got hands on a larger mesquite

[agrams]

had a connection call me about a big mesquite they were going to take down for a subdivision development, so managed to make it over and cut some slabs from the trunk this weekend, this was my first chance to really put the 3120xp I purchased to use in a harder, wider log. It had no problem going through (though I did hit some old barbed wire in 2 spots, but that only damaged about 2 teeth very much, well worth a little time to fix up vs the quality of slabs I managed to get. All are about 24-28" wide, 2" thick, 5' length.

this is just temporary storage in my yard until I can move it to its final location for drying in the next day or two. I anticipate getting some all thread to clamp down the stack and a few sheets of corrugated tin to set on the top to keep rain/sunlight off.

 

[buzz sawyer]

Nice save! Are there any voids in the slabs?

 

[agrams]

about 4 of the slabs started having two branches split and the slab open in between them down a foot or so, but 3-4 of them are solid through their height.

 

[buzz sawyer]

That's some nice stuff. Wish it grew around here.

 

[agrams]

this was my first chance to mill a tree that hadn't already been felled.

Some lessons learned:
- I should have cut it closer to the ground and dug out a little more. This would have given me about another 3-5" of solid wood on the slab length
- I need a log rolling bar/cant hook...
- I need to set up my auxiliary oiler once that gets in...

I needed to take more water to drink, hah.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Looks good, I'd be sealing the ends of those flitches with Anchorseal ASAP!

It's your best chance to keep the end cracking to minimum...

SR

 

[agrams]

thanks rob, that pic I took immediately after I got them stacked, but about 5 minutes after that I sealed the end grain.

 

[KiwiBro]

Has anyone tried using a diluted mix of PVA glue instead of Anchorseal? I ask because such sealers are relatively expensive here compared to PVA. I can buy the latter in powder form for real cheap and have a heap of timber to seal each year for the turners and myself. Thanks.

 

[cityslicker]

Great job! Any idea of how old the tree was? I can't even begin to see the growth rings in the butt cut however the rings seem like they would be really tight from the looks of the log. Do you have any pictures of the slabs? Nice stack!

 

[agrams]

I have two cookies from the trunk I want to count the rings on. I didn't get a chance to take a picture of any of the slabs, but I will eventually. I had to get home and get them unloaded, stickered and get myself cleaned up for dinner with the wife. I already stayed longer cutting that day than I thought, so didn't want the wife to have the chance to get more mad at me, hah!