Does Walnut make good firewood??
- Thread starter VW Splitter
- Start date
Help Support Arborist Forum:
I've got stacks of 3" thick live edge boards, 7.5' long, all over my yard. If I could get $50 a piece for them, they would all be gone. I've got 42" wide forks with the most beautiful swirls in the grain you have ever seen, several stock blanks that have been air drying for at least 5 years. High end stock blanks often dry for over 20 years. I've posted pics of many of the pretty ones here, before PhotoKickTheBucket, pulled the plug on us. I was the fourth generation in the tree business and we were offered some pretty good money for stumps, but we didn't do the volume in BW or have the storage, to let them sit till a Broker came buy. If they were more than a few months old the Broker would turn his nose up and make an offer that was less than firewood. The only decent money I've seen is the way Ted Jenkins is talking about. The $10,000 dollar log, is in the same garage as the 63 Vette, fuel injected, split window coupe that sold for $100 as an "Old Chevy". If this was posted on the milling forum there would be a way different response. If you rented a machine and roll back to take it to a mill, you would be real lucky to break even. No mill will come out to pick up one log. It's real easy to prove, pick up the phone and start calling. If you know you can get $10,000 for a log, send me $5,000 and I'll use my loader to put them on your trailer. I could have about a dozen 8'6" logs for you in a week, averaging 30-40 inch, Joe.
Streblerm
Addicted to ArboristSite
I've read conflicting reports. As far as being bad for your health I don't think it's worse than any other smoke.
I have used it with good results mixed with other fragrant hardwoods. I wouldn't want to use it green or all alone. It could be overpowering. I feel the same about hickory and mesquite. I've heard it can taste bitter but I haven't noticed it on beef or pork. Might be a bit much for poultry or fish.
I have to ask Weaver, et al. the question: Why is it that black walnut cannot be used for smoking meat?
I use to sell wood to a guy who had a commercial wood fired pizza oven. He told me that black walnut was toxic for cooking with and only wanted oak. So that's were I got my info from. I burn a lot of walnut I feel like I have to empty the ash pan more frequently than when I burn other types of wood. We burn 30 face cords of wood a winter. We had our forest logged two years ago. Lots of tops left over. They took red and white oak. And black walnut. Our one tree was 25 feet tall before it split and was over 5 feet in diameter. They were able to get a lot of long runs from the one tree.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk
I use almost any fruit wood to smoke with, but Black Cherry. Black Cherry leaves and bark, when green, and starting to break down, produce Prussic acid, or Hydrogen Cyanide. Farmers will get blow down Cherries out of a pasture in a hurry. When I was a kid there was an article in the local paper where a bunch of Boy Scouts got sick from eating hot dogs on long green Black Cherry skewers, Joe.
lindnova
ArboristSite Operative
Never heard that about cherry. I use black cherry when smoking all the time. I soak dry pieces of wood and haven't used green.
Full Chisel
Slingin' Stihls and runnin' Huskies
I like black walnut for shoulder and firepit wood. It works up easy and dries relatively fast. And it smells great. It does pop and spit though, but it doesn't create showers of sparks like mulberry does. Definitely produces more ash than oak and maple. I like to split it small and use it to start the stove up quick.
It's only the leaves and young bark when green. It's dangerous to any ungulates, deer, cows, sheep, that chew their cud and sits in the stomach acid. There is a formula of grams per body weight. Something like 2-4 pounds of Black Cherry leave can be a lethal dose to a 1200 pound cow. Lots of info and university studies in a Google search. I just make sure I don't use green sticks to roast my hot dogs, Joe.
Just got a call from a tree removal company. He claims he will have more than a truckload of black walnut from a live tree that I can pick up tomorrow morning about six miles down the road. And, I can cut all the logs to length before I load them on board. Did I turn his offer down? No entire way.
His crew will make it all available for my Husky 350 and my Ford Ranger. I never look a gift horse in the mouth.
His crew will make it all available for my Husky 350 and my Ford Ranger. I never look a gift horse in the mouth.
You get that log home and get lucky, no rot in it, you should be able to sell it and buy a new F350 diesel crew cab. Just thinking, Joe.
Probably not 4X4, just 2 WD. You'd need two logs for 4X4, Joe.
Collected my truckload of walnut this morning, split the logs, stacked them all, and I'm pooped. They may be dry enough to burn early next spring. The sun has been our friend lately.
The tree was huge, so this was only branch wood. Branches were threatening power lines. The climber did a good job. We were a crew of four.
The tree was huge, so this was only branch wood. Branches were threatening power lines. The climber did a good job. We were a crew of four.
Joe, saw this on another site, looks like these guys are happy with paying $60 per slab for green Walnut that is 18" wide, 9' long, and clear.
https://www.woodtalkonline.com/topic/26435-walnut-score/
https://www.woodtalkonline.com/topic/26435-walnut-score/
Mine are all crotch and fork pieces with lots of figure. I have a friend that I told to NEVER buy any logs. I could get him anything he wanted that grew in the Mid Atlantic area free. The next fishing trip we went on he was telling me all about this Walnut log he milled. I asked where he got it and he said CL. I started getting mad and told him that I had said I would get him anything free. He said "Oh, I know you said anything, but that didn't mean Black Walnut". Then he said he only paid $1000 each for two trees. So, CL can pay off now and then. Thanks for the link. I might join the site and learn how to use some of my wood working tools, and put the word out I have lots of live edge slabs available, Joe.
Glad to direct you to the site, a lot of talk on that site about wood procurement, a lot of good advice also. I see you wasted no time in jumping in, hope it yields some interest.
I'll keep you in mind also, I'm in DE not to far from you. Of course it is amazing how much free wood you can get if you sniff around, no need to use CL. I'm a dentist and I've started to spread the word around with some of my patients about my chainsaw mill. I've had more logs come my way than I could ever have time to deal with in the last few months. I run two 660s, one on a 36" Alaskan and one with a simple logosol attachment that I use to edge my cants. Looking to stock up while my body can still do it so I can enjoy woodworking into my retirement years.
I'll keep you in mind also, I'm in DE not to far from you. Of course it is amazing how much free wood you can get if you sniff around, no need to use CL. I'm a dentist and I've started to spread the word around with some of my patients about my chainsaw mill. I've had more logs come my way than I could ever have time to deal with in the last few months. I run two 660s, one on a 36" Alaskan and one with a simple logosol attachment that I use to edge my cants. Looking to stock up while my body can still do it so I can enjoy woodworking into my retirement years.
