# The highly valuable black walnut tree thread



## svk (Aug 1, 2017)

Ads for the famous highly valuable black walnut (bonus for yard trees) always get a laugh. We may as well have a dedicated thread.


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## rarefish383 (Aug 2, 2017)

It's about time, now I have a venue to move some of my live edge boards. In the real world I can't get much for them. But, here, where Every One Knows How Valuable They Are, I should be able to make a fortune and retire. Again. If I learn how to post the pics, Joe.


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## farmer steve (Aug 2, 2017)

rarefish383 said:


> It's about time, now I have a venue to move some of my live edge boards. In the real world I can't get much for them. But, here, where Every One Knows How Valuable They Are, I should be able to make a fortune and retire. Again. If I learn how to post the pics, Joe.


hey Joe. live edge cheap in MD.
https://baltimore.craigslist.org/mat/d/live-edge-wood-slabs/6237338879.html


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## Dirtboy (Aug 3, 2017)

Ahh yes, the highly valuable BW. Kind of the Unicorn of the forest.


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## spike60 (Aug 3, 2017)

Few years back after a good storm a guy comes in the store with a "great opportunity" for someone. Big black walnut blew over and he thought the wood was so valuable that someone ought to come over and do the entire clean up, including the stump, to get the one, not exactly spectacular, log out of this tree. Yard tree with lots of branches. He figured us being the saw shop that we'd be able to make a connection for him. Just politely said we'd pass it on.

So, 10 days later he comes back and asks "How'd you make out?", as though we were actually going to spend time on this. We had told the story to a couple of tree guys who though it was hilarious. I told him that the consensus was that he was just trying to get an expensive tree job done for free and no one was interested. He actually got mad and stuck to his guns, insisting that the wood was worth a lot of money. At this point we couldn't hold back the giggles and he gets madder yet. So, I'm like, "Why are you asking me to find somebody? Take some business cards off the rack or get the phone book out and call some tree companies and handle it like a grown up."


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## svk (Aug 3, 2017)

Oh that's classic. I can imagine what the tree guy that I met in your shop would have to say about that deal.


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## CentaurG2 (Aug 4, 2017)

One man’s trash is another’s treasure. We occasionally haul logs for a local boat builder to a local mill. Stuff is so bad I would just throw it through a chipper. Somehow, they make it work.


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## GrizzlyAdams86 (Aug 4, 2017)

Had to "carefully" cut and salvage some storm-damaged spruce/pine yard trees for a character once. This was for 1 of the people I dealt with over in the "Lowballers" thread. Wanted to make some decorative boards for something. Everything was just firewood, but no matter what I told them they were bound set and determined they were going to get some boards out of it.


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## unclemoustache (Aug 6, 2017)

I saw a blow-down near home and offered to take the wood off his hands and pile the brush. He said it was HVW and was hoping to get some money for it. I gave him a business card and told him to call if nobody offered. I regularly drove by the place and one day the tree was gone. 

.....about 5 years later! Rotten and full of mushrooms.


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## rarefish383 (Aug 6, 2017)

farmer steve said:


> hey Joe. live edge cheap in MD.
> https://baltimore.craigslist.org/mat/d/live-edge-wood-slabs/6237338879.html


Yeah, I'm only about 30 miles out of Baltimore and we don't get the big city prices out here in the country. I did put some 8/4 Spalted Maple in a big farm auction a couple years ago, 5 footers, got $40 a piece for them. As I was saying in one of these threads, my farmer friend has a bunch of Black and English Walnut on her burn pile. I think the English is too far gone, but I'd like to get the BW forks. If they get buried before I can get my BIL to load them, I'll lose no sleep. I'm waiting to get the number of the guys that give $10,000 a log. I'll deliver anywhere in the lower 48, Joe.


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## chuckwood (Aug 6, 2017)

A long time ago in my youth, I worked at a wood working machine shop where we would occasionally run walnut lumber through a ripsaw and other machines. The stuff would produce clouds of *very* irritating smoke, and it seemed to dull the saw blades a lot faster than the other hardwoods. It's not an easy wood to work with. The finished product in a piece of furniture is very nice looking though. As I recall, the walnut lumber cost more than any of the other woods we had available.


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## farmer steve (Aug 7, 2017)

rarefish383 said:


> Yeah, I'm only about 30 miles out of Baltimore and we don't get the big city prices out here in the country. I did put some 8/4 Spalted Maple in a big farm auction a couple years ago, 5 footers, got $40 a piece for them. As I was saying in one of these threads, my farmer friend has a bunch of Black and English Walnut on her burn pile. I think the English is too far gone, but I'd like to get the BW forks. If they get buried before I can get my BIL to load them, I'll lose no sleep. I'm waiting to get the number of the guys that give $10,000 a log. I'll deliver anywhere in the lower 48, Joe.


just had some BW dropped off from one of my produce customers. might be some forks in the pile if you want some. which way out of Baltimore? i'm just north of Hanover,PA.


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## rarefish383 (Aug 7, 2017)

I'm in Frederick, probably 1 1/2 hours to Hanover. Thanks for the offer, but I have too many logs laying around waiting to be milled. There is a fellow in PA that I offered some BW my farmer friend has on her burn pile. I'd like to save it. Her burn pile is as big as a house. It's like a black hole, stuff gets piled on top and gets sucked in, never to be seen again. I just pulled 70 Oak fence boards out to use for other projects. Thanks again, Joe.


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## Wood Doctor (Aug 7, 2017)

Heat content, MBTU per cord:

Black Walnut -- 20 
Mulberry -- 25. 7
Locust -- 26.7
White oak -- 24.1
Ash -- 23.6

I think black walnut makes good furniture, but your shop will then need a major clean up and you should wear a dust mask while working with it.


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## Wood Doctor (Aug 9, 2017)

I made this toolbox with black walnut:




Thanks for looking. I still have it.


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## svk (Aug 9, 2017)

Beautiful! And priceless!


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## Wood Doctor (Aug 9, 2017)

One more shot for the road:


This tool box took over a month to build. I never made another. The joinery for the top was a real bear. I recall cutting walnut logs to make the pieces. Circa 2002.


