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York, PA tree wanted to be saved from firewood

Started by ryan12980, March 10, 2011, 07:27:45 AM

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ryan12980

I am putting in a garage at my new house and I have to take down two trees.  Its a shame but it happens.

One is a nice clean straight Bitternut Hickory that is about 25" in diameter.  I hate to just have the tree service take it down and me use it for fire wood.

Does anyone in the area know of someone that might take it buy it off me for the price of a cord of wood?  I have called all the small local mills that i can find around here, but no one seems to buy trees that way.

Just seems that it is such a nice tree that it would make some nice boards.

Thanks for helping.

metalspinner

ryan,
Thank you for trying to put your tree towards a more noble cause than firewood. :)

Your struggles to find a sawyer to buy your tree is because of $$.  Loading and hauling one tree or a couple of logs is not cost effective for a professional to get involved.  That's why the tree service will charge you to haul it away. Also, many sawyers shy away from yard trees because of the risk of tramp metal embedded in the trunk, which is more loss of revenue.

Don't get discouraged, though. You can still save your tree from the firewood pile. :)  One way is to advertise the fallen logs on Craiglist.  If you want to be picky about who picks it up, you can stipulate that you would like the logs to go to a person for lumber making.  If I lived in your neighborhood, I would be knocking on your door the minute chainsaws were echoing through the streets. :)  Because of the costs associated with hauling and milling, the only thing I would offer is free removal of the trunk.

Another way to save the log is to haul it into a sawyer yourself and pay to have it milled into lumber for your personal use.  Hickory makes very nice lumber though it is especially tough and hard once it dry.  Some millers run a full service operation all the way through kiln drying and finished wood products. Flooring? Trim?  You can have a truck load of it and have a nice story to tell your friends when they admire the beautiful woodwork in your home. :)

If none of that pans out, don't get discouraged.  Hickory makes the nicest firewood. Many say it's the best smoking wood, too.

Good luck!

One more thing...
Many sawyers will travel to your sight and mill the log where it lays.  Not only will it save you the hassle of hauling the logs but it is a great way to spend a Saturday morning!  ;)
I do what the little voices in my wife's head tell me to do.

Magicman

Welcome to the Forestry Forum, ryan12980.  Also, splitting firewood out of a 25" Hickory could be a pain.  Lumber is better, but get it sawed very soon after felling.  It seems to get hard (er) very quickly.
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Ironwood

I just brought home 3 hickory trees from an old estate. They are slightly smaller. This is what I do, but it is not really worth the time if it is more than 10 miles or so. And basically gave firewood price for them (actually 1/2, due to saving the guy the pain of cutting and splitting). I could easily and more effiecently purchase logs from a "landing" of a commercial logging operation, but I am a person who likes to be resourceful and not waste things. Some things to think about. I bring alot of equipment to make this happen so there is little "economy" to it. FYI

Ironwood
There is no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love to do, there is only scarcity of resolve to make it happen.- Wayne Dyer

ryan12980

Thanks for the welcomes.

My first thought was lumber as well, but I do not need that much Hickory or wood for anything for that matter.  I asked my wife if I could saw it and make a nice built in server for the dinign room with it, a nice touch that it grew behind the house and is now part of the house, but my wife said no go as I have too many projects with the new house first.  I have been instructed that it is either our firewood, or someone else's lumber.

The tree is coming down in 2 weeks, so I have until then to stop from chopping it into firewood size lengths.

Isn't it pretty!





I understand it is not economical, but I feel the need to try to save it.

I think I will save two chunks off of the bottom and try to make these out of them.



ohsoloco

Is that a stool that you made?  Pretty neat  :)   If you can, take all of the bark off of that hickory that you'll use for the stools, bugs love hickory.

ryan12980

not my stools, something I saw on-line and would now have wood to try.

Ironwood

FYI, if you cleanly peel the bark off the hickory the texture of the cambium is awsome, kind of like Eastern Hophornbeam .

Ironwood
There is no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love to do, there is only scarcity of resolve to make it happen.- Wayne Dyer

ljmathias

Yeah, but getting the bark off- there's the rub!  I've peeled or tried to peel several hickories with almost no success: bark is hard and narly and the tree just doesn't want to let go even though it's dead or dying (since I cut it down.  Maybe someone can share the secret of debarking hickory logs with us??  :P

Lj
LT40, Long tractor with FEL and backhoe, lots of TF tools, beautiful wife of 50 years plus 4 kids, 5 grandsons AND TWO GRANDDAUGHTERS all healthy plus too many ideas and plans and not enough time and energy

pineywoods

LJ hickory is easy to peel IF..Cut in the spring when the sap is rising.  peel just as soon as the tree hits the ground. Wait a week and you can forget about peeling it.
1995 Wood Mizer LT 40, Liquid cooled kawasaki,homebuilt hydraulics. Homebuilt solar dry kiln.  Woodmaster 718 planner, Kubota M4700 with homemade forks and winch, stihl  028, 029, Ms390
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Ironwood

Piney, forgot to mention time of year is CRITICAL :D

Ironwood
There is no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love to do, there is only scarcity of resolve to make it happen.- Wayne Dyer

coyotencuttin

Hello, I'm about an hour west of you if you need a sawyer for the logs. We can cut it up and see what it looks like inside. Let me know, most of my weekends are open. Thanks, Harold
Woodmizer LT 40 Hydraulic.

ryan12980

Well,  it is over with.  Such a nice solid tree all the way through.  Gotta strip the bark off the bottom section now and get working on burning legs into it.



While I was not successful saving it, I appreciate all your help.

jayves922

Ryan, will you still be doing the burnt stools? I think it would be great if you could create a video on how you've done it. It would be very lovely and innovative to learn to do that.

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