AndyR
ArboristSite Operative
I'm having these trees removed from our yard in the next week or so (if it dries out enough) and am looking for some advice. I've not milled anything before. I currently have the ripsaw set up and ready to go and I think I can take care of the cherry tree with that alone. I'm probably going to go ahead and bite the bullet and get a new MS660 and Alaskan mill. I tried buying a used 066 and got a big piece of crap and I'm tired of fooling around with it. Used ones on ebay , that look half decent, are selling for ridiculous amounts of money, some of them are almost the cost of a new one. I also have a new OEM top end and extra bars (32" and 25") that came with 066, So that's why I'm leaning in that direction vs. a Husky 395. I know it looks like I'm spending a lot of money just to have these couple of trees milled, I guess I should mention that I plan to do more milling with it than that. I like to work with wood and have a pretty good shop set up now. This is our first house and most of our furniture is odds and ends and leftovers from our college dormroom days.
I guess my questions are...
1. Should I bother trying to mill any of the branch wood out of the top of the walnut? I'm planning to keep the crotch pieces for turning wood if it doesn't look like I can saw it up into lumber. How small of a piece would you bother with-I know walnut has a lot of sapwood.
2. The cherry has quite a bend at the bottom and I'm assuming there's a bit of tension on that section. Should I cut that off and then cut it into shorts or turning blocks again. What would you do?
3. They will be using a crane to take these out so I think they can let them trunks down easy. Is there anything else about the way these are cut that I should request from the tree service that would help me maximize the yield from these trees.
4.They are also removing two kind of small Ailanthus (sp.) or "Tree of heaven" from another corner of the yard. They are not large-maybe 18-20 inches at the base. Has anyone ever milled any of this wood. I know they are considered an invasive species and are banned in a few states, so I thought I would go ahead and have them removed too. My tree service guy says the wood is brittle. So I'm thinking the might end up as firewood...
I know this is a lot of questions but I've really come to respect you all and your vast cumulative knowledge has been a great resource.
I'm attaching some pics so you'll have a better idea of what I'm talking about.
Thanks for any help..
Andy
I guess my questions are...
1. Should I bother trying to mill any of the branch wood out of the top of the walnut? I'm planning to keep the crotch pieces for turning wood if it doesn't look like I can saw it up into lumber. How small of a piece would you bother with-I know walnut has a lot of sapwood.
2. The cherry has quite a bend at the bottom and I'm assuming there's a bit of tension on that section. Should I cut that off and then cut it into shorts or turning blocks again. What would you do?
3. They will be using a crane to take these out so I think they can let them trunks down easy. Is there anything else about the way these are cut that I should request from the tree service that would help me maximize the yield from these trees.
4.They are also removing two kind of small Ailanthus (sp.) or "Tree of heaven" from another corner of the yard. They are not large-maybe 18-20 inches at the base. Has anyone ever milled any of this wood. I know they are considered an invasive species and are banned in a few states, so I thought I would go ahead and have them removed too. My tree service guy says the wood is brittle. So I'm thinking the might end up as firewood...
I know this is a lot of questions but I've really come to respect you all and your vast cumulative knowledge has been a great resource.
I'm attaching some pics so you'll have a better idea of what I'm talking about.
Thanks for any help..
Andy