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## kevin j (Aug 10, 2017)

Jewelry box. I could not put tools in that. Gorgeous heirloom.


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## Wood Doctor (Aug 10, 2017)

kevin j said:


> Jewelry box. I could not put tools in that. Gorgeous heirloom.


Dang it, I never have put tools in it either. I'll do it one of these days; I promise. Some say cherry hardwood makes a better tool box than walnut. I've made several cherry tool boxes but they all have flat tops. This walnut box show above is the only hip roof tool box that I have ever made.


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## muddstopper (Aug 11, 2017)

My kitchen cabinets. I sawed the trees back in the late 1970's and they airdried until about 1983. Had a local guy build the cabinets.


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## lone wolf (Aug 11, 2017)

chuckwood said:


> A long time ago in my youth, I worked at a wood working machine shop where we would occasionally run walnut lumber through a ripsaw and other machines. The stuff would produce clouds of *very* irritating smoke, and it seemed to dull the saw blades a lot faster than the other hardwoods. It's not an easy wood to work with. The finished product in a piece of furniture is very nice looking though. As I recall, the walnut lumber cost more than any of the other woods we had available.


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## CentaurG2 (Aug 11, 2017)

Wood Doctor said:


> I made this toolbox with black walnut:
> View attachment 595380
> View attachment 595381
> View attachment 595382
> ...



That is one fine looking box. It would make an ideal box to bring to the range.


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## unclemoustache (Aug 11, 2017)




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## unclemoustache (Aug 11, 2017)




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## Wood Doctor (Aug 11, 2017)

I was asked to make a holster to hold two limbing chain saws for a Unilift Bucket loader that's used for tree trimming. The holster fastens to the front of the fiberglass bucket and the saw bars drop inside slots that cover them. I had some leftover black walnut already on board and used that with frame and panel construction. The owner slops on a coat of varnish every year. He's crazy about it. Sorry I have no Pic (my error).


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## Mad Professor (Aug 11, 2017)

Ha ha ha !!!!

I have unlimited black cherry heartwood some 24" DBH. Walnuts, squirrels eat your heartwood out!


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## GrizzlyAdams86 (Aug 12, 2017)

There's a township road near me that the township just went and shoved over a couple of walnut trees in the right-of-way with a front-end loader, as that is their preferred way of tree felling.


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## lone wolf (Aug 12, 2017)

GrizzlyAdams86 said:


> There's a township road near me that the township just went and shoved over a couple of walnut trees in the right-of-way with a front-end loader, as that is their preferred way of tree felling.


Try to mill them right there.


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## lone wolf (Aug 12, 2017)

Wood Doctor said:


> I was asked to make a holster to hold two limbing chain saws for a Unilift Bucket loader that's used for tree trimming. The holster fastens to the front of the fiberglass bucket and the saw bars drop inside slots that cover them. I had some leftover black walnut already on board and used that with frame and panel construction. The owner slops on a coat of varnish every year. He's crazy about it. Sorry I have no Pic (my error).


Can you get a pic I would like to see that?


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## Wood Doctor (Aug 12, 2017)

lone wolf said:


> Can you get a pic I would like to see that?


I think I can. Give me a day or so. I'll try to show it with saws in the twin holsters.


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## lone wolf (Aug 12, 2017)

Wood Doctor said:


> I think I can. Give me a day or so. I'll try to show it with saws in the twin holsters.


cool!


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## GrizzlyAdams86 (Aug 13, 2017)

lone wolf said:


> Try to mill them right there.



Not much left of them. After they got them on the ground they were cut up into shorter lengths and pushed into several heaps out of the right of way with lots of dirt mixed in.


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## lone wolf (Aug 13, 2017)

GrizzlyAdams86 said:


> Not much left of them. After they got them on the ground they were cut up into shorter lengths and pushed into several heaps out of the right of way with lots of dirt mixed in.


Damn!


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## GrizzlyAdams86 (Aug 13, 2017)

Should have gotten a picture of the Winchester M1 Garand that had a new Boyds walnut stock I got to shoot a few years ago.


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## Stoneguy (Aug 13, 2017)

Last spring I had two quite large walnuts taken down. The utility was going up and down my road clearing anything that was at all close to overhead wires. They took all the branches under about 8"' and left me some really nice long trunk pieces. I cut, split, stacked right away, and was able to burn most of it last winter.


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## c5rulz (Aug 17, 2017)

Can't believe no one posted this yet, every time I see it I laugh:


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## rarefish383 (Aug 19, 2017)

Stoneguy said:


> Last spring I had two quite large walnuts taken down. The utility was going up and down my road clearing anything that was at all close to overhead wires. They took all the branches under about 8"' and left me some really nice long trunk pieces. I cut, split, stacked right away, and was able to burn most of it last winter.


NO, NO, NO, you didn't BURN HIGHLY VALUABLE BLACK WALNUT, did you? Oh, that's alright, I burn it too. Drives the $10,000 a log guys crazy. When I can't get $10,000 a log, I get $200 a cord, Joe.


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## c5rulz (Aug 19, 2017)

I processed about 5 cord of black walnut and sold it all for "campfire wood". People actually liked the way it burned and smelled better than oak.


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## johnnyballs (Aug 20, 2017)

c5rulz said:


> Can't believe no one posted this yet, every time I see it I laugh:



if i could "like" this 10 times, i would


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## c5rulz (Aug 20, 2017)

johnnyballs said:


> if i could "like" this 10 times, i would




For something to be truly funny, there has to be an element of truth to it.

In the past couple weeks I have seen ads in CL for people attempting to sell "yard trees". Some buddies of mine who are full time loggers put semi loads of wood on the ground daily. To get the equipment in needed to process logs let along dealing with the brush and very high possibility of metal makes in economically not feasible. 

Here is a good example. I would not take a twig this small if I was in the woods. I seldom take anything under 8".

https://madison.craigslist.org/zip/d/black-walnut-log/6259465891.html


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## svk (Aug 20, 2017)

Well as least he's not asking three figures for that one lol.


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## Jakers (Aug 20, 2017)

c5rulz said:


> Can't believe no one posted this yet, every time I see it I laugh:



Then theres this one...


