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Basswood

Started by WV Sawmiller, February 01, 2019, 06:38:54 PM

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maple flats

I felled 3 large Basswood stems about 18 months ago. I contacted 2 sawmills to see if they were interested in them. I had no interest in milling them, so I've been bucking them and making evaporator fuel. Have not burned any yet. But even after cutting the end blocks off that had been anchor sealed I did not see mold forming. Again, I only made it into firewood just to use it up.
logging small time for years but just learning how,  2012 36 HP Mahindra tractor, 3point log arch, 8000# class excavator, lifts 2500# and sets logs on mill precisely where needed, Woodland Mills HM130Max , maple syrup a hobby that consumes my time. looking to learn blacksmithing.

WV Sawmiller

Maple,

   I can't swear this is going to work out real well for me either but have you contacted local woodcarvers? It is pretty easy to find them on line. I do know basswood is not great firewood. Some of the wide 3 and 4 inch thick pieces might also go as fireplace mantels too. Of course if I had planned to advertise them as mantels I would have left at least one side as live edge but some people want squared off mantels. One of these days I am going to replace my 3"X 12" X 8' walnut mantel with one that is live edge. Whoever gets the old one is going to get one well seasoned and heat dried piece of wood. 

    Good luck on your BW. I'd hate to see it go to waste.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

brianJ

Im with you Maple Flats.   Just get them out the way.   Basswood has less firewood value than most of the pines even.   Pretty much just throwing it in the stove and right up the chimney.    

WV Sawmiller

Brian,

   Did you ever mill any basswood and try to market it in your area? Just wondering why you seem to have a low opinion of it. 
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

YellowHammer

Interesting.  Here, basswood logs bring better price than poplar and 4 CF logs are pretty rare.  It's a niche product but a mainstay for professional cabinet makers and carvers.   

I just passed a job on to a buddy of mine who is a lumber wholesaler a couple months ago.  A relatively famous customer in Ms, who sells hand carved decoys on TV shows, needed several thousand bdft per month, every month, forever, of thick 12/4 clear stock, kiln dried, for his decoy carving company.  I simply couldn't begin to fill his order from lack of high grade logs so referred him to a friend.  The decoy company owner said wooden decoys are getting popular again as plastic is falling out of favor, and he can't get enough basswood.  I told him I had a couple pallets of 12/4 and 8/4 and he said "OK, I'll take those now, what about next month?"     

The power of the internet, advertising reaches a lot of different customers in a large area.  
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

alan gage

I keep hoping to come across some good basswood here. There's quite a bit of it but most of it isn't very nice, or is somewhere I can't cut it, or is already rotten on the ground. I know of two big trees with broken tops I could probably have but I'm assuming the tops broke off due to rot and that it probably goes right down to the stump.

I'd use it as a lightweight wood for projects and cabinets but mostly I hope to get back into strip canoe building one of these days and it would be nice to mill my own logs rather than buying expensive western red cedar. Basswood isn't much heavier.

Alan
Timberking B-16, a few chainsaws from small to large, and a Bobcat 873 Skidloader.

Bruno of NH

I sawed some 3 years ago and had it on FB market place for sale.
Then some 20 something kid trolled my post and said good luck selling that junk we put that stuff trough the chipper .
I told him you leaving money in the woods then.
I had no problem selling it after I knew who to market it to.
Wood burning art folks and carvers.
I have one wood burner how says they will buy it any time I can get it.
Lt 40 wide with 38hp gas and command controls , F350 4x4 dump and lot of contracting tools

WV Sawmiller

Alan.

   This tree had a big cavity (Was a real nice den tree for squirrels and coons and such) mid way up but the bottom 30 feet or more were very sound and I got some good but smaller wood above the cavity.

Yellowhammer,

    A big old War Eagle happy Birthday to you there. 

Bruno,

    Feel free to tell that customer how nice it is in southern WV this time of year. Tell to drive his truck and pull a trailer. I'll fight the mud and go back up and get that big butt log still on the rootball.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

YellowHammer

Thanks the birthday wishes, Roll Tide.
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

Clark

That is very interesting YH. We grow quality basswood up here but nobody looks at it that way because it is "only basswood". As a forester, I don't really care what the species is when I find a tree that is growing arrow straight and no branches for 50' I am interested in growing more of them. The market may eventuallly come around but even if it doesn't I'll get more satisfaction out of growing them.

The tallest basswood I've measured around here was 108' tall with many over 100'. No other hardwood species around here will come close to doing that.

Clark
SAF Certified Forester

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