Harvesting Urban Timber

[TaoTreeClimber]

I just got the book Harvesting Urban Timber by Sam Sherrill. Great book!!! Does anyone know of anyother literature on this subject that I can get my hands on. Also if anyone has any tips on loading 8 footers feel free to share your advise with me. We are starting a program of salvaging the hardwood that we remove and try to take it to a nearby mill. We are looking into getting an Alaska mill, but would like some more info on that before we make the purchase.

Kenn

 

[woodshop]

I just got the book Harvesting Urban Timber by Sam Sherrill. Great book!!! Does anyone know of anyother literature on this subject that I can get my hands on. Also if anyone has any tips on loading 8 footers feel free to share your advise with me. We are starting a program of salvaging the hardwood that we remove and try to take it to a nearby mill. We are looking into getting an Alaska mill, but would like some more info on that before we make the purchase.

Kenn

...loading 8 footers onto what?... pickup bed? trailer? ...and of course, this is one of those places where size does matter.

Little more info please

 

[TaoTreeClimber]

Yeah, I know. I took down a huge elm today and texted my girlfriend about it and she wanted to know what mens fascination with size was. Any who, We have a 18 ft dump trailer but the only way I can think to load any good size logs would be to use the lower boom of the bucket truck. We also have a guy in town that has a clam loader and will charge us $120.00 to load onto our trailer. The we have to haul the logs to the mill that is about 45 min away. Im trying to figure out if it will be worth it for us to try to get these to the mill. To bad that elm I took down today was in a back yard and the logs got turned into firewood.

I was thinking about getting an Alaskan mill and just milling some big cants in our yard. I have a buyer for them, but I dont know if it would be cost effective. We have taken down two big black walnuts this year and it seems a shame that this wood is getting burned. I also have several silver maple removals that are on hold pending whether or not it worth it to mill the lumber. If not. Into the fire wood pile they go.

Kenn
:monkey:

 

[woodshop]

I just talked to a tree removal company yesterday. He brings all his huge logs that won't fit the chipper back to the yard and piles them till no room, then brings in huge drum and grinds them into mulch. He told me he used to send them to a mill, but by the time he handled the logs, then paid the triaxle gas and driver, he made MAYBE a hundred bucks on the whole load every time he tried it. So... beautiful cherry, oak etc gets turned into mulch that at least he can sell and make a few bucks on. I did talk him into hauling a nice cherry log and 3 huge strait osage orange logs about 10 miles to a friends house where I can mill them.. for only a hundred bucks.

As for your loading problem... if you have a bucket truck, I would think you can finagle them into that trailer bed if they are SMALL logs only. You can always do the... jack one end up off the ground and back the trailer under that end, then shove the thing up onto the bed from the other end. I have gotten some pretty huge 7ft logs into the back of my van that way. It's time consuming though, rinky dink and and not very efficient. Rough slab them into huge cants with a csm first to lighten them, and then shove them up onto that bed.

 

[dustytools]

If your trailer is a dump you could back up to the log,raise the trailer and either winch or come-a-long it up onto the trailer. Depending on size of the log of course.

 

[clearance]

Yeah, I know. I took down a huge elm today and texted my girlfriend about it and she wanted to know what mens fascination with size was. Any who, We have a 18 ft dump trailer but the only way I can think to load any good size logs would be to use the lower boom of the bucket truck. We also have a guy in town that has a clam loader and will charge us $120.00 to load onto our trailer. The we have to haul the logs to the mill that is about 45 min away. Im trying to figure out if it will be worth it for us to try to get these to the mill. To bad that elm I took down today was in a back yard and the logs got turned into firewood.

I was thinking about getting an Alaskan mill and just milling some big cants in our yard. I have a buyer for them, but I dont know if it would be cost effective. We have taken down two big black walnuts this year and it seems a shame that this wood is getting burned. I also have several silver maple removals that are on hold pending whether or not it worth it to mill the lumber. If not. Into the fire wood pile they go.

Kenn
:monkey:

Using the lower boom, hmmm, check out whether thats allowed for your machine. You could make an attachment device in your trailer to hang a block up on top at the back (towards the hitch), with a winch by the hitch to pull the log up. If you have the box up a little this will help. If you don't have a winch you can still hang the block and pull the log in with another vehicle. Or you could back the trailer right up to the log, raise the box a bit and suck the log in with Tirfor or big come-a-long. More than one way to skin a cat.

 

[clearance]

If your trailer is a dump you could back up to the log,raise the trailer and either winch or come-a-long it up onto the trailer. Depending on size of the log of course.

Great minds think alike, Dusty posts faster.