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## CentaurG2 (Aug 20, 2017)

And we cant forget log


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fQGPZTECYs


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## GrizzlyAdams86 (Aug 21, 2017)

The mill dad hauled logs to would get calls from homeowners asking if they would buy the logs from the walnut tree (or other "valuable" trees) from their yard. The owner always told them the policy on yard trees: "We will, but only if you first give us a deposit on repair or replacement costs for our blade on the mill. The deposit will be refunded it we don't hit anything." But usually the person on the other end hung up before he got to the refund part.


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## c5rulz (Dec 18, 2017)

Here's a new one, only $1500 for two yard trees. Nobody has jumped on it yet.

https://lacrosse.craigslist.org/for/d/two-black-walnut-trees/6425335822.html


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## lone wolf (Dec 18, 2017)

c5rulz said:


> Here's a new one, only $1500 for two yard trees. Nobody has jumped on it yet.
> 
> https://lacrosse.craigslist.org/for/d/two-black-walnut-trees/6425335822.html


I will bet they don't sell!


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## rarefish383 (Dec 18, 2017)

I was thinking about calling him to see if he would hold them till after New Years for me, I have to drive from MD. I was going to ask if he had enough extension cords to reach the tree, or if he could measure how far they were from a pug, so I could buy some extra's. I only have 50' for my Remington electric, Joe.


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## Davej_07 (Dec 18, 2017)

CentaurG2 said:


> And we cant forget log
> 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fQGPZTECYs


All kids love log!


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## Wood Doctor (Dec 18, 2017)

It's absolutely amazing at how many people think that the walnut trees in their yard are worth big money, dead or alive, even if they are threatening the house. If a tree that might pull in two grand at a sawmill does 1oo grand in damage to a house when it falls down, what is it really worth?


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## Chris-PA (Dec 18, 2017)

Wood Doctor said:


> It's absolutely amazing at how many people think that the walnut trees in their yard are worth big money, dead or alive, even if they are threatening the house. If a tree that might pull in two grand at a sawmill does 1oo grand in damage to a house when it falls down, what is it really worth?


If a walnut tree falls in the wood and nobody buys it.......

I don't usually have too much of it as the trees are pretty tough, unlike oaks, and they're not all dying like the ashes. I like the way it smells burning though, so I usually cut it short for the little stove upstairs - you can smell it outside and when I'm reloading it anyway.


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## Marshy (Dec 18, 2017)

Get your stump here. Premium black walnut stump here.


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## Marshy (Dec 18, 2017)

High quality picture if a high quality black walnut tree for sale. Great sale price!


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## muddstopper (Dec 20, 2017)

I got about a half cord of black walnut, cut to 18in lenghts. Will take $1000, call me at 828 BR549


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## Wood Doctor (Dec 20, 2017)

muddstopper said:


> I got about a half cord of black walnut, cut to 18 in lengths. Will take $1000, call me at 828 BR549


I sold a cord of it last year for $200. Are you saying I could have sold it for ten times that amount? Gasp! I blew it away.


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## muddstopper (Dec 20, 2017)

Wood Doctor said:


> I sold a cord of it last year for $200. Are you saying I could have sold it for ten times that amount? Gasp! I blew it away.


Yea you screwed up.  Its worth even more if you dont split it first.. Rounds are great for bowl makers and crafts and such. Cha-Ching$$$$


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## Wood Doctor (Dec 20, 2017)

muddstopper said:


> Yea you screwed up.  Its worth even more if you dont split it first.. Rounds are great for bowl makers and crafts and such. Cha-Ching$$$$


Two years ago I helped a tree removal company with the clean up. Five good-sized walnut trees were taken down, so big that I had to noodle most of the rounds in half just to lift them onto the tail gate. I figure at least three full cords were removed from the property. I sold half and am still selling and burning the rest. One of my friends carried out a load also. These trees were healthy, solid to the core, but one dropped a branch on the roof of the house and the owner folded his cards and ran.


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## Jakers (Dec 20, 2017)

The Black Walnut that grows around here is really prone to dropping large branches like that. usually it peals down the trunk sometimes to the ground wrecking the whole tree. if his tree was compromised already id say he made a wise decision


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## Davej_07 (Dec 22, 2017)

Our family farm is loaded with large, mature walnut trees. My grandfather had the idea that he would get rich from the lumber some day. Of course, no one could tell him otherwise. Now he is gone and I was thinking of having a few milled into flooring boards but I can only imagine how much metal is in them, either fence posts and barbed wire or bullets


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## Jakers (Dec 22, 2017)

Bullets don't generally slow down a chainsaw much or dull them so I would think the same could be said for a milling saw. Fence or fence posts on the other hand.... they'll slow or stop a saw from cutting all together. Pick out the trees that are away from the edges and away from the buildings or anywhere there was more human activity and I bet you'll be fine


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## svk (Dec 22, 2017)

I have sawn through jacketed rifle and pistol bullets many times and it didn't slow the saw down one bit or dull any teeth.


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## rarefish383 (Dec 22, 2017)

Just cut them higher than the fence posts.


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## Wood Doctor (Dec 22, 2017)

On the other hand, I'll never forget the walnut tree I bucked up six years ago. Embedded climbing spikes were staggered along the trunk every 16". Luckily, I was cutting rounds about the same length and missed all of them on the 12' length that the logger hauled in atop his flatbed. Neither one of us knew they were there until I split the rounds and uncovered them one after the other.

How I missed them all while bucking the rounds with the chainsaw was a small miracle. These climbing spikes were similar to large drift pins, but 30 years ago the tree had engulfed them from view.


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## rarefish383 (Dec 23, 2017)

Wood Doctor said:


> On the other hand, I'll never forget the walnut tree I bucked up six years ago. Embedded climbing spikes were staggered along the trunk every 16". Luckily, I was cutting rounds about the same length and missed all of them on the 12' length that the logger hauled in atop his flatbed. Neither one of us knew they were there until I split the rounds and uncovered them one after the other.
> 
> How I missed them all while bucking the rounds with the chainsaw was a small miracle. These climbing spikes were similar to large drift pins, but 30 years ago the tree had engulfed them from view.


Did you post something about that way back when. I remember someone saying they had a tree full of big spikes and missed every one? Joe.


