Plenty of big pecans for milling SW Houston

[Narwhale]

Went by an old golf course between Richmond and Sugarland (Texas), just southwest of Houston. Aggiewoodbutchr and I picked up a pecan trunk from this same place about 2 months ago.
Anyway, they have 3 BIG backhoes in there knocking down the big old pecans and have applied for a burning permit (which has not been granted yet.) The super there says help yourself, work safe, and stay out of the way of his workers and the equipment.
There must be 200 pecan trees there ranging from 16" to 72" diameter. :jawdrop: Average size is probably 24'" to 32" at breast height.
Anyway, going back there to get more turning wood tomorrow, but if you want some wood to mill and can get there, pm me for directions.
Rich S.

 

[olyman]

da$%$--why do these always have to be so far away---would hate to see any of them go to waste---sheesh---

 

[woodshop]

..lemme see now... mapquest directions to Houston TX from Philadelphia PA...

 

[olyman]

got that right woodshop--but can imagine the fuel bill>>>>>>>>:censored:

 

[Frank Boyer]

Pecan is GREAT cooking wood. It is around $600 a cord on the West Coast. Have them call Lazzari in So San Francisco. They buy large quanties of charcoal/cooking wood.

 

[aggiewoodbutchr]

Well... I stopped by the site yesterday and couldn't believe what I saw. It's almost sick what the developer is doing but I'm going to do my best to take advantage of it.

There really are some monsters there. Here's one.

Sorry for the crappy cell phone pics. Here's one of several fields where they knocked down nearly everything.

It's hard to tell from the pic but most of those are 24"+.

I plan to make a run at them this weekend with some family and friends. Should be fun.

 

[Frank Boyer]

I'll be there in a month or so for the BBQ part of the hlsr Rodeo. Wish I could take a few cords back. The problem is that I only do carry on luggage!

 

[aggiewoodbutchr]

My father, brother, BIL and myself made a haul today. We took 3 trailers and came back with only 6 logs total.....

This one had been split by the excavator but still a good slabber. 42" wide at the narrowest point.

The smallest I loaded (not shown) was 24" dbh just as a load gap filler.

 

[aggiewoodbutchr]

Now for the big one...

50" butt, 44" at the narrowest, flares to nearly 6' wide the top, 18' long, 90+ growth rings

The contractor let me use their excavator to load which made it almost too easy.


We didn't get back until after dark so I couldn't take good pictures of them on the ground at home. I'll try to get some up tomorrow.


.

 

[Gumnuts]

Wow -Awe struck.

LOOKS LIKE NARWHALE AND AGGIE HIT A MOTHER LOAD

Very very very very nice score
Thank-you for the pictures.They really give us a boost.Ya gotta love those friendly site contractors/BIG TOYS. That's a hooter of a trailer too ..well done
I

Will have to do a search on Pecan .Do you guys consider it a choice timber dressed?

NICE TO SEE AN 84 EARNING ITS SPACE

 

[woodshop]

...The contractor let me use their excavator to load which made it almost too easy...

"Curious... how would you have gotten logs weighing several tons like these on that trailer had you not had the loader? Winch?

 

[Narwhale]

Aggiewoodbutchr, am so glad to see you getting some wood out of the gold course. There was ALL sorts of trunks to chose from and you are right, it does seem almost a legal crime for the developers to just knock the big trees over and burn them.
I got about 4 pick-up truck loads of turning blanks out of there before our wedding took me away. Actually, I could store anther 4 loads or so and then would be flush with wood.
Are you going back next weekend if possible?

Gumnuts, Pecan is in the hickory family and similar to work with. There is usually a large contrast of color between the heartwood and sapwood, and can have some spectacular grain. My limited expereince is it dries hard and remains straight. The finished bowls are very beautiful if the heartwood coloration is good. My only negative of pecan as a turning wood is it is hard as concrete to sand when dry.

Rich S.

 

[Freakingstang]

nice pics, thanks

 

[zopi]

Wow! What a haul! Did about as good this weekend with the cypress...gotta go back tomorrow and get at least two more logs...cypress trunks, straight as an arrow...maybe 20-24" and 30 feet long or so...I WANT them! may be a couple fat poplar shorts in there too...

Aggie, those are about the same size as the pecan i've been given up the road..most of those are coming out as firewood due to some rot, but I'm
crossing my fingers for some 30" plus slabs...as big as I can saw anyway...


good score!

 

[reachtreeservi]

Man, that's some big wood you have there !

 

[aggiewoodbutchr]

"Curious... how would you have gotten logs weighing several tons like these on that trailer had you not had the loader? Winch?

We definitely would have had to cut the big one in two pieces and load them with our bobcat using ramps. I estimated that one to weigh about 12,000 lbs.



Rich-

I doubt I'll make it out again this coming weekend but I won't rule it out.



I now have another project saw.... my 084. The saw quit right at the last few inches of the cut in the pics and wouldn't restart so I finished with my 066. I pulled the muffler cover today and found a broken ring along with a destroyed jug and piston. I can't really tell what went first or what caused it yet. I'm sure the guys on the chainsaw forum can help if I get pics up.

Just frustrating I tell ya...

 

[zopi]

Man, that's some big wood you have there !

Smile when you say that. :hmm3grin2orange:

 

[Haywire Haywood]

I obviously underestimate what a log weighs... I better rethink what I'd put on my single axle 3500lb trailer.

Ian

 

[aggiewoodbutchr]

I obviously underestimate what a log weighs... I better rethink what I'd put on my single axle 3500lb trailer.

Ian

This should help.

http://www.woodweb.com/Resources/RSCalculators.html


.

 

[Haywire Haywood]

Yep Yep.... that's a nice calculator. I wonder how it would do in a cell phone browser.. gotta try it out.

Ian