Texas Cypress Logs

[slider]

I am going to side with mm on this one all the way .You may find some good siding in some of it but finding any decent structural lumber after that long is going to be a stretch.The slow growing older trees with tight rings can stand for over a year.I saw a good bit of dead pine and some of it is junk within 5 months.You should be finding some beetle killed trees that you can work with ,there are many here in south ga.  good luck   al

[MMann]

Ok, I cut one of the trees that died in the fire (30"D).  The bark was lose, and I only saw 1 termite.  The tree also did not break as it fell.  I even aimed it towards a smaller leaning tree to see if that would create more stress in the fall, but that may have softened the blow.  It did wipe out the smaller one though!



 
Here is the butt end of the log




  

This is the stump.  I made the cut about 1 ft above the ground.  Magicman, you suggested 2 feet, but I wanted to shoot for the worst case and went lower.  I also read the old post you attached to your last reply, and will look out for that as well.  I know a picture isn't the same as seeing it in person, but based on what you see here, what do you think?  I'm still shooting for beeting the odds!!!  Thanks again to all.

[Magicman]

You did good MMann.  All that tree/log needs is sawing into whatever lumber that you need.   

[WDH]

That log is fine.  In fact, very fine.

[MMann]

You did good MMann.  All that tree/log needs is sawing into whatever lumber that you need.   

That log is fine.  In fact, very fine.

That's the best news I've heard all day!!  I just hope the rest look just as good, but I'm gonna expect some waste.  WDH, I fully intended on doing your knife trick, but I forgot it in my rush to get to the site after church yesterday.
Thanks to all who offered up their advice and opinions, even our friend down under, thanks Chris.

I'll start a new thread when the milling and building begins!

[Buck]

Looking forward to the rest of the story....

[WDH]

This one should pass the knife test with flying colors.  You can use it as a baseline on how a good log should feel with the knife test.

[Magicman]

I am excited for you, because I was happy to see that stump/log.  You could also carry an axe and sound the trees.  You need one for setting your wedges anyway.

[MMann]

I am excited for you, because I was happy to see that stump/log.  You could also carry an axe and sound the trees.  You need one for setting your wedges anyway.

Actually I did have the axe on hand for the wedges, and attempted to "sound the trees", but I was getting a thud.  I was expecting something a little higher pitched though.

[Magicman]

If they all look like that when they are felled, they don't need testing.   

[Meadows Miller]

Gday

No Worries  Looks real good from here  ;) ;D I think you have all the pine you want/need for your Home n Barn and anything else you want to build Mate   ;) ;D ;D 8)

There was one mill here that was still sawing Salvage logs 6 years after a huge fire in 83 we had but thay had access to a Lake  ;) they salvaged all their burnt timber in 18months and stored it something like 1.2 million tonnes in the lake    A well with pump or town water sprays will delay stain and let you keep the logs longer alot of the mils sawing interior linning/flooring here in pine will keep it under sprays or if they have large volumes in storage  ;)

are you planning on milling what you need as you go or hitting the milling hard and sawing everything you need for your Home first up ??

Are these trees on your own land or friends cant really remember  Mate ??? 

Rgards Chris

[MMann]

are you planning on milling what you need as you go or hitting the milling hard and sawing everything you need for your Home first up ??

Are these trees on your own land or friends cant really remember  Mate ??? 

Thanks Chris. I feel like I should hit it hard and get what I can as fast as I can.  I don't want to gamble with mother nature too much.  Based on others past experiences with dead SYP, I feel I am lucky to still have such good trees and should do eveything I can now.  The trees are on a friends land, and the utilities have been disconnected since the fire, so theres no water available for me to set up sprinklers.
Matt

[Woodchuck53]

Welcome aboard. You'll like it here. What ever you cut and can't saw right away try and keep them off the ground. Even purchasing used cross ties for this since you are building for a house. I had a lot of post and beam in mine also so look at your cut list and get those 20' beams out of the tightest grain logs you cut. These will carry your open truss weight better.

Ask away and someone here will be able to help you out.

You probably know this but we are very safety minded here as most of us work alone. So that being said do you have chaps? Makes a great christmas gift. Stay safe. Chuck

[MMann]

Thank you Chuck.  I'll do some reasearch, but in the mean time, can you explain the whole tight grain thing?  I am assuming that would refer to the least amount of space between the growth rings??  In regards to saftey, I am fortunate that I work for a power plant and we preach safety before production.  I have already purchased the chaps, hard hat with face shield and ear muffs.  As far as Christmas, I'm hoping santa pulls through with a box of blades!!
Matt

[Woodchuck53]

Sure Matt. Looking at the pictures you posted of the pine I would say from the width of the reddish rings you have a fast growing tree. Looking at the end grain like that you would want slow growth tight ring ratio of red to blond or syp as it is known. I have some #1 2x8's that at 20' are heavy as heck because they are full of old growth sap. Will burn like heck but are strong as an ox. The pattern on the rings are about 1/8" evenly spaced or so. Good and strong old growth material.
On a different note when you square up your wood to build save all the drops and split for fire place kindling. That is good stuff. Hope this helps. Chuck

[Texas Ranger]

The end of log pictures show a log that is hauled to the mills here every day.  Take a shot and start milling.

[WDH]

I would not consider that a fast growing tree.  From the rings, it grew very slowly for the first years, indicating that it was over-topped or suppressed for almost 30 years.  Then, it was released by some agent, either weather or man (as in the form of a harvest).  For the next 10 years, it grew gang busters, then slowed down, probably due to competition.  The latter years, it grew very slow until its demise.  It looks like it is at least 65 - 70 years old.

[Magicman]

Here are a couple of pictures of "things" that I found under the loose bark of a few SYP logs that I sawed today.


 
Many termites.  This is only one small section.  Just imagine a whole 22" log.   


 
And then sawyer worms.  You quickly notice the large one, but look at the many juveniles.


 
And no real day is complete without at least one of these.  Nope, I did not saw it.   ;D   

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

Sawing mostly Pine, Magic, I see this weekly. I've never dulled a blade on a worm yet. However, on your last pic....the nail? These will turn a good day into a bad day.  :D

[WDH]

That is a nice picture of a nail  :D.  Good that you can still see good  ;D.

[Magicman]

Yup, termites and sawyer worms are the normal when sawing dead SYP.  I just thought MMann might want to see some.   ;D

That was nail #1 of 2...... :-\

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

That is a nice picture of a nail  :D.  Good that you can still see good  ;D.

Most of the time the blade sees them before I do. 

[paul case]

Well David,

I think you may be a little cross eyed? If you would run into the low brace in the corner of your shed maybe it would straighten that out for ya and ya could see the nail! That is you in your avatar  right?

;D

PC