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## RyKR (Dec 23, 2017)

I can't believe I stumbled across this thread today. I was just griping on Facebook about highly valuable Walnut. Another person offered me all of the wood in exchange for removal, cleanup, and stump removal. I just showed them a picture of my burn pile with Walnut in it. They couldn't believe that people would just waste good wood like that.


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## GrizzlyAdams86 (Dec 23, 2017)

RyKR said:


> I can't believe I stumbled across this thread today. I was just griping on Facebook about highly valuable Walnut. Another person offered me all of the wood in exchange for removal, cleanup, and stump removal. I just showed them a picture of my burn pile with Walnut in it. They couldn't believe that people would just waste good wood like that.



One person remarked that the White Ash I gave him to burn in his OWB looked "too nice to burn", but he also said he like the good burn time he got out of it too.


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## Wood Doctor (Dec 24, 2017)

rarefish383 said:


> Did you post something about that way back when. I remember someone saying they had a tree full of big spikes and missed every one? Joe.


Yes, I believe that was my post also. On that thread, guys were posting all of the amazing things that they ran into while bucking logs. This walnut tree might have been used as a deer stand at one time and the hunter(s) needed stairs to go up the tree. The tree eventually "swallowed" the stairs that my log splitter uncovered..


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## Mike Van (Dec 25, 2017)

They are just as rare here as elsewhere https://nwct.craigslist.org/grd/d/large-living-black-walnut-tree/6437055128.html


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## unclemoustache (Dec 25, 2017)

Mike, that ad will be down soon. Next time take a pic of it and post that instead of a link.



.


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## svk (Dec 25, 2017)

"Rare". "Expensive grade cabinet making wood"


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## Mike Van (Dec 25, 2017)

OK - I see what you mean -


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## svk (Jan 25, 2018)

@Buckshot00


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## Buckshot00 (Jan 26, 2018)

Well I didn't realize that black walnut was so valuable I cut one down yesterday and split most of it up. I plan to burn it in the fire pit. Oh well. lol


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## Jhenderson (Jan 26, 2018)

Mike Van said:


> They are just as rare here as elsewhere https://nwct.craigslist.org/grd/d/large-living-black-walnut-tree/6437055128.html



Oh, it's a beauty. Might have an 8' number 2 in the butt.


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## Wood Doctor (Jan 26, 2018)

Buckshot00 said:


> Well I didn't realize that black walnut was so valuable I cut one down yesterday and split most of it up. I plan to burn it in the fire pit. Oh well. lol
> View attachment 628147


I should never have sold black walnut last year, the year before, and during this past fall. Now I'm stocked out and my firewood customers that bought some are begging for more of it. Gasp!


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## farmer steve (Feb 15, 2018)

more valuable walnut!! i figure about $200 +/- in this pile i split today.


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## Jakers (Feb 15, 2018)

farmer steve said:


> more valuable walnut!! i figure about $200 +/- in this pile i split today.
> View attachment 633274


$200??? That looks a lot more like $2000.00 worth. Just think of all the pepper shakers and spoons and chess sets that could be made out of it. Probably more like $5k!!!! I'll bet you could make a million off the finished product, should really charge more yet but nobody like greedy people. $6k and toss in some primo boxelder for the opposing chess pieces and salt shakers to make a matching set...............


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## Odog (Feb 16, 2018)

I have a huge walnut in my front yard, dead. Had a guy come by a couple months ago and offered to cut it down for me AND let me keep all the small limbs if I let him take the trunk and the bigger limbs for his mill. I told him I'd have to pass, it all looked like good firewood to me, his jaw about hit the floor!


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## rarefish383 (Feb 16, 2018)

Think I'll get a giant lathe and turn all of my BW down to tooth picks, Joe.


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## Wood Doctor (Feb 17, 2018)

Well, I have to throw in another two cents. Last week I worked with a woodsmith on a 15' long black walnut log that was about 20" dia. He had an Alaskan saw mill setup and ripped it with a Makita DCS 6421 pulling a 32" bar. He took the widest 9' portion and gave me 6' to buck up for firewood. I also bucked up and took the two leftover slabs.

He ripped 10 boards, each about 1.5" thick and intends to make a dining room table with them. We changed chains about halfway through. The Makita performed flawlessly, even though the log was partially frozen, which slowed it down a tad. The boards were all straight as a dime and surprisingly smooth. Cutting speed along the length was at most 1/2" per second, and a half tank of fuel and bar oil was required for each board. I helped him load the boards onto his truck, but he wanted to unload it by himself. He's strong, but It was all he could do to lift one of them.

We finished in about two hours. He now has the boards on stickers for drying. The tree had been dead for about two years. When we were finished, about 10 bushels of sawdust was all that was left for waste. I should have taken Pics to post here, but I was asleep at the switch.

Thanks for the read.


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## farmer steve (Mar 3, 2018)

More valuable BW. customer called and said it came down in the windstorm yesterday. my valuable firewood pile just got bigger. we even made valuable tanbark with his chipper. planning to put the 26 foot log on C/L for thou$and$


.


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## rarefish383 (Mar 3, 2018)

Keep us posted on the CL results. I still have several logs on the farmer friends burn pile. Just been too lazy to pull them out, Joe.


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## Husky Man (Mar 3, 2018)

rarefish383 said:


> Keep us posted on the CL results. I still have several logs on the farmer friends burn pile. Just been too lazy to pull them out, Joe.



on the BURN PILE?

But, But, it's HIGHLY VALUABLE BLACK WALNUT!!!!

It's HIGHLY VALUABLE!!!

Don't You KNOW THAT?, The Whole Universe KNOWS THAT!!!!

It's HIGHLY VALUABLE!!!!!



Doug


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## Wood Doctor (Mar 4, 2018)

A professional logger talked to me today. He intends to pair up with another logger to buy a professional band saw to make rough cut boards from the tress they are contracted to clear. Black walnut is just one of the species they are targeting. He's tired of selling BW logs to the local sawmill for dirt cheap and with no price incentive. Frankly, I do not blame them for taking action.


