1.5 meter walnut trees

[sketchtrack]

Is it feasible to mill a 1.5 meter wide walnut tree with a chainsaw mill? I have a stihl 660, 36" bar, and alaskan mill. If I cut it into quarters, I could get at it with the chainsaw mill, I just don't know about rolling it to get it into quarters, and then moving the quarters around and all. I am used to slabbing smaller logs in place.

Anyone have any advice? Trying to decide if it's worth it. I also should mention I have to fall the tree, clean up the mess, and hall everything away plus pay $200 to get the timber. And that the trees are a couple hundred miles away in the San Jose area.

Otherwise I might look for a lucas owner in the area. What should I do?

 

[BobL]

Is it feasible to mill a 1.5 meter wide walnut tree with a chainsaw mill? I have a stihl 660, 36" bar, and alaskan mill. If I cut it into quarters, I could get at it with the chainsaw mill, I just don't know about rolling it to get it into quarters, and then moving the quarters around and all. I am used to slabbing smaller logs in place.

Anyone have any advice? Trying to decide if it's worth it. I also should mention I have to fall the tree, clean up the mess, and hall everything away plus pay $200 to get the timber. And that the trees are a couple hundred miles away in the San Jose area.

Otherwise I might look for a lucas owner in the area. What should I do?

Personally; I see the travel as being your cost.
But
Get an independent quote for falling the trees and removing the rubbish add $200 and then see if its worth it - my guess is it won't be. You have no idea what they will be like inside.

 

[wavefreak]

Black walnut? In California?

 

[olyman]

that long a drive, clean up all the mess, AND pay 200.00 for the trees??? whats the owner of those trees smoking???????? must be some gooooood stuff. unless black walnut is near extinct in your area, id tell him to take a hike, esp if that tree is in a yard somewhere, as its highly likely it has hardware in it------

 

[discounthunter]

paying for trees sight onseen. plus you have to fell them and clean up.cheaper to find allready milled and cured walnut.imo. Dave

 

[BlueRider]

it is well worth the $200 and the work to remove the tree. Look to sub out chipping the limbs and you will still come out smelling like roses.

If it is 1.5 meters it will be over 200 years old and that will make it a native claro walnut (juglans hindsii) and most likely a tree that size will also be curly figure. I milled a 40" claro in San Jose back in 96 and much of the wood from that tree was comparable to what I see going for $25-$50/bf.

You are looking at about 700 lbs per foot in length for a log that size so do the math and you will quickly see that quartering the log will still be some big work. A 660 will be hard pressed to pull a 6' bar through walnut.

I have a friend that lives in the area that has an 090 and a 6' bar If you are interested I can try and look him up for you.


All the other comments are from people that only have acces to juglans nigra which at best sells for $10/bf and can often be found for $6. non figured claro goes for $12-$15 and your log will yeild about 180 bf /lineal foot

 

[woodsrunner]

it is well worth the $200 and the work to remove the tree. Look to sub out chipping the limbs and you will still come out smelling like roses.

If it is 1.5 meters it will be over 200 years old and that will make it a native claro walnut (juglans hindsii) and most likely a tree that size will also be curly figure. I milled a 40" claro in San Jose back in 96 and much of the wood from that tree was comparable to what I see going for $25-$50/bf.

You are looking at about 700 lbs per foot in length for a log that size so do the math and you will quickly see that quartering the log will still be some big work. A 660 will be hard pressed to pull a 6' bar through walnut.

I have a friend that lives in the area that has an 090 and a 6' bar If you are interested I can try and look him up for you.


All the other comments are from people that only have acces to juglans nigra which at best sells for $10/bf and can often be found for $6. non figured claro goes for $12-$15 and your log will yeild about 180 bf /lineal foot

Exactly my thoughts.

Scott

 

[LAndrews]

I'm not too far away and can offer a hand for a coupla boards...

 

[Backwoods]

If you are going to tackle a tree that size you need to know what you are doing. First of all if it is a hazard tree you will be well advised to hire the best arborist in the area, if it is standing out in a field and could not possibly hit any thing you would still want some one that knows what they are doing falling a tree that size. You could loose half of your board footage when it hits the ground the wrong way.
Ok, now that the tree is on the ground, can you get equipment to the tree to handle moving it around? If not you just upped the ante. If you can, renting a piece of equipment like a mid sized excavator would be a real time saver. Bring in a tree service with a chipper to take care of the clean up since you are not able to just run over after work and spend a few hours a day.
Now you have removed all but the usable wood and can work around the tree. If you can not get equipment to the tree you will spend days just getting it down to pieces that you can pack out. Time will not be on your side. If you can get equipment to the tree quarter the logs up, have a portable-sawmill, come in, slice it up for you, load it on your truck and trailer, and make the necessary trips to haul it home.
It is hard to tell how much board footage is in a tree with out seeing it. Nevertheless, as a rough estimate and a round number let use 1,000 bft, that may be high. Arborist fees could be $10,000 easy, $1,000 for equipment rental, $1,000 for sawmill, plus the time and cost of transporting it. Who is repairing and replanting the lawn and other shrubs that may be damaged? You?
The $200 for the tree is just a drop in the bucket.
A better way to handle this would be to have the homeowner, which wants the messy tree removed, to pay for removal and clean up. Then pay you the $200 to save them the cost of renting equipment to get the big hunk of wood that they have no use for nor a way of moving with out costing them another arm and leg, out of there yard.
You can bet that they have had an arborist give them an estimate on removing the tree and are looking for a way to save them selves some big money.
So what it all comes down to is how much time and money do you want to invest in this wood.
On the other hand, you could drive up here to Oregon and spent $200 for a couple of nice 8’-10’logs that I have decked up. I can mill them into the sizes that you like and you can drive home. You saved yourself a lot of work and head aches and have a relaxing drive with out all the worries and time restraints. If you want to slice them up your self at home I can load them up for you as well. The logs are marked with a price and have no hidden cost other then the possibility of metal.

