# American Chestnut logs



## trentausherman (Mar 26, 2009)

I have a few American Chestnut logs that were out of an old barn. There are no nails that I can see. There are 6 logs 10ft long and range from 10-20in. Does anyone know the value of these logs??


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## flashpuppy (Mar 26, 2009)

How much does firewood sell for around you?


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## trentausherman (Mar 26, 2009)

anywhere from 50-120 cord


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## woodsrunner (Mar 26, 2009)

*Don't*

Make firewood out of them. If they are in good condition and not rotten that is. Chestnut is pretty wood, and, they ain't making it no more. If it was me, I would find some one to saw them for me for my personal stash of lumber. As far as selling them, you face the everlasting dilema a lot of folks face, no volume. Its hard to sell 1 or 2 logs or 6, especially when they are specialty items. Look around and see if you can find a woodworker near you who would be interested in them. Good luck.

Scott


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## hazard (Mar 26, 2009)

You may laugh but there is a niche for this odd would. Pen turners freak over odd old lumber for pen blanks. Just an idea. Since I started turning pens I save every odd thing that I would burned a few years ago

Chris

http://www.penturners.org/forum/index.php


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## arbadacarba (Mar 27, 2009)

Try phoning some antique restorers. Old chestnut is gold! Also, any furniture maker would love to have it. Have a look at the back section of Fine Woodworking. Make sure you tell them it is from an old barn and they will understand that the wood is well seasoned and that almost all the stress will be out of it. Don't throw out any wormy wood as it actually commands a premium.

Hope you do well!


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## tree md (Mar 27, 2009)

I'd probably try to have something made for myself personally out of it. It's like land, they just don't make it anymore.


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## arbadacarba (Mar 27, 2009)

:agree2:

Just so everybody knows the worth of what they are cutting -


www.woodfinder.com


This will give you suppliers by state and by province, as well as by species. Wood that we used to burn is now worth almost $30/board foot.

In the case of the chestnut, keep the boards sequential when they are cut (for later bookmatching) and think of an end product ( i.e dining tables, hall tables etc.) before you cut it and cut it about 1/4 to 3/8" oversize to allow for shrinkage and planing. The sizes and lengths you have are absolute premium!


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## LAndrews (Mar 27, 2009)

The logs I have here are chestnut also. The neighbor had all of her kitchen cabinets made from it and it's just gorgeous. I wish it didn't crack as bad as it has - it sucks cutting that stuff up for firewood. Wood works really nicely and the older stuff seems to oxidize to a light orange color. Very cool.


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## arbadacarba (Mar 27, 2009)

For cracks on newer boards take some sandings from a spare board, mixit with a glue that dries fairly clear or has the same colour base when dry as the chestnut, and apply as a paste. I do this on everything and it not only matches well, but also stabilises the checks a bit. I wouldn't do this on older pieces of furniture unless you have plenty of practice as you could easily devalue the piece.


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## tomtrees58 (Mar 27, 2009)

flash puppy said:


> How much does firewood sell for around you?



:monkey:boy you no nothing about wood their gold try and antique dealer tom trees


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## flashpuppy (Mar 27, 2009)

tomtrees58 said:


> :monkey:boy you no nothing about wood their gold try and antique dealer tom trees



So what do these things sell for then? $1000 a log? Really, I mean what is a dollar value on them?


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## arbadacarba (Mar 27, 2009)

Quite honestly, you won't know until you open them up and see how much wormy wood you have (see above) and how much figure. Plain old chestnut goes for $13.00 per board foot and up depending on location and depending on cant size. A larger cant costs you less to mill and is usually more valuable to the end user. Book matched boards are more valuable than random, and pieces should be rough approximations of common furniture dimensions plus a few inches to allow for end trim. Finally a log cut for a known end-user will have a huge premium to lumber cut and sitting in inventory - It's all marketing!

Good Luck!


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## tree md (Mar 27, 2009)

For anyone who doesn't know the history and demise of these majestic trees there is a lot of info on them here:

http://www.acf.org/


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## stipes (Mar 30, 2009)

*Dont make firewood outta it!!!*

There is one left in Ky. that I have heard the story of .....There will never be another live American Chestnut log to make lumber from ,,only the ones out there in barns,,buildings,,what you found,,and thats gold my friend....
There is sayings that they are tryin to come out with a blight resistance hybird but still will never be the true thing my friend....Dont let it go to waste if you can save something frm your find.....


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## Zodiac45 (Mar 30, 2009)

Whatever you do don't make firewood out of it. Do a little research and make some calls or send some e-mails. Check out that link Tree MD posted. They are doing just what you are asking about. You might want to e-mail them. If it was mine, I'd keep it and have it milled. There just isn't any more. Do something special, or sell it.


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## aquan8tor (Apr 1, 2009)

Ditto what Zodiac said. This is impossible to come by. You owe it to yourself to have it milled, and then sell it a bit at a time, or keep it for yourself. 
You will be robbed by a mill if you sell it in log form. If they've been in a barn and dry, chances are that they're pretty solid, and good wood the whole way through. 
You need to do some serious research here if you're trying to figure out the most valuable way to cut it. 
Don't be hasty about making decisions. Sell something else first if you're needing cash. 

