Redwood yard tree

[Backwoods]

I went out and looked a redwood yard tree today. The last wind storm removed one of the three tops so the home owner had the other two removed as they had been weakened. The tree is accessible from the road with a little pruning. It has a dbh of 48”. I told the homeowner that I could remove it at no charge or mill it up for him at my normal rate. Nevertheless, he wanted me to remove the tree mill it up and return half the lumber to him, so I told him that if he delivered the log to my site that I would mill it up for half.
He told me that he had another mill that would come in and remove it mill it up and return half the wood to him but they had not seen the tree yet. I told him to give them a call then.
I see two logs in the tree, the top log would be all low quality wood with big knots and the bottom log is sure to have metal in it where it is on the fence line. Both logs would need split in half to load on the mill minimizing the wide boards that would come from it.
The side yard is to narrow to get the truck into and there are power lines and limbs on the sycamore tree in the front yard to deal with when using the boom truck to get the logs out of the back yard. I have a faller that will take the tree down at a reasonable rate.
Later I got a call from him indicating that he may still have me remove the tree.

 

[mtngun]

You are being generous to offer him half the wood even if he delivers the log. As you say, that yard tree probably has metal in it, and lots of knots for sure.

I think the homeowner would be lucky to have you remove the tree at no charge to him.

But, it is interesting to observe how you acquire your logs.

 

[Backwoods]

If I take this one out I will post pictures of the process.

 

[Can8ianTimber]

Way to stick to your guns, our local redwood is nice but not worth bending over backwords for. I have had a couple opertunities for some massive redwoods here locally but without a bandmill yet it is just too expensive to take on these trees. Here are a picture of a big one that I came across about a year ago. The homes foundation was being cracked by the roots and her driveway was destroyed so bad that she could not park the car in it, only the 4x4 truck.

Good luck on that log and hopfully it works out for you.

 

[mtngun]

Here are a picture of a big one that I came across about a year ago. The homes foundation was being cracked by the roots and her driveway was destroyed so bad that she could not park the car in it, only the 4x4 truck.
.

Wow, that would be fun to mill but it would have to be taken down by a pro with liability insurance. Then you'd have to mill it in the person's yard. Looks like a knotty tree anyway. The reality is that these homeowners are going to have to pay big bucks to have a pro deal with problem trees.

 

[johncinco]

personally, I'd walk away. At $15-20 a blade, your gonna burn through some cash in replacing blades from all the stuff your going to hit in that tree. If you have a detector and go over it very thoroughly, you might make out OK. But detectors don't find rocks, ceramic insulators, or bird feeders all the time.

 

[carvinmark]

personally, I'd walk away. At $15-20 a blade, your gonna burn through some cash in replacing blades from all the stuff your going to hit in that tree. If you have a detector and go over it very thoroughly, you might make out OK. But detectors don't find rocks, ceramic insulators, or bird feeders all the time.

I've had my share of rocks too. Wish we had some Redwood here, great to carve with.

 

[rarefish383]

You guys hit on a point I fight with one of my buddies. I'm a 4th generation Arborist (retired). When I see a standing tree the first thought is how much I'd charge to take it down. My buddy works for UPS and he'll call and say he's got this person on his route that has a big dead Oak and if he takes it down he can have the wood. I go and look and it's a giant dead tree that's hasn't leafed out in 4 or 5 years, between 2 houses and over a shed in the back. I tell him I wouldn't touch it for less than $3,000 and I'd prefer a crain because so much is that dead, which could add $2,000 to the price, and he says yeah, but it's free. Saving the home owner 5 K isn't what I call free to me. I just tell him to go jump on that bad boy with his Wood Shark and call me when he's done, he can use my dump trailer when he's ready.

Sorry for hijacking your thread. Being on the east coast I can only dream of something that big, It's seldom that I see anything over 4ft in diameter. The tallest was a big White Pine next to a house with a big field to lay the tree in. I climbed about 80ft up and put a 5/8 bull line in it to pull it over. We put a tape on it and it was right at 115ft with about a 3 foot stump. Thanks for the pix, Joe.

 

[Backwoods]

I would guess that both of the redwoods shown were planted in the mid sixties when they were common in the local nurseries for yard trees. Not bad for a 40 to 50 year old trees. They mill up about like western red cedar with about a 3”-4” sap ring. I can readily sell the 1”x 18”-24” wide boards for interior paneling and bar tops for dens, wine cellars, saunas, saloons, card rooms ect. Nails, knots and bullets just add character. One tree will do a room nicely with enough left over for cabinets and other furniture. A tote box with a carving in the top of it is always an easy selling point when doing a complete room with the redwood.

 

[mtngun]

Backwoods, you seem to be staying busy despite the crappy economy so you must know what you are doing. Sounds like you know how to cater to specialty markets. :agree2:

 

[Backwoods]

In this economy I have found that there are groups that still have money, the trick is to find what they have as a common interest that you can market to. I would like to be staying busier then I am but we are staying afloat. I am working on getting a big hemlock job that a larger mill that folded had been working on, it would keep us busy for at least a year with a small crew, but if that does not work out we will keep plugging along making small piles of sawdust.

 

[smithie55]

Redwood in Elk City, Oregon

Friend of mine had this redwood removed from his yard, and I got the whole thing, what a score.
The house and the tree can be seen in the 1971 movie Sometimes a great notion.
Henry Fonda is filmed walking in from of this house.

5 1/2' on the stump, major taper

 

[logging22]

Never seen the movie but what a geat tree!! Good score bro.


Les

 

[smithie55]

Elk City Oregon redwood continued

cutting blocks for bowl blanks

Happiness is a buried 36" bar

 

[smithie55]

Elk City Oregon redwood continued

 

[smithie55]

Elk City Oregon redwood continued

Ya man makin sawdust!!!!

 

[Can8ianTimber]

Love the pictures, Especially you milling with the big smile on your face. Thanks for the pics.

 

[Backwoods]

This is a redwood that I recieved as a removal.

It took a bit with hand tools to get the logs decked.

After a bit of trimming the first log was loaded.

 

[Backwoods]

It made for a good days work by the time it was all stcked, and there were some nice boards in the stack.

 

[smithie55]

Hey Backwoods,
What kind of dimensions did you end up with from that redwood, looks pretty clear?
Also this was the first redwood that I have ever milled, so I don't know the character of redwood, but this tree was really, really moist, and heavy, without the peavey I would of had a really hard time moving any of it around.
Most of the wood from this tree that I posted will be milled into slabs and bowl blanks. I did mill up some 4/4x20" and 8/4x10".