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## rarefish383 (Mar 5, 2018)

Keep us posted if you stay in contact with him. We gave up on mills. When ever you called they were either stocked up and weren't buying or the market was down and they weren't paying more than firewood. We talked to big exotic wood brokers, and they wanted you to store up big piles of logs to grade and make offers. We only had 5 acres in the yard and couldn't stack stuff up waiting for a maybe. We whole saled most of our BW out to a farm market that bought all of the junk wood we didn't keep. Not saying the BW was junk wood, but we had so much Oak and Locust, most every thing else went to the farm market.


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## Davej_07 (Mar 5, 2018)

I’m in the process of acquiring my grandparents farm. Grandpa always thought he would get rich off BW trees so the place is loaded with them.....messy, dangerous(falling nuts in fall), etc. My plan is to live in th existing farmhouse and build a new house in the next 1-2 years. There are a few large trees I will be removing and having them milled into flooring for when I build. The tops will become firewood but it’s not stellar wood. Doesn’t dry quickly and tons of ash.


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## Beetlejuice (Mar 5, 2018)

Davej_07 said:


> I’m in the process of acquiring my grandparents farm. Grandpa always thought he would get rich off BW trees so the place is loaded with them.....messy, dangerous(falling nuts in fall), etc. My plan is to live in th existing farmhouse and build a new house in the next 1-2 years. There are a few large trees I will be removing and having them milled into flooring for when I build. The tops will become firewood but it’s not stellar wood. Doesn’t dry quickly and tons of ash.


I was told by a reputable exotic wood store rep that hardwood, as a rule, drys at a rate of 1" a year. Thus the need for storage.. And stored and dried correctly or could possibly end up with a batch of airplane propellers, or boat screws.


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## Davej_07 (Mar 5, 2018)

Beetlejuice said:


> I was told by a reputable exotic wood store rep that hardwood, as a rule, drys at a rate of 1" a year. Thus the need for storage.. And stored and dried correctly or could possibly end up with a batch of airplane propellers, or boat screws.


I’ve milled my own with a chainsaw mill. Even painted, stickered, and weighted it was still twisty. A few runs through the planer fixed it but........


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## epicklein22 (Mar 5, 2018)

$1,463 for these logs. A little under 700 board feet.


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## Davej_07 (Mar 5, 2018)

You buying or selling?


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## Wood Doctor (Mar 5, 2018)

epicklein22 said:


> View attachment 637450
> View attachment 637449
> $1,463 for these logs. A little under 700 board feet.


Looks like there are two separate loads, one in each Pic, front view on one and rear view on the other. Is that true? So, was that 700 bd ft per load and a total of 1400 bd ft? There is a factor of two involved here. Did you get $1,463 for both loads together or that much for just one of them? Please clarify.

If it's both loads added together, 700 bd ft per load, you received $1.05 per bd ft. That seems most likely but still a very good price -- three times what would have been paid here for the same quantity.


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## rarefish383 (Mar 6, 2018)

I think it's just one load.


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## Wood Doctor (Mar 6, 2018)

rarefish383 said:


> I think it's just one load.


Hard to say. You see the ends of nine logs in the rear view and seven logs in the front view. I suppose not all are the same length, so two log ends must be obscured. If it is nine logs, then the average is just under 80 bd ft per log. The largest one would be about 220 bd ft, which seems reasonable for a 16-ft log that size.

So, if we go with just one load, $1463 / 700 = $2.09 per bd ft. That's five to six times the price that any local sawmill here would pay a logger for walnut logs. I've told the loggers supplying our mill that they are getting their clocks cleaned. They agree but can do nothing about it.


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## epicklein22 (Mar 6, 2018)

Wood Doctor said:


> Hard to say. You see the ends of nine logs in the rear view and seven logs in the front view. I suppose not all are the same length, so two log ends must be obscured. If it is nine logs, then the average is just under 80 bd ft per log. The largest one would be about 220 bd ft, which seems reasonable for a 16-ft log that size.
> 
> So, if we go with just one load, $1463 / 700 = $2.09 per bd ft. That's five to six times the price that any local sawmill here would pay a logger for walnut logs. I've told the loggers supplying our mill that they are getting their clocks cleaned. They agree but can do nothing about it.



That is one load, picture from two different view points. I hauled it myself and they graded it at the mill. Nothing fancy/verneer, just standard grade logs. They have $750k in walnut logs in their yard and it's all paid for. Exporting it overseas in shipping containers.

No idea where you are getting those log prices. They can't be right. Black Walnut is obviously the best paying. But other species are paying well. For example, soft maple is paying a dollar or so a board foot here. I took in a little under 600 bd ft of cherry and hard maple a few weeks back. It was a storm damage salvage. The cherry was all cracked up and had red rot. The hard maple was nice. That load brought a little under $300.


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## Wood Doctor (Mar 6, 2018)

epicklein22 said:


> That is one load, picture from two different view points. I hauled it myself and they graded it at the mill. Nothing fancy/verneer, just standard grade logs. They have $750k in walnut logs in their yard and it's all paid for. Exporting it overseas in shipping containers.
> 
> No idea where you are getting those log prices. They can't be right. Black Walnut is obviously the best paying. But other species are paying well. For example, soft maple is paying a dollar or so a board foot here. I took in a little under 600 bd ft of cherry and hard maple a few weeks back. It was a storm damage salvage. The cherry was all cracked up and had red rot. The hard maple was nice. That load brought a little under $300.


The sawmill here specializes in pallet making and landscape chips/shreds. They shred the slabs left behind when sawing up the boards for pallets. So, they offer practically no premium price for logs that can be sawed into furniture-grade boards. Most of the sawing is done on eastern cottonwood that they use to make the pallets. So, the sawyers have no incentive for bringing in quality hardwood like black walnut, hard maple, etc.

That may change. In fact, if a logger here were to truck a full flatbed of walnut to Ohio, he might even come out ahead. You can get about 4500 bd ft onto a flatbed bunk trailer. That's nine grand at $2 / bd ft and buys a lot of diesel, time, and trees. I have told them that it's time to branch out to other saw mills (no pun intended).