 

[billstuewe]

When someone wants me to pay them for a tree, I have a standard answer: "This is my hobby. I will be happy to take the trunk off your hands but it is up to you to have trained professionals take the tree down and dispose of everything else. I can save you the cost of them cutting up and grinding the main trunk if you will have them cut it "here" and "here"--and--I would like to be present when they cut the trunk.
As Backwoods has stated, they know what it is going to cost. I have only been refused once and was later told that they wished they had taken me up on it.
Bill

 

[sketchtrack]

On the other hand, you could drive up here to Oregon and spent $200 for a couple of nice 8’-10’logs that I have decked up. I can mill them into the sizes that you like and you can drive home. You saved yourself a lot of work and head aches and have a relaxing drive with out all the worries and time restraints. If you want to slice them up your self at home I can load them up for you as well. The logs are marked with a price and have no hidden cost other then the possibility of metal.

What kind of logs? Someday I plan to make a trip up that way and come back with a trailer full of Myrtle. I'll be looking for pieces that have some figure. It will probably be a while, maybe a year until I have time. I'll PM you when I get serious.

 

[Backwoods]

Right now, I have a good assortment of Black walnut and a couple of nice Myrtlewood logs. If I have a heads up as to what you are looking for I can search them out for you.

 

[johninky]

Aren't some of the most expensive rifle stocks made from walnut tree roots? Tree is question should have some real roots.

 

[olyman]

If you are going to tackle a tree that size you need to know what you are doing. First of all if it is a hazard tree you will be well advised to hire the best arborist in the area, if it is standing out in a field and could not possibly hit any thing you would still want some one that knows what they are doing falling a tree that size. You could loose half of your board footage when it hits the ground the wrong way.
Ok, now that the tree is on the ground, can you get equipment to the tree to handle moving it around? If not you just upped the ante. If you can, renting a piece of equipment like a mid sized excavator would be a real time saver. Bring in a tree service with a chipper to take care of the clean up since you are not able to just run over after work and spend a few hours a day.
Now you have removed all but the usable wood and can work around the tree. If you can not get equipment to the tree you will spend days just getting it down to pieces that you can pack out. Time will not be on your side. If you can get equipment to the tree quarter the logs up, have a portable-sawmill, come in, slice it up for you, load it on your truck and trailer, and make the necessary trips to haul it home.
It is hard to tell how much board footage is in a tree with out seeing it. Nevertheless, as a rough estimate and a round number let use 1,000 bft, that may be high. Arborist fees could be $10,000 easy, $1,000 for equipment rental, $1,000 for sawmill, plus the time and cost of transporting it. Who is repairing and replanting the lawn and other shrubs that may be damaged? You?
The $200 for the tree is just a drop in the bucket.
A better way to handle this would be to have the homeowner, which wants the messy tree removed, to pay for removal and clean up. Then pay you the $200 to save them the cost of renting equipment to get the big hunk of wood that they have no use for nor a way of moving with out costing them another arm and leg, out of there yard.
You can bet that they have had an arborist give them an estimate on removing the tree and are looking for a way to save them selves some big money.
So what it all comes down to is how much time and money do you want to invest in this wood.
On the other hand, you could drive up here to Oregon and spent $200 for a couple of nice 8’-10’logs that I have decked up. I can mill them into the sizes that you like and you can drive home. You saved yourself a lot of work and head aches and have a relaxing drive with out all the worries and time restraints. If you want to slice them up your self at home I can load them up for you as well. The logs are marked with a price and have no hidden cost other then the possibility of metal.

thanks for expounding much better than i did----

 

[oldsaw]

I would pass, but potentially offer to mill the log up once it is on the ground and cleaned up. If the lumber turned out okay, I'd have no problem slipping them some cash. However, if they tip the tree and it has a big hole in the middle, that's a lot of effort down the drain. With 200 miles between you and the tree, logistically, it could be messy, and the takedown, unless perfectly clear could be a rough deal.

You could mill it without quartering it, but you would have to move up to a 42" bar to max out your 36" mill. I've done a 44" oak by milling down to the capacity of the mill, rolling the log, milling, etc. The whole idea is to mill as much as possible and move the log as little as possible. You will need a winch, a nice place to tie onto, and a good stretch of cable or log chain to parbuckle the log over to where you can work on it each time. It will take a long time to mill a log that size, so you will have to find a place to spend the night too, maybe two nights.

Hobby or job, as has been mentioned. I'd stay away from tipping it and the cleanup which could easily burn up a day and probably require equipment of a scale you don't have.

Sounds good up front though, till you think about it a bit. The swingmill wouldn't be a bad idea, but you need to know what you've got first. The last log I milled was a split. The dufus who found the log said he wanted the bottom "big" end and that my buddy and I could split the little end on a near 40" DBH log. The bottom end turned out to be half rotten and had some breaks running through it from the fall (it was a blowover). I told him it wasn't a smart move beforehand, but he insisted. Shades of Monty Hall, Let's Make A Deal. There was a goat behind door number 3.

Mark