Any advice for a newbie milling pecan?

[grweldon]

As I posted earlier about placing my order yesterday for a TimberKing 1440 and mentioned that I had 5 or 6 downed pecan trees to mill.  Obviously, I have much to learn as several comments from obviously experienced millers lead me to believe that this will not be as easy as throwing the log on the deck and running the saw through it.  Yeah, that's right, I'm an arrogant fool!   ;D

Since I'm not going to pass up this opportunity, I would appreciate advice on what to look for, what to do, what not to do... anything that might be useful as I go through the process of learning to use my new mill.  There will be limb wood, as most pecans usually only grow 6-12 feet on a main trunk then have large branches that grow from the main trunk and gracefully arch out from the center.  It's quite a pretty tree actually!  The limbs will be anywhere about 18 inches at the largest point and I probably won't mess with anything samller than 8 inches or so...

OK, y'all... let me have it...

[Cypressstump]

Best advice that I have recieved was to make sure I put the log onto the mill,,, longways..!!!!  Somehow I have remembered to do that each time.,, so far !  :

Stump

[Larry]

Not much difference between pecan and hickory.  Both are quite hard and like a tooth angle of 7 degrees or less.  Not a good choice for your first sawing experience.

Limb wood normally works great for firewood but not so much for lumber.  There is a reason for that.  On top of the limb the wood is in tension while on the bottom of the limb it is in compression.  Any boards sawn will like to warp.  Even worse is how they later machine. 

I get free pecan a bit.  It spalts if it lays around in the heat too long.  When the spalt first starts its ugly, but as it progress's it can become quite beautiful.  I have a couple of logs I checked the other day...nice mushrooms growing on them so they should be almost ready.  Probably also has a flock of powder post beetles.

[grweldon]

Best advice that I have recieved was to make sure I put the log onto the mill,,, longways..!!!!  Somehow I have remembered to do that each time.,, so far !  :

Stump

That was extremely useful information Stump.  I probably couldn't have figured that one out without your helpful advice...

[Cypressstump]

Appears my attempt at a little humor has stuck a sour nerve

[hackberry jake]

Flip the cant often. If you take too many boards of one side, you will be sawing a pecan rainbow.

[DanG]

You can find some beautiful wood in those branches that grow near vertical.  Cook ribs with the others. ;)

[grweldon]

Appears my attempt at a little humor has stuck a sour nerve

No sour nerves, somebody always has to make the obligatory wisecrack, it might as well have been you...

[mikeb1079]

probably some of the best advice i received as a new sawyer was to remove or clean the bark as best as possible.  don't underestimate how quickly cutting through bark will dull your bands, reducing barkage will greatly increase the run time you get out of your bands.
cheers
mb

[grweldon]

Mike,

Thanks for the tip.  In your opinion, what is the best way to remove the bark?

[Chuck White]

Just from my experience sawing Hickory, it will saw easier if it's fresh cut!

[customsawyer]

When cutting pecan/ hickory don't be afraid to use lots of water on your blade. The saw dust will be very fine and you will have to cut slow. Pecan/hickory is as hard to cut as any wood I have ever sawed. Don't get mad at your mill if it isn't perfect when cutting this wood. Your mill will have been set up for a general application, not for very dense wood. I bet if you let the folks at Timberking know they will offer some advice as to blade and such. 

[hackberry jake]

Diddo what custom sawyer said. 5/4 is better if you're aiming at 3/4 final. The only straight cuts I made on the pecan logs I cut we're the felling cuts.

[DR Buck]

Sharp blade and has already been mentioned, flip the cant 180° on every board if the logs are 12" or less diameter.  Every 2nd board if larger.

[Magicman]

then have large branches that grow from the main trunk and gracefully arch out from the center

That "gracefully arch" is where the problem lies.  If you insist on sawing limb logs, saw through from either the horn or hump (belly) side and rotate the cant 180° after taking each board.  Sticker them with enough weight to keep the boards straight.  Even then, that lumber may break your heart when you start building a project with it.

The butt log should behave nicely, but saw all of it when it is freshly felled.

