42"DBH X 14' Oak log

[high life man]

Our company is in the process of removing a huge residential oak tree. The trunk is exceptionally straight, clean, and rot free. No metal that I can see.

All of the leads are off, but the trunk is still standing. Before I drop it and dice it up, I'd like to know if a log like this has any value. If so, how much and who are the perspective buyers I should contact? We have no means to transport or even load a piece of wood this size, so the buyer would have to take care of that end too.

And yes, access is good.

 

[Gypo Logger]

Hi there High Life Man. Buyers of highgrade roundwood are generally not interested in what they call "City trees", especially Oak which stains purple if it harbours any internal hardware, rendering it utility grade. I would just hire a portable mill and split the lumber with him on site if possible or just go nuts on it with a good saw and block it into firewood split it with a 6# maul.
John

 

[buckwheat]

I agree. No sawmill is going to send a truck for one log, at least in my region. Maybe, just maybe, you can find a wood worker who would be interested in milling it, but it sounds too big unless you have a portable mill.
You're probably looking at a firewood project. Drop it, buck it, either bring a splitter on site, or rip it into quarters and haul it out. Ahh.... life is good.

 

[treeclimber165]

Find someone with a boom truck, or even a tow truck to hoist chunks into your dump truck. Even a F-450 tow truck could pick it up in 3 pieces.

OOOOOOOHH, you are up there in Mini-Soda (isn't that in Canada?). Cut it up for firewood. Down here, firewood is about free for the taking cause we have more wood than cold weather. Stuff that size usually ends up in the dump or someone's burn pile.

 

[WOLF_RIVER_MIKE]

high life man, sounds like a good reason to buy that 3120 or 088 w/60" bar and ripping chain and rip a few dining table slabs or something. Any excuse, right?

 

[high life man]

I put the customer off a bit and bought some extra time to find a buyer. I figured if I could sell it for transportation plus some cash, I'd be money ahead considering the labor involved in processing and transprortion for firewood. I now give up.

I called three lumber procesors and all of them said what gypo said: "Not interested in city trees."

The trunk comes down on Monday. Ten cuts of 16", ten more ripping them in half, and then alot of splitting.

The way I figure, that log should yield about 1.5 cords. $500.00 in these parts. I already got 2 cords split and stacked from all of the leads. Vultures came in from all over the neighborhood to scoop up the knuckles and odd cuts for free.

My 044 w/ 32" bar is ready. My partner's 394 stumper may also be employed, but I bet my 044 will handle it nicely. ( My saws are sharper than his.)

 

[rbtree]

While I am aware of the metal contamination problem, I've only had one problem with it. All my logging is residential, and I'd say I've sold a couple hundred thousand board feet over the years. Only had one reject. it was a 850 board foot fir log worth ~ $1000 at the time. I asked the log buyer to cut the end off, and pay me a bit less. Instead, he credited me the full value!!!!

The sort yards/ mills that I sell to all use metal detectors. If I suspect nails, etc, I will call them to alert them. It pays to keep a good working relationship.

Rog

 

[geofore]

city trees

I usually save the best for myself. Not much chance of iron if you cut that off at ten feet off the ground.Hate to waste that much wood but my sawer won't cut iron unless I pay for blades.. I had him cut a 48"x52" x 14' cut the first ten feet for firewood. It had wire in it from late 1870's, some collector would have bought the wire if we had not burned it for firewood. Sould have split it out. Cost four teeth in a row on the chainsaw when I hit the square nails holding the barbed wire. Purple streak did not run up the stump past ten feet. 362 rings, old oak, solid except the lightning took the bark clean off,top to bottom.

Find someone with a sawmill for a hobby and cut em off high.

 

[seasoned burner]

log splitter

I am new to this site and am in search of a used log splitter can anyone help me out?

 

[sedanman]

Used log splitters are few and far between around here. They sell fast to friends of the guy who has one. I looked for a year then decided to build one. A friend of my boss' came into the shop and saw the parts I had collected. We started talking about what I was going to do, then he said he had one he'd sell. Word of mouth is your best friend, tell everyone you can think of that you're looking and one will turn up.

 

[seasoned burner]

thanks

Yeah I have the word of mouth out but no response. Thanks for the information though.