now,i would think you risk having it check on you if its peeled too soon before you cut it.i would also coat the ends with at least a few coats of latex paint,or the end sealer they make,for the same reason.good luck again.

york

Think ya better take a long hard look at your log,to me it does not look worthy ,for your needs.....
Albert

SVFBrett

Why is that York?  I'm anticipating a lot of movement and shrinking as it dries which is why I want to leave it at 6" for tops that will be between 4-5" finished.  Basically I'm hoping to be able to cut something useful out of the warped 6" when I get around to being able to need stock that large and after it's dried in a batten-less barn for 5-10 yrs or as long as it takes to get it kiln ready.  The bench top I'll use wet but from logs not pictured with a straighter grain.  Is that a bad plan?

I should add that the amish saw mill owner referred to it as soft maple sight unseen.  Seemed pretty hard to me.  Old Sugar Maple that stopped producing.  That's another reason I'd rather do it myself than have some guy tear his saw up on the stiles.  Not only do I increase proficiency in chainsaw mill operations and acquire good gear (that is apparently in short supply around here), I'm probably gonna get good at chain repair and maintenance too :-)

Brad_S.

 Where in western New York are you? Since you referred to the Amish, I'm guessing either Livingston or Cattaraugus County's?

I have a Granberg mill that is 48 inches between the posts so it would be a tight fit but you are welcome to borrow it. I used it once on an oak the size of your maple and I will be happy if I never use it on a log that size again! The bar has a helper handle  that can be removed so that you can run two saw heads on it. The chain may be shot due to rust so you would need a new chain and a powerhead. I will offer advice but not assistance!



There was a guy down the road from me who specialized in selling slabs. I am not sure who he used to saw his slabs but I will give him a call tomorrow.
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." J. Lennon

red

Come on Brad there is Gold in them big log slabs. You want to sit in the directors chair and just point ?   
Honor the Fallen Thank the Living

Jemclimber

There are more than a few in wny with big saws and equipment to cut it, but like Brad, not many that want to. I have taken down quite a few silver maples that size, in small backyards over houses, they are not uncommon in wny. I'm north of Buffalo. Most of them are left to rot because they are not worth cutting up. It looks like a yard tree, and more than likely there will be hardware in it.  Wait til you get half way through it and cut into a 1/2" eye bolt that your saw will not cut through. Throw on a new chain and try to meet in the middle from the other end only to hit more hardware before making to the original eye bolt. Muscle through that hardware and get another chain to get to that original eye bolt with lots of new words being made.  Chains that long are not cheap.  I hate to be a Negative Nancy, but there are reasons you are having a hard time finding someone to saw it. If only it was a more valuable wood....

Silver maple falls into soft maple category, and that's what your log appears to be. It's sap makes some delicious syrup with flavor a little different than sugar maple, (aka hard maple, rock maple) I would describe it as buttery or caramel ish,   but the wood is not hard in comparison.

If you decide to cut this up, make sure to take pics so can enjoy your effort. 
lt15

Brad_S.

Quote from: red on June 05, 2017, 05:06:51 AM
You want to sit in the directors chair and just point ?

No, I don't want to even be there to watch!  To set up the guide rails and make that first cut will take a couple of hours...hours that I could spend better elsewhere, preferably with an adult beverage!
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." J. Lennon

york

That log,i would not even want it for firewood-i just processed a trailer load of both hard and soft Maple-it is mean stuff....
Albert

SVFBrett

Ok.  But what I DO have, if we can all keep our mouths shut, is an excuse to buy the H-3120 and 56" mill.  But if I let her (wife and CFO) read what y'all just wrote, that opportunity degrades. I DO learn best by self-inflicted pain.  Gotta be tough if ur gonna be stupid is kinna my MO.  What I don't have is access to logs that big nor do I anticipate ever.... too late.  She read it.  Now I'm stuck with my H-345 and Alaskan Small Log Mill which I suppose is appropriate for my own 40ac. of woods but still not as fun.  Will continue to hoard cash, wait for old timers to expire, then buy their gear.  Thanks for the intel guys. :-) 

scully

If you can get it to Hannibal I know a guy with a head rig and a kiln .
I bleed orange  .

moeh1

I don't know the name, but there is a saw shop in Bolivar NY that really specializes in big saws, in case that helps.

Thank You Sponsors!