Lumber Question.

[Sam squanch]

Where I’m at , if the mill operator didn’t cut it , they don’t want it. I would invite some friends with chainsaws over and slab it out yourself. At least you tried…

 

[Billy Boy]

I have a parcel of land about 50 acres. Last winter a storm blew over a massive sugar maple. Right now it’s laying on its side in the woods with half the root ball exposed and it’s still alive. It leafed out etc but I know it’s dead. And I do believe that there is a lot of curly flames figure in the trunk as the barks is twisted and gnarled. I’ve seen this in other maples i had cut up. and they usually had some nice figure in the wood. Any utility in getting a chain saw sawmill and slab cutting it up in place? The tree is massive. Probably 30” in diameter at least maybe closer to 4’ at the very base. There’s limbs 20” in diameter that are 15’ long. A shame. It was a beautiful tree and very old.

Be very careful. Some of those bottom branches are under extreme pressure. Salvage logging is very dangerous, worse than having two girl friends..

 

[SOLANCO]

Where I’m at , if the mill operator didn’t cut it , they don’t want it. I would invite some friends with chainsaws over and slab it out yourself. At least you tried…

Not unreasonable of them. I've seen tree trunks grown to encase barbed wire and sign posts.

 

[ML48]

There’s a cabinet maker up the road from me. He has a mill. I might be able to cut it and drag it out with the tractor. It’s massive though. I may see if I can rent a loader with a grapple on it and go that route. I don’t want to let it go to waste or firewood.

My wife wants a slab to make a live edge table to the living room.

You found the plan that I'd go with. Curly maple for gun stocks and knife handles....drooling now,,,,

 

[ML48]

I us

a commercial mill may be able to put you in contact with a portable operator. if you can get a mill to the tree you eliminate the loading of all the waste. though there are uses for the maple sawdust even. mushroom growers kill for it. i really can see you coming out on the pluss side with a tree like that.
best of luck and let us know how it shakes out. maybe someone here will build a stock from it.

ually buy rough cut wood from mills and run them through my planer. The left over wood chips I store in a dry area and use for bedding in my hen nesting boxes...works great.

 

[sawyer04]

an alaskan mill is a young mans sport.

It is becoming with age that my one man sawmill is a young man's sport.

 

[deerstalkert]

sold mine to my nephew. he still has the ooomph to handle it. maybe not the brains though! his other hobby is growing "herb" as he calls it. hope he doesn't use while running the thing.

 

[SOLANCO]

There’s a cabinet maker up the road from me. He has a mill. I might be able to cut it and drag it out with the tractor. It’s massive though. I may see if I can rent a loader with a grapple on it and go that route. I don’t want to let it go to waste or firewood.

My wife wants a slab to make a live edge table to the living room.

For the initial move out of the woods you might try giving your tractor the mechanical advantage of a block and tackle. Limb the tree. Rig with the biggest block and tackle you can find and let gasoline do the pulling.

 

[flntlokr]

check around your area for someone with a 'Wood Miser' bandsaw mill. They can set up right over the log as it lies, and will custom cut as well; sometimes for a share of the product, so you end up paying little or no $$. Most of them should have a metal detector to check for inclusions as they go.