Sectioning logs

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Woody912

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Cut a big walnut for my brother Saturday, kind of wasp wasted but minimum circumference was 82" at 16', left the log at 19' just below a fork. Cut off an encapsulated88429746_10216153347570040_9028669302332456960_o.jpg knot at 4' to make certain it was not hollow in the butt. Basically I think I have about 12' of veneer wood in the middle and not enough "other" on the ends to make a salable log. Question is, what do you do with these in the woods to get max value out of them? Think we are going to try to haul this one whole assuming we can load it. Calculate wt of about 6,500#
 
Cut a big walnut for my brother Saturday, kind of wasp wasted but minimum circumference was 82" at 16', left the log at 19' just below a fork. Cut off an encapsulatedView attachment 802917 knot at 4' to make certain it was not hollow in the butt. Basically I think I have about 12' of veneer wood in the middle and not enough "other" on the ends to make a salable log. Question is, what do you do with these in the woods to get max value out of them? Think we are going to try to haul this one whole assuming we can load it. Calculate wt of about 6,500#

And on the groundtree-log.jpg
 
1st thing people in the woods do in measure diameter, not circumference. Ax men isn’t real. The next thing you need to do is find a mill that will buy a dooryard tree. Then, if you find one, get their spec sheet and figure out where the money is.

Took 2" off the outside bark and then calculated diameter at about 25.6, nearly 500 bf in the log if treated only as a saw log. " Don't have a scale stick so I just translate circumference after I wrap the tape. Already have buyer for veneer part of the log @ $4-10 per bf delivered once he actually lays his eyeballs on it evaluate. Tree has been in the family for 60 years and don't know what a nail is.
 
If you’ve got a buyer why are you posting? Maybe because you don’t know veneer doesn’t get bought in 12 ft lengths? Or maybe you don’t know what constitutes a veneer log? Your telling me that tree is only 60 years old? And your buyer knows it’s a dooryard tree? I’m advising not to sign anything assuming responsibility for equipment damage from foreign material in the log.
 
the right thing to do is contact your buyer, and ask him directly what hes looking for, regarding knots, rot sap wood, cracks, and other defects, then ask him his preferred lengths.

every mill, in every area, has it's own standards, for me to tell you what they want would be very presumptuous, and irresponsible.

but understand every walnut tree in the word is not going to be valuable, those that are are, those that are not, are fire wood
 
furthermore

if is calculated by measuring the smallest diameter of the log, circumference/pi may not be the same.

do yourself a favor, measure the smallest diameter, and the overall length, then consult the scale your buyer is using then multiply that by $4 and make an educated guess as to whether or not it's worth the effort to haul
 
or say 25" x 12'= 168bf doyle

or $672 @$4 per bf assuming they don't deduct half that value for defect

where do you get 168? I get 21 x21 x 12/16 = 330 bf. There are no defects in the middle of that log, told my brother it is a $1,000 log at minimum. Hopefully it will dry out enough this week we can haul it and find out for certain. Actually took an upper limb out of it that is big enough and straight enough to sell also. Poor walnut is still worth more than anything else
 
If you’ve got a buyer why are you posting? Maybe because you don’t know veneer doesn’t get bought in 12 ft lengths? Or maybe you don’t know what constitutes a veneer log? Your telling me that tree is only 60 years old? And your buyer knows it’s a dooryard tree? I’m advising not to sign anything assuming responsibility for equipment damage from foreign material in the log.

just a rhetorical question in case one has to section one in the woods. We will haul this on at full length, take a saw if buyer wants us to section it. Good people, I always seek their input on things I take them. Once told me our stuff was great compared to some of the stuff he had brought in. Tree is about 80 but it was in the woods before this house was built. More woods trees with tree stands in them these days than yard trees with metal.
 
furthermore

if is calculated by measuring the smallest diameter of the log, circumference/pi may not be the same.

do yourself a favor, measure the smallest diameter, and the overall length, then consult the scale your buyer is using then multiply that by $4 and make an educated guess as to whether or not it's worth the effort to haul

Doyle scale is apparently the only one used around here. I hate it but it does make pretty easy to scale in the woods. Log has some swell right underneath the fork where I cut it, hardwood is a little different than the softwoods ya'll cut out west.
 