[WDH]

Pecan is bad to warp in ripples or waves.  Put the best lumber from the butt log on the bottom of the stack so the weight of the lower grade boards will work for you.  Sticker it at no more than 18" between stickers.  I just air dried over the last year about 1500 BF that Customsawyer and I cut on his LT70, and I stickered on 2 foot centers, and I got some wave in the lumber from drying.  You need good air flow around your sticker stacks or it will gray stain and be a ugly color or get splotchy or mottlely.  Splotchy gray stained pecan is not attractive.  If you use 1" stickers instead of 3/4" stickers, that helps assure air flow and good color.  The stack needs room to breathe, so don't stack it in an enclosed barn or shed (unless open on the sides) or stack one side against a wall or building.

Cut some 6/4 and 8/4 from the best parts of the butt.  That is the most valuable.  Spray it for powderpost beetles as they love pecan and if you leave it outside under a shed or in a barn after it is dried, they will likely get in it.  If you kiln dry it and store it inside a climate controlled building, you don't need to spray it. 

I am with DanG.  If the limb logs are not straight, don't expect too good a yield of flat boards.  If you do cut limb logs, cut 5/4 or 6/4.  At the first sign of waves in the boards, change the band.  Pecan end checks real bad, too, so coat  the logs very liberally with Anchorseal.  Go ahead and buy some because you have a mill now and you are going to need it  ;D.

Take us some pictures!

[Magicman]

Limb logs will cause you grief with other species also.  So will logs from leaning trees and trees that had a majority of the limbs on one side such as on the edge of the woods and next to an opening.  It is all about the tension built up within the log.   When you begin sawing you release the tension (energy) that is built up within the log, and bad things happen.

[grweldon]

Thanks for all the advice.  What should I treat the logs with to keep the insects away.  I'm going to be air drying this in an open field initially.

Also, these trees were uprooted in a storm about 4 weeks ago.  One or two are still showing green leaves but the rest of them are turning brown. 

As far as butt logs are concerned, there really isn't much of one on most of these trees.

[LeeB]

Pecan gets very hard as it dries. If you keep the logs very long after bucking them to length, cut a couple of inches off the ends before sawing to keep from dulling your blades as fast. My first logs were pecan.

[hackberry jake]

I don't know what makes a planer the saddest. It's either dry pecan/hickory, dry locust, or rocks... It's a close one.

[Magicman]

Just saw 3" etc. slabs from the short butt logs.  Notice on the "332 Mile" thread that you found, that the Pecan log that I sawed had been down for several years.  Actually, there was one "limb log" that was sawed and it behaved nicely.   All of those Pecan logs were slabbed.  Slabs make amazing benches and stools, but that was going to be kitchen counter tops.

[WDH]

Go to the local Ag fertilizer place and ask for some Solubor which is a borate salt.  You can also use Beau-ron, another brand name.  They are sold as a fertilizer additive.  Mix one pound of the borate powder to 1 gallon of water.  Spray it on the boards until they are wet on both side and the edges. 

You can also buy Timbor, which is used to control termites.  It has the same active ingredient in the same amount as Solubor, it just costs a whole lot more.

[mikeb1079]

In your opinion, what is the best way to remove the bark?

there are a few ways to go with this...

best way is to have a debarker on your saw.     failing that, if the log has been down a bit i use a long pry bar and just pry it off.  a sharp axe can work nicely too.  lately i've been using a chainsaw and making a pass where the blade will travel sawing perpendicular to the log.  it throws a bunch of chips back at you but its pretty fast.  sometimes it even comes down to using a wire brush to get as much grit out of the bark as possible.  i also like to lop off a couple of inches on the end of the log that you're cutting into if possible.  i find that often there's a lot of dirt/grit on the end, especially if the logs were skidded.

[Magicman]

I guess that nothing beats a powered Debarker on the sawmill.  Pressure washing works if it is available.  Even though mine is Debarker equipped, I still have to use manual methods at times.


 
Assorted debarking tools.


 
Worn out debarkers.

[hackberry jake]

If its scaly bark hickory, your urinating in the wind trying to get the bark off. Dinamite might work.