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## epicklein22 (Mar 6, 2018)

Wood Doctor said:


> The sawmill here specializes in pallet making and landscape chips/shreds. They shred the slabs left behind when sawing up the boards for pallets. So, they offer practically no premium price for logs that can be sawed into furniture-grade boards. Most of the sawing is done on eastern cottonwood that they use to make the pallets. So, the sawyers have no incentive for bringing in quality hardwood like black walnut, hard maple, etc.
> 
> That may change. In fact, if a logger here were to truck a full flatbed of walnut to Ohio, he might even come out ahead. You can get about 4500 bd ft onto a flatbed bunk trailer. That's nine grand at $2 / bd ft and buys a lot of diesel, time, and trees. I have told them that it's time to branch out to other saw mills (no pun intended).



Well, that makes sense now. You left out a lot of information on how your mills work in your location. Comparing apples to oranges for sure. One price for all is not how most of America does hardwood logging. All based on species and grade. None of the mills take Cottonwood here, but our pallet market is strong though (lots are oak). Pine is the only stuff that brings little money, about 30 cents a board foot.


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## Wood Doctor (Mar 6, 2018)

epicklein22 said:


> Well, that makes sense now. You left out a lot of information on how your mills work in your location. Comparing apples to oranges for sure. One price for all is not how most of America does hardwood logging. All based on species and grade. None of the mills take Cottonwood here, but our pallet market is strong though (lots are oak). Pine is the only stuff that brings little money, about 30 cents a board foot.


One other possibility for them is to expand their market by investing in a big band saw and saw up their own rough-cut boards ready for drying. Then offer those to hardwood sellers that offer boards at wholesale or retail. However, the initial equipment investment is pretty high and then you have to find more storage facilities. The payback might take years, so it's not an easy decision to make.

There are some really fine stands of hardwoods around here, and one that caught my eye recently was hedge (Osage orange). Some woodworkers love making furniture out of that ironwood. It's rare but could command a price about the same as walnut or cherry.


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## Ted Jenkins (Mar 6, 2018)

Davej_07 said:


> I’m in the process of acquiring my grandparents farm. Grandpa always thought he would get rich off BW trees so the place is loaded with them.....messy, dangerous(falling nuts in fall), etc. My plan is to live in th existing farmhouse and build a new house in the next 1-2 years. There are a few large trees I will be removing and having them milled into flooring for when I build. The tops will become firewood but it’s not stellar wood. Doesn’t dry quickly and tons of ash.



Walnut does not make great flooring because it is way too soft, but I know many families that have made 1000 bf on Pine so with urethane maybe it is acceptable .


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## Ted Jenkins (Mar 6, 2018)

I hauled Walnut by the 100's of cords and sold it for firewood from the San Joaquin Valley for 20 years. The only lumber that I ever was aware of were the trunks that brought in unusual amounts of money. I milled a few logs for some personal items to make some cabinets and trim, but could not sell the stuff better than firewood. Gun stocks were the only source for revenue. Thanks


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## Plowboy83 (Mar 7, 2018)

Ted Jenkins said:


> I hauled Walnut by the 100's of cords and sold it for firewood from the San Joaquin Valley for 20 years. The only lumber that I ever was aware of were the trunks that brought in unusual amounts of money. I milled a few logs for some personal items to make some cabinets and trim, but could not sell the stuff better than firewood. Gun stocks were the only source for revenue. Thanks


What part of the San Joaquin valley if you don’t mind me asking.


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## Ted Jenkins (Mar 8, 2018)

Porterville, Strathmore, Exeter, Visalia, Fresno and. Of all the places I have worked there is no place more miserable. A dust layer all summer from 100 feet to 500 feet. Winter has a layer of fog from 100 feet to 500 feet. Ever try to find an address in the winter? You are driving maybe 15 to 20 miles an hour looking for a street sign and wow you find it. Turn around and you are lost most of the time you could see up to 30 feet in front of you. Had to install special compasses to just cross an intersection. Never pull into a truck stop cause they are full of parking lizards although did meet some who were nice so shared some of my coffee and snacks with. Thanks


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## Ted Jenkins (Mar 8, 2018)

epicklein22 said:


> View attachment 637450
> View attachment 637449
> $1,463 for these logs. A little under 700 board feet.



They look great, but cut many logs just the same for $275 a cord. We never messed with little logs like yours we only cut the trunks for lumber. The trunks would be as small as 4' across with the larger ones at 10'. I was only aware of them being cut into gun stocks. The average trunks were about $6,000 to $8,000. Of course I only got the fire wood. Thanks


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## farmer steve (Mar 10, 2018)

My buddy found a buyer for the log i posted pics of last week. the guy offered him $130 for the log and $100 for the leaner in the left of the pic. the buyer will take down the leaner.


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## chipper1 (Mar 10, 2018)

Buckshot00 said:


> Well I didn't realize that black walnut was so valuable I cut one down yesterday and split most of it up. I plan to burn it in the fire pit. Oh well. lol
> View attachment 628147


It looks pretty cool burning in a pit/or a stove .
I had a nice sized piece of it I brought to another member to mill up, I'm sure it would be some beautiful boards @Sawyer Rob .


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## chipper1 (Mar 10, 2018)

farmer steve said:


> more valuable walnut!! i figure about $200 +/- in this pile i split today.
> View attachment 633274


That's funny Steve, when I looked at the picture all I saw was the one tree standing in the yard, I thought that's not a walnut, thats black locust.


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## Wood Doctor (Mar 10, 2018)

Sometimes house, buildings, and property owners block the value of walnut trees. Three years ago a tree removal company gave me all the black walnut trees they cut down in a homeowner's back yard. It was impossible to move the long logs out with any heavy equipment, such as a picker truck, because the house blocked off the in and out. The owner said he wanted no damage to the lawn, so we couldn't even drag them out with a pickup truck.

I ended up bucking them all into rounds, hoisting them onto a wheel barrow, and carrying the rounds one at a time to the front and then loading them onto the truck. That was work.


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## farmer steve (Mar 10, 2018)

Wood Doctor said:


> Sometimes house, buildings, and property owners block the value of walnut trees. Three years ago a tree removal company gave me all the black walnut trees they cut down in a homeowner's back yard. It was impossible to move the long logs out with any heavy equipment, such as a picker truck, because the house blocked off the in and out. The owner said he wanted no damage to the lawn, so we couldn't even drag them out with a pickup truck.
> 
> I ended up bucking them all into rounds, hoisting them onto a wheel barrow, and carrying the rounds one at a time to the front and then loading them onto the truck. That was work.


no black walnut is that valuable.


