My Biggest Elm Log Yet

[Wood Doctor]

This American elm tree was a whopper. I counted 85 rings at one foot above the felling cut. At the time I took these Pics, I had already carried away six truckloads of blocks from rounds further up the trunk. That's a 32" bar on the Makita 6401 with BBK.


This huge round seems to measure about the same diameter horizontally and vertically:


I noodle cut each 18" length into six blocks, thus saving my back. I used the Stihl MS361 with a 20" bar for all the noodle cutting. She ran like a champ. Twelve blocks almost filled the truck:


Hi Ho, Hi Ho,
It's off to the splitter I go.
The bark fell off,
It should split clean,
Hi Ho, Hi Ho...

 

[Hinerman]

Very nice. You coming to Hedgefest on Nov. 1?

 

[sawjunky23]

lotta heat there, Cool looking saw too if I must say!

 

[Wood Doctor]

Very nice. You coming to Hedgefest on Nov. 1?

Matt may have to give me some new directions. Dang it, I lost the ones he gave me when I went there and bought my hand-carved bear that resides to this day on my front porch. Carthage could be my objective for the 1st. Frankly, I'd rather be in Carthage than wearing a zombie costume on Halloween night.

Does anyone blame me for that preference? Matt, please PM me directions from Omaha to Carthage. I sometimes get lost when I get close to Joplin. I'd like to compare my 046 dual port with my Makita.

 

[LAH]

Years ago on Dry Creek there was many dead elms. I used a lot of the stuff & loved it. That be a big one.

 

[zogger]

Dang, this is some nice wood there!

 

[Wood Doctor]

I brought this one in two years ago, but the one above is bigger.

Same saw, older sawyer. The more recent one show in Post #1 was 18 years older than this one.

 

[zogger]

The elms here just don't get that big. About around a foot diameter, then that's it. Throw decent BTUs though, and you have to work for it!

 

[Full Chisel]

That's a biggun for sure. I know of several trees that size or bigger, some live but mostly dead standing. The biggest I've come across in the timber was a dead standing double trunk in N IL, just a massive tree, easily 4-5' in diameter at the base. A few years back me and a buddy picked bagfulls of morels under that tree, this year nothing.

There was a monster elm taken down a while back in a town nearby that had finally given in to DED, it was estimated to be around 175 years old. Amazing how those old elms can overcome the destruction of the beetle for so many years, only to give into it and die within months. It's a shame to see those old giants die that way, first it was the chestnut then the elm and now the ash. But a good time to be a sawyer!

 

[Wood Doctor]

I split all the logs from these two rounds today. As predicted, they split beautifully with no stall outs. I generated 100 logs apiece from each round or 200 for the partial truckload. These splits should take about a month to dry in a random pile on pallets. We have excellent drying conditions these days--quite a change from the wet summer.

 

[zogger]

I split all the logs from these two rounds today. As predicted, they split beautifully with no stall outs. I generated 100 logs apiece from each round or 200 for the partial truckload. These splits should take about a month to dry in a random pile on pallets. We have excellent drying conditions these days--quite a change from the wet summer.

That would be fast for elm around here! Approximately what size are your splits?

 

[hardpan]

I like working up the big wood, lower percentage of bark and cambium, and dries faster. Interesting you noodle with a 361. My ms362 has the power but clogs quickly under the clutch cover. Maybe you modified yours. A tree that size could make 4 cords if the limbs are still good. Good show.

 

[1project2many]

New This American elm tree was a whopper. I counted 85 rings at one foot above the felling cut. At the time I took these Pics, I had already carried away six truckloads of blocks from rounds further up the trunk. That's a 32" bar on the Makita 6401 with BBK.

Ayep. That's a big one. Good to hear it was agreeable to separation.

The elms here just don't get that big. About around a foot diameter, then that's it. Throw decent BTUs though, and you have to work for it!

I pass a house that had a dead leaner at about 20" for several years. I wanted to take it down but it was on a hillside and the barn and house were below. I just didn't want the risk of it going the wrong way. Eventually the homeowner took a chance and cut it down. He was using the wood from that tree and several others as barter material with his mechanic but the pile is just sitting there now. What a shame to see it going to waste.

 

[hdp]

how ya like that Makita

 

[Wood Doctor]

(1) My splits are about the size of a 4 x 4 post on average.

(2) The 361 is a very good noodle saw. Sometimes I remove the rubberboot to allow more clearance for the noodles, but I must admit that the best modification might be to find an old clutch cover and chop out a chunk from the lower left side. I've never done this. I am running with an 8-pin rim that might give it more speed to kick out the noodles, but that's just a theory.

(3) The Makita is a keeper. That's a Dolmar 7900 in disguise, once you upgrade it with a Big Bore Kit. It dribbles a little bar oil now and then, so I store it on its pull-cord side. It's lighter than my MS 460 and has about the same power.

BTW, I sure wish I had a horse barn for all those noodles I left on the ground.

 

[wudpirat]

You see noodles, I see kindeling, bag that stuff and dry it. A handfull, a match, couple pine split and you got a fire.
My eyes popped seeing that 32" bar on the 6400, no way he's using that to cut, Then I spied the BBK part. My 6400s sport a 16" and a 24",about max for a 6400. The 32" bar goes on the 7900. witch normaly wears a 24".
That 32" is just too long and ackward and nose heavy for me , maybe when I wore a younger man's clothes, it was ok.
I just luv them Dollys, got three, oops four, forgot about the 340 baby saw.
Hope your elm split better than my elm, stringy but burns fine.
Nice haul, a BTU is a BTU.

 

[benp]

(1) My splits are about the size of a 4 x 4 post on average.

(2) The 361 is a very good noodle saw. Sometimes I remove the rubberboot to allow more clearance for the noodles, but I must admit that the best modification might be to find an old clutch cover and chop out a chunk from the lower left side. I've never done this. I am running with an 8-pin rim that might give it more speed to kick out the noodles, but that's just a theory.

(3) The Makita is a keeper. That's a Dolmar 7900 in disguise, once you upgrade it with a Big Bore Kit. It dribbles a little bar oil now and then, so I store it on its pull-cord side. It's lighter than my MS 460 and has about the same power.

BTW, I sure wish I had a horse barn for all those noodles I left on the ground.

You're really making me want to put the 32" on one of the screamers. I probably should anyways and get a new one for the 394.

I have found that switching to a heavier weight oil, 40 weight, helps quite a bit with the drooling.

I pick this up from my local Cenex co-op. It is my favorite bar oil.

 

[Zeus103363]

got to love that extra tackifier


Thanks

 

[Wood Doctor]

The only time I drop a 32" bar on this beefed up Makita is when I go after 3' diameter logs or larger. Most of the time I run a 25" bar on her and she purrs like a kitten with that. The balance is also much better.

Say, I went after some of the branches that were on this tree today. Only two branches completely filled the truck to the brim, and the bark was all gone. I'm splitting those tomorrow. There are at least four more truckloads from this giant elm from the remaining branches. Not one branch is punky or rotten in the center.