The season for milling??

[tyb525]

I believe you, but why do trees such as Maples produce more sap from wounds in the spring then any other time of the year? Just curious.

[weisyboy]

the season for sawing if whenever the customer wants the timber.

here in the spring logs bark easy, if it rains tehy will bark right threw till mid summer (like this year there just gettin hard to bark now) ironbarks coming to the mill need to be barked and anything for split or round posts.

but it dont matter how hot or cold it gets if timber needs cuttin ill be there.

i dont like it when it gets so cold my hands stick to the push rail of the mill.

[ARKANSAWYER]

 In the fall and winter you will have less stain, bugs and checking if you saw at that time.  The sap or moisture has nothing to do with it. 

[Bibbyman]

We saw all year round.  I don't like to buy many logs ahead in the late spring and summer.  They tend to dry too fast in the heat and crack.  The sap also stains quickly in the summer.  Winter cut logs tend to stay fresh until late spring.  





Dealing with frozen logs is the real problem in the winter.  When it first turns cold, the exposed ends and sides of the logs on the top of the stacks will freeze.  The insides and or one side may not be froze.  Then it'll get real cold for a couple of weeks and the logs will totaly freeze through and through.  Then later they'll start to thaw in the spring.  You'll go thorugh weeks of having logs thawed on the ends and the sides exosed to the sun but frozen in the middle and on the down side.  Those on the bottom may still be frozen solid.

[Kansas]

We saw year around, but the winter definitely presents challenges. As Bibby said, logs freeze, half freeze, etc. 

Guess if you have a customer that wants lumber, you can get the blade through wood, and make a profit then its the season.

[WDH]

I believe you, but why do trees such as Maples produce more sap from wounds in the spring then any other time of the year? Just curious.

It is a good question.  I am not sure that I can answer it.  I suspect that the tree is gearing up the growth engine to grow another year and it is sending stored sugar in the form of sap to the roots to wake them up and get them cracking so more of it is available in the inner bark than in other times of the year.  

The tree begins to pump water up from the roots in greater quantity so that it can send down the reserves of sugar to the roots to get the engine running. 

[bandmiller2]

Best time to cut is when someone comes around with a fist full of dollars and wants something.As ole Shep said earlier up here in the northeast winter was always mill time couldn't work the farm.I do believe the only reason the old timers boiled down sap was their was little else to do and they were stircrazy and wanted to get out and do something.Frank C.