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## Wood Doctor (Mar 10, 2018)

farmer steve said:


> no black walnut is that valuable.


That's what LOML and all my friends said also when I told them what I had done. The total was six mounded up truckloads of rounds that yielded over five cords of splits. At least no customer complained whenever they burned it, and I imagine I knocked off two pounds of fat weight per truckload.


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## Ted Jenkins (Mar 10, 2018)

Th only problem with walnut is it make more ash than most, but does burn just fine. Sense the water shortage we have not had a big walnut crop so it might be a while before we have any extra walnut. I am coming across nice Oak now and then, but nice Oak can bring in $500 easy peasy all day every day summer or winter. I do cut some nice Oak slabs for furniture some times. Thanks


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## Buckshot00 (Mar 10, 2018)

I burned some walnut in the fire pit today. lol


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## rarefish383 (Mar 10, 2018)

I thought I posted this the other day, but if I did I can't find it. BW target for my throwing ax.


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## Wood Doctor (Mar 10, 2018)

farmer steve said:


> no black walnut is that valuable.


Oh, I forgot to tell the forum this one detail. I sold that black walnut for firewood, took in over $1,000 in receipts and used the rest to heat my house, saving another $500. But, I guess that's just a crumb these days.


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## farmer steve (Mar 12, 2018)

another load of HIGHLY valuable black walnut................................................................. for FIREWOOD!!!! delivered this to my 81 year old lady pyro. she burns her fireplace everynight.


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## Wood Doctor (Mar 12, 2018)

I found yet another source for black walnut, this time from a blonde who just bought a house not far away. She needs about four BW trees dropped and cleared from the yard, about 18" dia. apiece. Could be an interesting spring -- for firewood collection, of course. Right? I promise to wear blinders while running the saw, the wheelbarrow, etc..


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## Ted Jenkins (Mar 12, 2018)

My experience has been that if you have a large amount of Walnut to fill up a decent logging truck it might be possible to sell it. Or if you want to make some nice furniture with it go for it. Otherwise it burns fine too and other pyros enjoy it too. If you wears binders and cut off your leg I do not want to hear about. Your cuts will likely be crooked also. Thanks


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## farmer steve (Mar 13, 2018)

saw a tractor trailer load of B/W logs this morning in my travels. nice big stuff. right behind it was a load of serious white oak. the name of the mill on the trucks is about 2 hours north of me so it must have been worthwhile.


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## svk (Mar 13, 2018)

farmer steve said:


> saw a tractor trailer load of B/W logs this morning in my travels. nice big stuff. right behind it was a load of serious white oak. the name of the mill on the trucks is about 2 hours north of me *so it must have been worthwhile*.


I am sure it was for the mill LOL. Maybe or maybe not for the logger.


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## Wood Doctor (Mar 13, 2018)

svk said:


> I am sure it was for the mill LOL. Maybe or maybe not for the logger.


Today I saw the opposite color -- hard maple ready for the taking on a flat yard out in the country. Not sure why it was ever cut down. Maybe the property owner got tired of looking a it. The tree was about 50 years old. Three trunks going up from the same root ball, the owner's son dropped them, wore out four saw chains, gave up, and called me to clear the rest. Must be five truckloads remaining there, and believe me, it's hard as nails and easily as dense as pin oak.

Check the numbers on hard maple. It's awfully good stuff. Maybe oak or hickory have more BTU/cord but not much and it's a good deal above walnut. I found that you just have to wait about a couple of months before splitting it. That's about it. Cheers!


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## Multifaceted (Mar 13, 2018)

I've got some black walnut split and stacked from last September that I might have to dig into as I'm about out of seasoned wood...

Now I do have another one that I need to fell, had the top knocked off of it while felling another tree over the summer, but my buddy wants an 8' section to hew into a decorative beam for his kitchen. The rest of it will be split and thrown in the stacks.


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## Buckshot00 (Apr 26, 2018)

Lookie lookie. A highly valuable black walnut sapling on my property. Maybe one day my kids or their kids can harvest it and become rich off this tree.


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## Good Feller (May 9, 2018)

My buddy asked me to take down an old dead tree about 40" in diameter in the main log. I said that's a highly valuable walnut tree . He told me it wasn't a walnut at all. He said it used to grow walnuts but hasn't had any on it in a long time. It's about to be firewood.


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## farmer steve (May 10, 2018)

Good Feller said:


> My buddy asked me to take down an old dead tree about 40" in diameter in the main log. I said that's a highly valuable walnut tree . He told me it wasn't a walnut at all. He said it used to grow walnuts but hasn't had any on it in a long time. It's about to be firewood.


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## madhatte (Sep 30, 2018)

An excellent article on the subject

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


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## rarefish383 (Sep 30, 2018)

Nice article. It's like I said once before, we had a large White Oak log on the truck. I think it was a 16 footer, with a knot on the skinny end. The mill said it was a poor quality log because of the knot, and would only give us the going price for ditch planking. While we were waiting for the office to cut us a check, a fork lift picked the log up, lowered it to waist height, and a guy came over and cut 4' (with the knot) off the end. Then the fork lift took the log and put it in one of the higher grade piles. If we had of cut it to 12' of clear wood, we would have made a good bit more. You have to know what to look for.


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## Deleted member 116684 (Oct 2, 2018)

i've been dormant for a while and just got back to arboristsite recently. This is a great thread! Wish I would have caught it at the beginning though.


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## Wood Doctor (Oct 21, 2018)

inmansc said:


> i've been dormant for a while and just got back to arboristsite recently. This is a great thread! Wish I would have caught it at the beginning though.


I will try to continue to make it a great thread. Yesterday I met a good friend at a woods just north of town. A walnut tree had been blown down about five years ago atop a hackberry tree that it took along with it. We gathered and harvested them both and divided the rounds that we cut to length with our saws and then loaded them onto our trucks.