the right thing to do is contact your buyer, and ask him directly what hes looking for, regarding knots, rot sap wood, cracks, and other defects, then ask him his preferred lengths.

every mill, in every area, has it's own standards, for me to tell you what they want would be very presumptuous, and irresponsible.

but understand every walnut tree in the word is not going to be valuable, those that are are, those that are not, are fire wood

Local sawmill will not cut this log, they are just the middleman. Walnut sawdust is toxic, cannot be used in bedding because it will eat the feet off of hooved animals etc. Told me they cannot justify the time to isolate the sawdust. In an ideal world we would sell to a dedicated walnut mill but only a few logs to sell we can't get there from here. I think this log will get exported.
 
where do you get 168? I get 21 x21 x 12/16 = 330 bf. There are no defects in the middle of that log, told my brother it is a $1,000 log at minimum. Hopefully it will dry out enough this week we can haul it and find out for certain. Actually took an upper limb out of it that is big enough and straight enough to sell also. Poor walnut is still worth more than anything else
you need to look up Doyle scale, its not as simple as dxdxl, board feet isn't cubic feet, and log scale figures for wastage of 1/4" for every board possible.

I suggest you apologize to your brother now... rather then after you get a lousy check.

poor timber is still poor timber and not worth hauling, granted walnut can have value, but if you buck it wrong, or its not enough to make boards out of its still just firewood
 
I say these things, cause mills are crooked as it gets, they can smell a homeowner/gyppo logger before they smell your cologne, they know you only have 1-2 logs to sell them and they don't care if you come back.

So don't expect the red carpet and $10 per BF
 
Doyle scale is apparently the only one used around here. I hate it but it does make pretty easy to scale in the woods. Log has some swell right underneath the fork where I cut it, hardwood is a little different than the softwoods ya'll cut out west.

We don't just cut soft woods here, there are plenty of hardwoods, walnuts included, they just don't make the news cause they are mostly considered weeds.

Maple, Alder, Oak, Holly, Madrone, Black Walnut, Aspen, Beech, Cherry, Birch, Vine Maple all natives

Not to mention Doug Fir is on par with most Maples for hardness, but thats beside the point.

theres also our lesser known "soft" woods like Pacific Yew that is way harder then most oaks, or "The Larch" i.e. Tamarack that isn't really a conifer, nor is it a deciduous tree, so is it considered a hardwood?

we could go into the non natives, like Apple, Pear, various oaks. But I hope you get the point
 
you need to look up Doyle scale, its not as simple as dxdxl, board feet isn't cubic feet, and log scale figures for wastage of 1/4" for every board possible.

I suggest you apologize to your brother now... rather then after you get a lousy check.

poor timber is still poor timber and not worth hauling, granted walnut can have value, but if you buck it wrong, or its not enough to make boards out of its still just firewood

Just opened up log calculator and did the numbers on Doyle, Scribner and Int'l, average of all 3 was 507 bf and Doyle was 495. Took him a log about 60% as big as this one last year and got $600. Another buyer offered "maybe" $600 for both of them delivered. Tree was going regardless of value, starting to show signs of deterioration
 
Question is, what do you do with these in the woods to get max value out of them? Think we are going to try to haul this one whole assuming we can load it. Calculate wt of about 6,500#
Think you answered your own question. Whole logs should be a higher scale and worth more than 'half sawn'. Halfs are worth more than quarter's and quarter more than slabs.
I don't know anything about Walnut or the way it can be dressed in the area you are at at all though.
 
Think you answered your own question. Whole logs should be a higher scale and worth more than 'half sawn'. Halfs are worth more than quarter's and quarter more than slabs.
I don't know anything about Walnut or the way it can be dressed in the area you are at at all though.

Locally the range of salable lengths is 8+ to 12+ feet @ 2' increments because that is how hardwood lumber is graded, the way I understand it.Plus being 4" for retrim of checking etc, minimum diameter is 10" inside bark. Normally your butt long is best and biggest so you would try to max that length. This log is best in the middle but the butt and other end probably contain some beautiful burl in them that is probably only attractive to specialty buyers. Gunstocks, cabinet makers etc maybe. I work on rough terrain with minimal equipment so it sometimes becomes a matter of "how big can I get out of the woods?"
 

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