 

[dustytools]

I just talked to a tree removal company yesterday. He brings all his huge logs that won't fit the chipper back to the yard and piles them till no room, then brings in huge drum and grinds them into mulch. He told me he used to send them to a mill, but by the time he handled the logs, then paid the triaxle gas and driver, he made MAYBE a hundred bucks on the whole load every time he tried it. So... beautiful cherry, oak etc gets turned into mulch that at least he can sell and make a few bucks on. I did talk him into hauling a nice cherry log and 3 huge strait osage orange logs about 10 miles to a friends house where I can mill them.. for only a hundred bucks.

As for your loading problem... if you have a bucket truck, I would think you can finagle them into that trailer bed if they are SMALL logs only. You can always do the... jack one end up off the ground and back the trailer under that end, then shove the thing up onto the bed from the other end. I have gotten some pretty huge 7ft logs into the back of my van that way. It's time consuming though, rinky dink and and not very efficient. Rough slab them into huge cants with a csm first to lighten them, and then shove them up onto that bed.

As an experienced woodworker and sawyer Im sure that you are expecting some tough milling ahead when you tackle that osage orange (aka hedge apple). That stuff is hell on chains and blades. However it is a really nice looking wood IMO.

 

[Adkpk]

I just talked to a tree removal company yesterday. He brings all his huge logs that won't fit the chipper back to the yard and piles them till no room, then brings in huge drum and grinds them into mulch. He told me he used to send them to a mill, but by the time he handled the logs, then paid the triaxle gas and driver, he made MAYBE a hundred bucks on the whole load every time he tried it. So... beautiful cherry, oak etc gets turned into mulch that at least he can sell and make a few bucks on. I did talk him into hauling a nice cherry log and 3 huge strait osage orange logs about 10 miles to a friends house where I can mill them.. for only a hundred bucks.

As for your loading problem... if you have a bucket truck, I would think you can finagle them into that trailer bed if they are SMALL logs only. You can always do the... jack one end up off the ground and back the trailer under that end, then shove the thing up onto the bed from the other end. I have gotten some pretty huge 7ft logs into the back of my van that way. It's time consuming though, rinky dink and and not very efficient. Rough slab them into huge cants with a csm first to lighten them, and then shove them up onto that bed.

Yes, we will be looking forward to hearing about this. opcorn:

 

[TaoTreeClimber]

Thanks for the advise. The groundies arnt to keen on manhandling any big logs. And the mill wants 8ft minimum. Im thinkin a chainsaw winch may be a good idea hooked up to the 088, and then the block attachment like clearace said. The oppertunity to drop logs at the curb comes along every once in a while but most of the time it seems like everything is in the back yard. I looked at a job a few weeks ago that consisted of removing about 8 big elms along the street that we could have hired our clamloader guy to load for us, but the tree hugger in me talked her into pruning and reducing the hazard for the neighbors. Eventually we will have another job like that one and I will bring in a loader. I will let ya know how that goes.

One other thing, is there even a market for big siberian elm? It seems that 75% of the removals that I do are elms. I wish there was something I could do with all the big cottonwoods that I take down.

Kenn

 

[woodshop]

As an experienced woodworker and sawyer Im sure that you are expecting some tough milling ahead when you tackle that osage orange (aka hedge apple). That stuff is hell on chains and blades. However it is a really nice looking wood IMO.

yup... osage is tough on chains and saws. I've milled some smaller osage logs and also have worked it in the shop. Nice thing about osage is that it's heavy and rock hard but does machine easily and cleanly. And you can polish the stuff down to 1200 grit, smooth and hard as glass. I like to put a wax finish on it. Can't wait to get my hands on couple hundred foot of it. I think it would make a great nutcracker.

Toatreeclimber... elm makes beautiful furniture, but you have to find somebody that uses it. Look into custom furniture builders in the area. It's a beautiful wood, nice grain patterns when flatsawn. As for your cottonwood... gosh that's not even good for burning. I sliced some cottonwood into stickers for drying lumber, it was good for that at least.

 

[sawyerDave]

loading logs

What I do to get logs home is to use a 2 axle car trailer, get it as close to the logs as possible, and use a (too) small Asv Rc30 rubbertrack loader to roll the small end onto the back end of the trailer, then push the log straight onto the trailer. The trailer has a metal floor, so you can slide the log real easy, especially if you hit the floor with a little spray lube first. I probably could use a come-a-long to do this, if I didn't have the loader, but it sure makes life easier, having it along. Last week I got a 33 inch red oak, at the butt, 1st log 8 foot, 2nd log 16+ foot, both on the trailer, had to leave the loader, get another truck and trailer to haul the loader back, but I got the equipment, might as well use it!

 

[cantcutter]

I like the winch idea....you can get a 12 volt winch for a couple hundred bucks and wire it into the power supply for the dump body pump. A 2 or 4000 lb winch would be plenty of power to slide a log up an incline.