There is a place in my area (30 mins from me) that specializes in reclaimed wood, Mountain Lumber Co. It was featured in Mother Earth News, recently,I believe, and will give you an idea of what cuts are worth the most, etc. . 
http://www.mountainlumber.com/

It is very important to note that when you're researching what the logs are worth, that the prices you find are RETAIL, not wholesale. Most professional woodworkers (those that do it for a living, and only woodworking) are used to paying significantly lower prices than what you might find on the internet, unless you REALLY REALLY need it right then for a particular project. You're not going to get $30/bf for everything, and probably for very little of what you have. That said, you're still potentially going to make a LOT on the logs if you're smart about it. You may end up having to spend $1000 or more on having it milled, dried, and storing it correctly---any wood, even that which has been in log form in a barn for 50 years or more is going to be at the very least a little wet inside. You're going to need to have it kiln dried if you want to sell it for a lot--non kilndried lumber isn't worth nearly as much if your'e trying to sell a lot of it--nobody wants to have a bunch of boards twist & warp when they get them in their shop. I wouldn't expect to sell it quickly, especially in this economy, unless you need to. It might take you years, but it'll be worth it. 

Make sure you do your homework on this one, and by all means, keep us all posted.


Edit; I looked at the ACF website, Mountain lumber is listed on their links, and you should really also check out:

http://www.longleaflumber.com/index.cfm


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## FIRESMOKE (Apr 2, 2009)

I see your in PA so check out the Lancaster farming paper if you can. There are several ads from guys who buy that stuff and mill it for flooring or re-use the timbers for barn restoration. Please Please do not make firewwod out of it.


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## trentausherman (Apr 2, 2009)

NO need to worry I am not going to use it as firewood. I think I am going to make a little dinner table with the wood


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## arbadacarba (Apr 2, 2009)

Thats the spirit!


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## Zodiac45 (Apr 4, 2009)

trentausherman said:


> NO need to worry I am not going to use it as firewood. I think I am going to make a little dinner table with the wood



Well done. Here's a site for your referance that deals in reclamation wood.
http://www.longleaflumber.com/SellingLumber.cfm


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## flashpuppy (Apr 4, 2009)

Zodiac45 said:


> Well done. Here's a site for your referance that deals in reclamation wood.
> http://www.longleaflumber.com/SellingLumber.cfm



Did you just get done watching the History Channel as well?


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## Steve Larson (Jun 25, 2018)

I might be interested in your logs- for Chestnut log Cabin preservation in Massachusetts- What diameter are the logs?


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## abbott295 (Jun 26, 2018)

9 year old thread.


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## Bobby Kirbos (Jun 26, 2018)

It never hurts to ask.


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## Deleted member 117362 (Jun 26, 2018)

If he left them outside, probably gone by now.


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## Sawyer Rob (Jun 26, 2018)

stipes said:


> *Dont make firewood outta it!!!*
> 
> There is one left in Ky. that I have heard the story of .....There will never be another live American Chestnut log to make lumber from ,,only the ones out there in barns,,buildings,,what you found,,and thats gold my friend....
> There is sayings that they are tryin to come out with a blight resistance hybird but still will never be the true thing my friend....Dont let it go to waste if you can save something frm your find.....


 I don't know what's the "true thing", but I know a guy that has quite a few American Chestnut tree's and sells the nuts every fall... They look like the true thing to me...

SR


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## Woody912 (Jun 27, 2018)

Sawyer Rob said:


> I don't know what's the "true thing", but I know a guy that has quite a few American Chestnut tree's and sells the nuts every fall... They look like the true thing to me...
> 
> SR


Very likely the Dunstan chestnut which is about 93% American. I have a couple of them planted 3 years ago


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## rarefish383 (Jul 1, 2018)

Sawyer Rob said:


> I don't know what's the "true thing", but I know a guy that has quite a few American Chestnut tree's and sells the nuts every fall... They look like the true thing to me...
> 
> SR


When I was a kid we had a forest that had been logged of AC before the blight hit. The old stumps would throw off suckers that would get about as big around as your leg and 20' high, then die off. With all of our Red Oaks dying off, it would be a noble cause to replant the Oak forests with the hybrid Chestnuts. This is the first time I've welcomed a nine year old thread coming back to life. I think I'll contact the American Chestnut Foundation and see what they have in the reforestation process. I have 3 farms that add up to about 500 acres that I cut dead Red Oaks off of. If there is any incentive for the owners to plant, they may do it.


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## Woody912 (Jul 1, 2018)

rarefish383 said:


> When I was a kid we had a forest that had been logged of AC before the blight hit. The old stumps would throw off suckers that would get about as big around as your leg and 20' high, then die off. With all of our Red Oaks dying off, it would be a noble cause to replant the Oak forests with the hybrid Chestnuts. This is the first time I've welcomed a nine year old thread coming back to life. I think I'll contact the American Chestnut Foundation and see what they have in the reforestation process. I have 3 farms that add up to about 500 acres that I cut dead Red Oaks off of. If there is any incentive for the owners to plant, they may do it.



Right now if you give them $300 ACF will give you 4 seeds to plant!!!Right now I think the Dunstan chestnut is the most realistic thing currently available at about $20/tree and you are gonna want to put protectors around them @$5 each. Long term, I am hoping the USDA will soon release the gmo version which has been modified by inserting a wheat gene and appears to have the ability to neutralize the blight and should be fairly economical after the initial ramp up period.


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## rarefish383 (Jul 1, 2018)

Thanks Woody, I read quite a bit of their literature several years ago, and just skimmed some today. Seems 4 seeds is a pretty chinchy way to reforest the Eastern US. The area we used to see the suckers growing on the stumps is all Mc Mansions now. I'd love to see if there are any left.


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## cat10ken (Jul 25, 2018)

There is a grove of American chestnut in Wisconsin that was brought here by the pioneers that never was exposed to the blight so there still are living healthy trees that are being propagated. It's close to La Crosse but I don't know exactly where.


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