Found This

[Fla._Deadheader]

earlier, while looking through Lumber For Sale Classifieds on the 'net.

  Ya really Don'T hafta import exotics, to have high $$ wood :

  "Several companies selling river recovered old pine are selling this figured lumber for about $ 80.00 per board foot. I have it at $ 18.00 to $ 28.00 per board foot"

  Here's a pic that I posted a while back, to show what is being offered.

[etat]

I've been kinda wondering.  Are there any real distinct advantages to 'river recovered been under water a long time, pine, other than say maybe bragging rights?   If it were a straight log, dried and made into flooring, and you took a fresh similar log, dried it and made into flooring, would there be a noticible difference, and what would it be?  

[Fla._Deadheader]

CK, around here, there seems to be a LOT more deep red color to the Heart of the Pine. If you cut down an 18" Pine today, it would have, maybe, less than 1/2 heart. The rest is yellowish-white. NOT a real eye catcher.

  The older Pine, cut 100 years or so ago, had as much as 3/4's heart and that DEEP RED color.

 We cut some this past summer that had BETTER heart than average.  Tom cuts some real nice Pine, also, that has that DEEP RED color. DanG might cut some occasionally, also.

  Mostly, the key is, "marketing".  You play up the "Old Growth", and the River Recovered" and the "Scarcity" of the Real "Heart" Pine.

  What I show in the pic, is the same as the guys up north find in Cherry and other Hardwoods.  I have heard from a couple of different sources, the "Curly" figure is found in maybe 1 out of 200 or so logs.

[etat]

Fla, that is the best and  simplest I have ever heard it explained.   :)Thanks!

[Fla._Deadheader]

  Sometimes, the bark makes it difficult to tell if the Pine log is Curly. If the log shows a lot of "Bumps", that's a real tip-off that ya got some bucks coming your way. Bumps is the best way I can 'splain it : :.  Go take a walk in a Pine Forest and look for BUMPY logs, NOT knotty, just Bumpy. ;)

[old3dogg]

How hard is it to dry river recovered wood as compared to standing timber.I have always wondered that.
Mike.

[Fla._Deadheader]

In a normal Hot Kiln atmosphere, It takes some real extra care.

  I have been asking Den about that, and he feels that the discontinuous vacuum system we are discussing on the drying forum, would equal good results in a shorter period of time, without much degrade. If I can get it dried more easily than normal, we have a LOT of logs stashed in the river that require drying, They are Solid and Heart Pine, along with the Heart Cypress.

[old3dogg]

"Normal" pine can dry within 24 hours in a vac kiln.Maybe faster in a newer vac kiln.
Neat looking lumber.Sure would make a pretty gun cabnet.
Thanks for the pic.
Mike.

[Fla._Deadheader]

  WOW  24 hours ??? Really ???

 I believe the guy I know of, air dries for 90 days, and THEN Kiln dries for 6 days. He's in Central Florida, where the humidity is lower than at the shore area. Gets mighty warm out there :  Not sure what type kiln he uses, steam or hot air??? Might be Steam.

[old3dogg]

I did a kiln charge of Hemlock 2x4's and 2x6's about 7 years ago.It was dead green when we put it in.26 hours later we had it at 6.5%MC.The guy I dried it for said it was to dry?
I bought the 8000 feet for $1000.00 and built a shed out of it.
I dont under stand the "too dry" thing.
He was going to use it for a pig barn!
Mike.

[dail_h]

   We dry green-off the saw 2xs,and 4x4s in 16 to 24 hrs,but I wouldn't try it with anything as nice as river logs

[old3dogg]

I wouldnt push river pine to fast either.
Vac kilns really dont care about hot,humid weather as long as you have cold water for the vac pump and exchangers.

[old3dogg]

dail-h.
What kind of drying system do you have?

[Fla._Deadheader]

WOW again :.  Thanks guys. Good info ;D ;)

[EZ]

What do you saw that curly pine at, FD. I have a couple of them bumpy logs that I'm going to saw tomorrow.
EZ

[Fla._Deadheader]

EZ, seems that the "Curly" is only in the first couple of boards from the outside of the log. Position the log so you get maximum face and try to NOT saw the edge of a bump, if possible.

  I would sneak into the log by opening a 4" face and see what's there. Then I would cut a board, keeping in mind that it CAN be re-sawn after drying, and allow for the kerf of several cuts.

  We got 3 boards, about 1" thick, from that log. Bumps on 2 faces only :.

  When we get the re-saw attachment finished (today), we will eventually make veneer strips (1/8") thick and glue them to the surface of something, and use them that way. I would NOT cut them thin. They WILL probably split and crack :.  TAKE PICS ;D :D :D :D

[EZ]

Thanks FD. The one log has them bumps all around it and looks like a barber pole. ;D
EZ

[Fla._Deadheader]

 ;D ;D ;D ;D ;) ;)  TAKE YER TIME, and take PICS, LOTS of PICS :D :D :D :D  Hope it's a good one ;) ;D

[DR Buck]

FDH,

I'd be interested in seeing pictures of your resaw attachment.  I'd like to come up with one myself.


Dave

[EZ]

I sawed them 2 logs this mourning. the first one I hit an eye bolt, had the Monkey blade on and wipe out 5 teeth. >:( Put another blade on and finish sawing it, was'nt nothing speical about it. The second log, the bumpy barber pole one, when I was checking it for metal I found 2 short eye bolts and a nail. ???  I sawed a slab off and did a 180 and flat sawn it all the way. Pretty cool pattern but hard to see, so I put them in the kiln for a couple of weeks and then I'll plan them. I'll post some pictures in a couple wks if I can wait that long.  :D
EZ

[Fla._Deadheader]

Well EZ, how many feet didja cut with that blade???

[dail_h]

   O3D,
   It's a high temp. steam heated ,computer controled jobie. The computer decides when it is dry, and what temp, how much fan and vent. We just load'em and turn it on. I get to make the steam :(

[EZ]

FD, I didnt tally all the boards I sawed, cause I was sawing for myself, all 4/4, but I'd say a real close guess would be 1400 BF. Blade was really something, definitely going to order.
EZ