Chainsaw millers Dream!

[billstuewe]

I sawed it with a Stihl MS880--new 5/4/10--with a 72" bar and a 72" AK-III

I counted 126 rings. It is being taken to a botanist so we will see how close I came.

 

[mtngun]

I counted 126 rings.

126 years produces a 24" - 26" diameter softwood in my area.

 

[qbilder]

126? Wow. I would have guessed much older. Must have been growing out in an open area with good water source & lots of sun.

 

[billstuewe]

It was by itself in a field on a 30"bluff overlooking Little River on some of the best farmland in Texas (part of the Blackland Prairie).
I too thought it would have been 400-500 years old. The first 2' of rings were each 1/2" across. After that they started narrowing down and at the edge some were only about 1/16"

 

[TXcowboy]

Great pics and Great milling! Thats a huge tree but as you say, it was growing in some of the best dirt around. Let us know when you get an offical age on it. I agree with Brownpot, would have liked to see you cutting that one.

 

[qbilder]

It was by itself in a field on a 30"bluff overlooking Little River on some of the best farmland in Texas (part of the Blackland Prairie).
I too thought it would have been 400-500 years old. The first 2' of rings were each 1/2" across. After that they started narrowing down and at the edge some were only about 1/16"

That's all the difference. It had optimum growing conditions. Full sun, great soil & nutrition, and a virtual pipeline of constant water. That tree was on roids LOL

 

[billstuewe]

Well, the official ring count is in and I was dead on at 126. The baylor University Professor got 1`26 the first count and 127 the second so I guess IK know how to count rings.

 

[billstuewe]

Well, today I went and milled 6 more cookies off the big trunk for some of the people that put up money to drag the log out of the river. For my effort I got to take the rest of the log, about 38" worth. Each slice is about 500lbs so it is a challenge.
The "left-over" weighed 3900# acording to the loader scale.

Table anyone?

Three coats of anchorseal on each side, Will sticker when dry.

 

[johncinco]

Sag solution: Use a 3' bar, plunge cut, and then have someone drive the truck around with you on the tail gate.

Thats one big stump. Looks like a lot of fun. Hopefully they do not warp much and you can get some nice table top slabs out of it. There are buyers out there for something like that for sure.

 

[BobL]

Looking at that shape and I keep seeing a blobby lookin critter.

If it fails as a table it would be fun to set it up in a kids park or similar.

 

[billstuewe]

I was wondering who would find him first--Casper is in there--his head is about half way up straight above where the stick is tied in the middle. His tommy button is to the left of the stick just above the crack.

I am hoping that the crack has already relieved most of the stress and that there will be minimal cracking. I have about 8-9 more to cut--I need a boat load of anchorseal.

 

[deeker]

You have done a very nice job!!!

Keep up the great work!

 

[Gunther274]

look up epicormic sprouts on google images, im guessing thats what those little knots are. they are just little branches that come out of the trunk, they are dormant buds that sit on the cambium and just grow with the tree, then sprout kinda randomly, or when the trunk gets extra sunlight.

Epicormic buds, or sprouts or branches, look it up, im guessing thats what it is.

 

[Gunther274]

Ha funny i didnt realize i was looking at threads on like page 15... OOOOPs!

 

[rarefish383]

That's alright, this one is worth looking at again and again, Joe.

 

[mitch95100]

man!thats a big chunk of wood! going to slab it up any more.looks like table top material. how about the rest of the tree? any pieces worth milling .

good job.

Thats what i was thinkin!! it would make an awsome table top