After struggling with mud, snow, ice, slush, and bitter cold, we finished our log sawing project today.
We cut down a bunch of ‘junk’ trees; dead ash trees, trees that were leaning out into fields, trees that had split, trees that were never going to be commercial lumber.
We dragged all those logs up to the farmyard.
???
Then we had Dave Scheiber of Bent Tree Sawmill bring his portable sawmill out and turn the logs into lumber.
Sawing Logs
Dave’s phone number is prominently displayed in the photo above. Give him a call if you need some logs sawed![1]
This is the coolest tree we cut.
Spalted Maple
It’s a spalted maple. Spalting is caused by a fungus that infects the tree and makes these flame patterns in the wood.
It’s so cool another picture is in order.
More spalted maple
I had Dave cut it into 2 inch thick slabs and leave one side natural with the bark on. I plan to make a slab table with natural sides out of it.
We saved the best log for last. A huge red oak about 30 inches in diameter and over 16 feet long.
The Mighty Oak
It weighed easily 3000 pounds, including Bernie who is trotting across the top of it.
All those logs resulted in lumber.
Lumber
Fencing boards and hay wagon flooring and furniture boards.
More lumber
The slabs of spalted maple and other boards.
And even more lumber.
Big pieces of oak for the underpinnings of a hay wagon. Those big slabs of oak on the left are 3 1/2″ by 10″ by 16′ and weigh a good 150 pounds each.
Alas it wasn’t all sawdust and good times. We ruined one of Dave’s saw blades on this.
Trouble
A lag screw someone had screwed into a log a good 8 feet off the ground. That brought the operation to a screeching halt. Fortunately it was the only foreign object we encountered.
We also ended up with about 6 pickup loads of slab wood, the rounded parts of bark and sapwood you cut off the log so you get a square piece to start slicing boards from. We cut the slabs into short pieces to burn in the fireplace next winter.
It was hard work and took a lot of time, but the end result of a huge pile of lumber and firewood is very satisfying.
1. zumbrun.net is, as always, entirely commercial-free. I’ve received no
consideration from Bent Tree Sawmill for my effusive endorsement.
I can’t believe that you spelled “Burnie” wrong!
Be nice, Debbie, if you want that spalted maple table.
Those are going to be mighty heavy hay wagons with 2 inch oak flooring boards.
Do you have to pay extra for the sawyer’s ruined saws?
Hey Chuck,
I enjoyed reading about your log-into-lumber
day. We had the same experience, cutting the
logs from the trees I cleared to make room
for our house and my shop. My sawyer laughed
at my enthusiasm at each new log we cut. I
think he was a little jaded, having cut more
than 2 million board feet on his portable
band-mill(a Wood-Mizer,like the one you
used, made in Indianapolis).
Now we enjoy the finished products from that
wood every day in our home. Working with wood
is so satisfying! Have fun with your new
lumber. Ted