We cut down a neighbors dead black wallnut tree, and today we got to mill it.
A stack of 4/4 x 10" x ~ 8’ and a few 6/4 and 8/4
4/4 x 24"+ x ~8’ !!
more to mill
So far for a yard tree no nails
Great stuff! Any burl, other than the slice in that last shot? Gonna air dry it first, or go straight to the kiln?
-Samiam
Ooo - pretty! I can look at that and think of a winters worth of projects.
And those horizontal bandsaw mills: low waste ( not a helluva lot of that nice walnut becoming sawdust ) and I find they cut truer than just about all the other mills available. My two local sawyers: one runs a Wood-Mizer like that and the other uses an old circular saw - and using that, it’s a good day when the sticks are within 1/4" on thickness, from one end to the other. Lots of chips come out of the planer…
Enjoy.
doc…
No real burl in this. That last shot is one of the first cuts through a 18’ side limb. Couldn’t get the other folks involved to turn the thing 90 deg. to get a better shot of the crotch feather. They just didn’t get it.
The other tree that needs to come out of that yard is a boxelder that is nothing but a burl tree. About 5-6’ in diameter. Hope its not too hollow. Should make some nice turnings.
Its all going to air dry. We don’t have a kiln. Its just getting stickered, covered and left to sit for a while until its ready. I think they are going to weight it down some to help reduce warping.
Doc, I was very impressed with the mill. Like you say low waste and noise, and it cuts very true. I have a year or so to figure out what to do with my share.
Hafte
Nice project!
One suggestion – you might want to epoxy the end grain while drying as to help not split the boards from disproportional drying out the ends. Paint works too.
I get excited seeing more than one board from the same tree.
easternpac,
epoxy the end grain<
I’ve seen the paint suggestion. Have you done the epoxy? I’d be a little leery that it mighty seal too well, afaik what you want is to limit the moisture transfer through the end grain, not stop it completely… OTOH, if has worked without a problem, that’s better than my guesswork.
-Samiam
Quote:
No real burl in this. That last shot is one of the first cuts through a 18’ side limb. Couldn’t get the other folks involved to turn the thing 90 deg. to get a better shot of the crotch feather. They just didn’t get it.
The other tree that needs to come out of that yard is a boxelder that is nothing but a burl tree. About 5-6’ in diameter. Hope its not too hollow. Should make some nice turnings.
Its all going to air dry. We don’t have a kiln. Its just getting stickered, covered and left to sit for a while until its ready. I think they are going to weight it down some to help reduce warping.
Doc, I was very impressed with the mill. Like you say low waste and noise, and it cuts very true. I have a year or so to figure out what to do with my share.
Hafte
Shoulda wrote “figure” not “burl” :-> Anyway, very nice stuff and I’m glad you’re air drying. If you (or anyone who gets their hands on it) ever want to use any of this for boatbuilding, I think it would be better to have it at a higher moisture content already than to try to rehydrate it.
-Samiam
Quote:
easternpac,
epoxy the end grain<
I’ve seen the paint suggestion. Have you done the epoxy? I’d be a little leery that it mighty seal too well, afaik what you want is to limit the moisture transfer through the end grain, not stop it completely… OTOH, if has worked without a problem, that’s better than my guesswork.
-Samiam
Yes, while working at an architectural shop in New Hampshire building exterior fixtures for some big corp. They delivered 3- 18 wheeler loads of Greenheart from Brazil (Ipe, pronounced ee-pay). It took 4 guys to carry one board 12/4. After rough length milling we had to coat the ends w/ west system (this was back in 88’). It came w/ painted / waxed ends, but we were getting into the center of long lengths that dry slowly.
Your point though is well taken…
bottom line - protect the black walnut - what a find.
Never tried the epoxy, but have used paint. This tree has been dead for a while. We got it a bit wet from the water cooling the blade.
Finished up today. We cut ~841 bdft total. Waahooo. Max width is 23" and we got lots of really nice 10"+ pieces too. Very little sap wood. Its going to be fun working with this.
The Sawyer tells me he can cut veneers down to 1/16", but sugested 1/8". I may hit him up to recut some later for some surf aplications. I was amazed at how inexpensive his services are.
Hafte
Keep a clear, straight 6’ x 12" log. Don’t mill it.
And make a lovely selfbow!
some of our local wood surgeons bury their planks so they dry slowly and don’t check so much.
I just seal the ends with woodglue. Go an inch or so up the log. Dries clear.
I get 7’ x 12" logs split into 4-6 staves and cured inside 4 weeks. No problem.
Aloha Hafte,
Seal the ends asap with whatever you have (paint, glue, epoxy). End checks will start the first day the lumber is milled. You can’t over-seal the boards. After cutting lots of trees and milling lots of lumber over the years, including a few thousand feet of walnut, I can tell you the secret is in stacking the pile on a dead flat foundation, in alocation with good breeze and ventilation, stickering with ddry 3/4" stickers every 24" (min), and piling on all the weight you can, not allowing any direct moisture to hit it, then sit back about a year or so per inch of thickness before bringing it into the shop where it should be further stickered and stacked for a few months. Depending on where in Utah you are located, I’d guess the lumber should finally reach an equilebreum moisture content of about 8-9%. Like fine wine, it can’t be rushed. That tree spent many years getting ready for your projects, so you’ll want to treat it with the respect it deserves. Enjoy the ride!
Richard
We cut down a 100ft black acacia in my yard. Last weekend I went out to the wood pile and grabbed some interesting pieces.
Not having a super nice mill like you have I just took a chain saw and cut some 2" wide slices then took them in to the table saw and cut a bunch of 2" x 1/16th or 1/8th slices. I’ll see how they turned out in a couple of days.
Fun stuff.