Black Walnut

[70flyingv]

Hey anyone milled any black walnut that was cut down this late in the season with the green on. If so have you had issues with sap drawn up and how has it affected the cutting? I have always milled trees taken down during dormancy. Thanks

 

[betterbuilt]

Your real concern would be bugs. I'd be sure to get the bark off and sticker it right away. Happy milling.

 

[70flyingv]

hey thanks! Any sap issues though?

 

[betterbuilt]

The bugs like the sap.

No issues I can think of other then maybe some staining in the sapwood. You might get more cracking/checks then usual, due to the moisture content. I've milled lots of spring cut Walnut and my only concern is Bugs. Usually the bark pops of because of the moisture.

 

[asdf4240]

Your real concern would be bugs. I'd be sure to get the bark off and sticker it right away. Happy milling.

I'm a bit of a lurker here, but I'm not sure what sticker means? Is that the sticks used to separate the slabs after the wood is cut?

 

[Dave Boyt]

I've had a lot of walnut pitch build-up on my band mill. Diesel solved the problem. If you have an aux oiler on the bar tip, use diesel or a diesel/bar oil mix there and regular bar oil in your chain saw. I agree that water or soap is a bad idea for a chain saw.

I notice you have a Husq 2101. I just got a 2100 for milling wide slabs. Nice saw, if you can find enough parts to keep it running!

ASDF4240, that's right. Stickers are the spacers between the boards to allow air circulation so they dry evenly. Always sticker the wood right away, unless you want spalting (which you wouldn't want in walnut). I use 1" square stickers cut from the low-grade boards. You can rip a lot of them on a table saw in a short time.

 

[70flyingv]

I've had a lot of walnut pitch build-up on my band mill. Diesel solved the problem. If you have an aux oiler on the bar tip, use diesel or a diesel/bar oil mix there and regular bar oil in your chain saw. I agree that water or soap is a bad idea for a chain saw.

I notice you have a Husq 2101. I just got a 2100 for milling wide slabs. Nice saw, if you can find enough parts to keep it running!

ASDF4240, that's right. Stickers are the spacers between the boards to allow air circulation so they dry evenly. Always sticker the wood right away, unless you want spalting (which you wouldn't want in walnut). I use 1" square stickers cut from the low-grade boards. You can rip a lot of them on a table saw in a short time.

Actually, I have always used a mix of diesel and pine sol on the LT 40 Woodmizer but, thats because I am usually running pine or cedar on that mill. The tree I am thinking about needs to be milled with one of my CS mills because of access and the width. Actually moisture and sap were my main concerns. I live in an area that is very dry and arid so it might be too risky since I will keep them as slabs. I am concerened about the checking and cracks happening with them drying out too quick!

Also, I have 3 husqvarna 2100s or to be more correct I have (2) 2100cd and a 2101xp. They are great saws! I am selling one right now though on Craigslist in Portland, Oregon. I might have priced it a bit high but, not too much since it is REALLY nice! I do have some extra parts but, at least the parts are easier to find and aren't as much as my Stihl 084!

 

[Dave Boyt]

Might sticker, then cover the stack with plastic to slow the drying. I do that on some heavy slabs. Anchor Seal (Bailey's sells it under a different name) on the ends will help keep down the end checking.

I looked up your saw (I assume it is yours-- showing 160 pounds of compression) on Craig's list. Nice. I've never seen one that pristine.

 

[70flyingv]

Might sticker, then cover the stack with plastic to slow the drying. I do that on some heavy slabs. Anchor Seal (Bailey's sells it under a different name) on the ends will help keep down the end checking.

I looked up your saw (I assume it is yours-- showing 160 pounds of compression) on Craig's list. Nice. I've never seen one that pristine.

Hey thanks Dave. Nice to see someone appreciate it. It actually is hanging around 163-164lbs. I lowered the price to $675 today. I had a guy that wanted just the starter cover clutch cover and air filter cover and offered $175 for the 3 of them. They are basically new old stock. I have an old starter and clutch cover that I could put on it but, no air cleaner cover. It seems that people want to pay around $500 for these on ebay regardless of cond. So it may be the way to go.

Yeah before I moved I had a huge feeder barn that I could put my slabs under and it helped slow the drying. Wondering if the bags might start some spalt? I am experimenting this year with a few methods of spalting on some big Maple slabs. I have a 5 gallon bucket of Anchorseal. For years I just used old latex paint but, I like the anchorseal alot better since I would have made a horrible painter and just seem to spill and track paint everytime i used it.

 

[Cody Colston]

Hey anyone milled any black walnut that was cut down this late in the season with the green on. If so have you had issues with sap drawn up and how has it affected the cutting? I have always milled trees taken down during dormancy. Thanks

Most all trees actually have a slightly higher moisture content (sap) in winter than they do in summer. The sap doesn't go anywhere in winter (where would it go?), it just becomes less fluid since there is no foliage to provide with nutrients. (deciduous trees)

The advantage to cutting timber in winter is that the cooler temperatures are not conducive to fungal growth, thus staining and decay are retarded.

Since the sap is more fluid in warm weather, it might tend to gum up the saw more than in cold weather.

 

[Dave Boyt]

Hey thanks Dave. Nice to see someone appreciate it. It actually is hanging around 163-164lbs. I lowered the price to $675 today. I had a guy that wanted just the starter cover clutch cover and air filter cover and offered $175 for the 3 of them. They are basically new old stock. I have an old starter and clutch cover that I could put on it but, no air cleaner cover. It seems that people want to pay around $500 for these on ebay regardless of cond. So it may be the way to go.

What is the policy of advertising equipment on this forum? I know some of the local forum members would drool over it (I'd go for it myself at that price, if I had the dough). You might send a private message to "Stumpy" on the forum. I'd just hate to see a saw like that get parted out.