Break Even Log

[YellowHammer]

Had a really nice customer come by and drop off a walnut log to saw, said he got it off CL from a "couple" guys.  They assured him it couldn't have any metal in it, as it was a dead tree from the middle of a pasture.  Uh oh.  He gave me a cut list and was very excited, one of those customers who you want to go to the extra effort.  So after he left, I looked up on CL and found the add, walnut log, $250, which was a steep price for a 100 bdft log.  When I got the saw about three boards in, zing, metal, and he owes me a new band.  But the blade kept cutting fine, so I tried to rotate out the nail, made another pass and zing again, this time I hit the fence wire.  The blade just kept cutting straight, except one tooth was mis set now.  Normally by this time, the log comes off the mill and I have to make the bad phone call but since he already bought the blade and was a nice guy who had paid a lot for his log, I just kept trying, and managed to hit a piece of metal every pass, one time splitting the nail lengthwise (picture) with the blade only cutting a little worse each time.  I was able the baby the saw and finish the log, amazingly with the saw cutting straight each pass, although it was starting to canter at the end and I had to slow to a crawl.  I ran out log before I ran out of blade.   8)

When he came to pick up the lumber, he said that for what he paid for the log, and my sawing fees, he could have pretty much just bought the same amount of kiln dried walnut off my rack which was true.  Then he smiled and thanked me for the extra effort and said he had some nice projects in store for it.  I'm glad he at least broke even and went away happy.  I've never had a blade take that kind of punishment, must have been some soft metal.

YH

[chickenchaser]

You da man, YH.

Where can I get a box of those blades?  :D

CC

[Magicman]

Now it qualifies as a "very valuable" Walnut log.   ;D

[drobertson]

Bullets?

[hunz]

I am going to go with magic man on this one. That appears to be one of those "you wonder who the worst loser is" sort of  logs. Are you using a metal detector before sawing or just going for it? Does anyone know how deep one of those wand metal detectors penetrate into the log? I believe it will be my next milling purchase as it seems metal in timber seems to be an all to common occurenece on the forum. I have yet to hit metal in a tree...  I am sure it won't be long :laugh:

[thecfarm]

That is too bad for the customer. Now he has to deal with the metal on his tools.    I hope he cuts out around it.

[barbender]

From what I gather from reading on here (no personal experience with walnut up here) walnut seems to attract metal. I'm glad you were able to get through it with one blade.

[CX3]

Walnuts attract wire because no one can pass up a good walnut tree in a fencerow lol

If you dont want wire or nails in your logs, then get them from deep in the woods, otherwise your gonna get some steel

[dboyt]

Hopefully, your customer will be able to incorporate the metal into the design of whatever he builds. Seems a shame to go to all that trouble and expense and not put those nails to good use!  Good of you to keep on sawing-- even though he bought the blade, you spent extra time on it.

[YellowHammer]

Metal detectors and I don't get along very well.  A lesson I have learned is that buying two El Cheapo detectors is the same as having none at all. 

Funny thing was, he wanted me to run the lumber through my carbide planer after it dried  .

Seems walnut makes people do odd things, as soon as this fellow left yesterday, another break even walnut log shows up.  A guy and his son bring a walnut log in the back of a rented pickup truck, all the way from Annapolis, Maryland, about 750 miles away.  The son was visiting his Dad who lives nearby in Huntsville for Christmas and decided to haul the log all that way for me to saw.   ???   This was a very nice walnut, and he came and picked his lumber up this morning.  He is going to make a dining room table with it.

Sometimes it's its hard to know what to say to customers in situations like this, but the lumber and general saw milling experience meant a lot to these folks, so we made sure they were happy and wished them a Merry Christmas.  The furniture they both make from their logs will mean a lot to them in the years to come.

YH

[NWP]

Walnut also is a deer stand attractant. Most often the type that uses screw in steps.