We saved it all and found a few other widow-makers that were standing dead with no roots. Best part about this is that my largest volume customer loves burning walnut along with ash, oak, and red elm. It will split easily, and believe me, it's not as dense as locust or pin oak. My wood-cutting friend said that he could smell the odor emitted from the walnut. Then he said, "Edwin, I love this stuff. I can understand why your biggest customer does also."

Life is good.


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## Marley5 (Oct 21, 2018)

I read this thread and keep going back to the 80's when a farmer " neighbor " pushed close to 20 black walnut trees in a large sink hole in the middle of his hay field. 
I asked him if I could cut them as firewood......he laughed and said sure, take it all.
I quickly learned why he found it so humorous. 
It may make beautiful boards but simply the worst firewood I've burnt to date.
Burnt quickly, low heat and lots of ash.

I still see him occasionally and grin.....bastard.


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## Wood Doctor (Oct 21, 2018)

Marley5 said:


> I read this thread and keep going back to the 80's when a farmer " neighbor " pushed close to 20 black walnut trees in a large sink hole in the middle of his hay field.
> I asked him if I could cut them as firewood......he laughed and said sure, take it all. I quickly learned why he found it so humorous. It may make beautiful boards but simply the worst firewood I've burnt to date.
> Burnt quickly, low heat and lots of ash. I still see him occasionally and grin.....bastard.


This seems a bit harsh. As I recall, walnut burns with about the same or slightly more heat content than hackberry, slightly less than red elm or mulberry, but above American elm. Fragrance is good, and some cooks smoke meat with it.

Anyway, check these data:
https://chimneysweeponline.com/howood.htm


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## Marley5 (Oct 21, 2018)

Probably was a bit harsh but I was so use to burning Oak up until then. 
It did split very well.


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## unclemoustache (Oct 23, 2018)

I wouldn't burn it.

Well, let me rephrase that. I won't burn it ever again!
But then, I've got about 3 years of oak lined up, with a bit of ash and elm. I can afford to be picky.


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## svk (Jul 26, 2019)

Hell of a deal for the privilege of burning half punky BW.


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## Wood Doctor (Jul 26, 2019)

Unless it were free, I doubt I would drive all the way north to Duluth to pick it up and then only if I could spend a couple of hours with SVK knocking down a couple of cold ones.


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## rarefish383 (Jul 26, 2019)

Tell the guy I'm on my way and I have cash! Unless, of course, I bump into you guys, and spend it all in a local pub!


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## farmer steve (Jul 26, 2019)

rarefish383 said:


> Tell the guy I'm on my way and I have cash! Unless, of course, I bump into you guys, and spend it all in a local pub!


ROAD TRIP Joe !!!!! Cold beers with other chainsaw /firewood nuts wood be worth it.


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## madhatte (Jul 27, 2019)

dang y'all that's rich people wood right there show some respect


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## Wood Doctor (Jul 27, 2019)

Three years ago a tree removal company cut down five large walnut trees in a homeowner's back yard. I bucked it all up while they shredded the branches. Each tree produced about two truckloads of good firewood that I sold. No cash was exchanged. I got the firewood and they did not have to pay for the recycling. I believe they call that synergy.


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## Deleted member 149229 (Oct 1, 2019)

On Offer Up, hope nobody calls before I do.


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## Deleted member 117362 (Oct 1, 2019)

Dahmer said:


> On Offer Up, hope nobody calls before I do.
> View attachment 762940


When are you picking it up? He is paying you $1000 and you get a mantle, nice.


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## Deleted member 149229 (Oct 1, 2019)

Duce said:


> When are you picking it up? He is paying you $1000 and you get a mantle, nice.


Better deal yet. I thought he wanted $1000, I was sitting on the floor rolling my pennies.


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## Ash_403 (Oct 2, 2019)

^^^ "It was saves and straightened over 10 years ago."

If I'm deciphering that correctly... this tree was saved and straightened (forced to grow straight) 10 years ago.
First observation... It is not straight. Second... it looks to crotch out to two co-dominant stems, about 15 feet up.


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## JeffHK454 (Oct 2, 2019)

Ash_403 said:


> ^^^ "It was saves and straightened over 10 years ago."
> 
> If I'm deciphering that correctly... this tree was saved and straightened (forced to grow straight) 10 years ago.
> First observation... It is not straight. Second... it looks to crotch out to two co-dominant stems, about 15 feet up.


So you’re saying that things only worth $900?


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## Deleted member 117362 (Oct 2, 2019)

JeffHK454 said:


> So you’re saying that things only worth $900?


No, $1000 would be fair to remove and clean up, grind stump also. $900 to drop, cut up and leave the mess.


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## farmer steve (Oct 7, 2019)

I grew up climbing and swinging on Tarzan ropes in the Highly Valuable Black Walnut trees in this pic. Notice how the car is almost hidden in the second pic.


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## Deleted member 117362 (Oct 7, 2019)

farmer steve said:


> I grew up climbing and swinging on Tarzan ropes in the Highly Valuable Black Walnut trees in this pic. Notice how the car is almost hidden in the second pic. View attachment 764090
> View attachment 764091



Removing one of those would be work, limbing, brushing, bucking, splitting, moving, stacking and clean up. $1000 would not cover one of those monsters. I bet they give off a smell you remember, drinking a lemonade sitting under them. Nice! Did you ever throw those baseball sized nuts at each other, we would have. Might have broken a few windows with batting practice also.

Would be hard to find a mill for those logs around here, most places have gone to band mills. Local logger has a hard time selling anything over 40".


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## farmer steve (Oct 7, 2019)

Duce said:


> Removing one of those would be work, limbing, brushing, bucking, splitting, moving, stacking and clean up. $1000 would not cover one of those monsters. I bet they give off a smell you remember, drinking a lemonade sitting under them. Nice! Did you ever throw those baseball sized nuts at each other, we would have. Might have broken a few windows with batting practice also.
> 
> Would be hard to find a mill for those logs around here, most places have gone to band mills. Local logger has a hard time selling anything over 40".


Lots of walnut battles. And broken windows. Prolly lots of metal in them too. There is some chain hanging in the one crotch dad said they used to use for hanging stuff to butcher when he was a kid and he is 88.


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