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Storing logs under water?

Started by mjeselskis, May 17, 2012, 07:36:08 PM

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mjeselskis

I did a quick search and didnt find anything on the topic.

If I have some white pine, hemlock, and red oak that I won't be able to cut this year, could I drop them in my pond and store them until next summer? The pine is my primary concern, I don't want the pineborers to get into the logs and bore holes all through them. The oak may be able to sit out, but I got thinking about it the other day and didnt know if storing them under water would be an option.
2006 WM LT28  1993 John Deere 5300
Husqvarna 562XP & 365 X-Torq

Texas Ranger

In the old days mill ponds were the thing, now they use sprinklers to keep the logs wet.  No harm in trying.
The Ranger, home of Texas Forestry

Chuck White

If you're just concerned with the Pine you could peel the bark off of them and then the Pine Beetles won't bother it!
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

laffs

Im sure it would help with the bugs, and it will definitely will help keep the bluestain down. They used to do it all the time.Now they use sprinklers. Some mills have heated ponds or pools for thawing frozen logs in the winter tho it mostly just thaws the outside. But if I wanted to store pine for some time Id toss them in a pond.
timber harvester,tinberjack230,34hp kubota,job ace excavator carpenter tools up the yingyang,

thecfarm

Your own pond? Nice! How big? Any fish in it? I'm sawing hemlock now and the bark is coming off good now.
The hemlock will do fine with bugs. My Father wanted some planks and we cut down a hemlock. We got busy and did not get back to it for 2 years and it was fine. But we put some limbs under each log to keep it off the ground. This was in the woods too not out in the direct sun. No idea about the oak,but the pine bores will find the pine.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Bogue Chitto

I store logs in my pond.  Some have been under water for over 7 years( pine and oak).  The smell is bad when you mill them but that will go away in a few weeks.

Bogue Chitto

I live in Louisiana and the temperature of the water in the summer time is high.  Your water temp. might be a lot cooler than ours and you might not get the stink. :-\

Magicman

I sawed a job last year that, according to the customer, had been in a pond for over 20 years.
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barbender

I wish I had a pond to store logs in, if that answers your question ;)
Too many irons in the fire

chevytaHOE5674

Quote from: barbender on May 18, 2012, 09:56:27 AM
I wish I had a pond to store logs in, if that answers your question ;)

Get a Backhoe or excavator and start digging.  :D

wdtik

 Theres an operation up north raising old growth logs from
a lake and milling them, said to be over 100 yrs old..
I'd like to get some of those logs to mill .... CBD

beenthere

wdtik
Where "up north" is the lake?
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Bogue Chitto

The bark will come off but the wood will be perfectly preserved. 

wdtik


wdtik


shelbycharger400

wdtik..  i was wonderin as we drove through montana if their was big logs still on the bottom of the lakes.  those mountains still have the drag shutes and carved in roads in them.

as to peelin the bark...   Dont.  i have noticed the logs around here that i peeled dried too fast and cracked, whereas the ones that i didnt, have sat for 2 years and havent.

two tired

i pulled 2 logs out of my pond just to see what would happen when i sawed them, did smell sour when i cut them, the logs were swamp pine, they cut like butter. stacked them outside, 2x4s, to see if they would split or warp. been 2 months or so and they look as good as the ones that were sawn green, also the sour smell is gone, i live in southwest louisiana. by the way they have been in the pond about 2 years compleatly under the water.
when wondering about weather conditions call the dog in and see if he is wet

mjeselskis

Quote from: thecfarm on May 18, 2012, 06:44:28 AM
Your own pond? Nice! How big? Any fish in it? I'm sawing hemlock now and the bark is coming off good now.
The hemlock will do fine with bugs. My Father wanted some planks and we cut down a hemlock. We got busy and did not get back to it for 2 years and it was fine. But we put some limbs under each log to keep it off the ground. This was in the woods too not out in the direct sun. No idea about the oak,but the pine bores will find the pine.

It is my pond, it's about 50x100 and about 6ft deep at the deepest point. Nothing in there but shiners, it gets too warm for any game fish. It makes a great ice skating rink in the winter too. It may be more work to move the logs to the pond, than to just saw them, but its good to know it's an option. I'm hoping to just take a day and get it done, but we'll see how it goes.
2006 WM LT28  1993 John Deere 5300
Husqvarna 562XP & 365 X-Torq

beenthere

What is the plan to keep them under water? Or are you just going to let them float?
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

mjeselskis

Quote from: beenthere on May 18, 2012, 05:47:14 PM
What is the plan to keep them under water? Or are you just going to let them float?
That's what my wife asked me. I actually hadn't considered that. I guess they could float, only a small part of them would be above the waterline. I dont know how long it would take them to sink.

I do like this option though. I could yard out logs in the winter onto the ice, and then just pull them out of the pond in the summer when I am ready to mill. That way they stay clean because I can yard them out in the snow, and no more worrying about the logs going bad and rushing to saw them.
2006 WM LT28  1993 John Deere 5300
Husqvarna 562XP & 365 X-Torq

WDH

Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Satamax

Hi everybody.

If i may, in French Britany, they used to leave oak beams in the estuaries of rivers which had tidal movement, being covered by saltwater only part time, and siting in silt. It's nearly impossible to cut when dry, very hard to burn. They were sunken in the silt green, and when drying, or exchanging fluids via osmosis, and minerals would get in the wood. This dulls the blades quickly. If this can be of any interest for someone.
French CD4 sawmill. Latil TL 73. Self moving hydraulic crane. Iveco daily 4x4 lwb dead as of 06/2020. Replaced by a Brimont TL80 CSA.

Bogue Chitto

The logs that I put in the pond eventually sink.  The bad part about that is getting the logs out in winter. Its hard to get a chain around a sunken log.  I end up getting in the freezing water. :o 

Bogue Chitto

 

 
Quote from: Bogue Chitto on May 18, 2012, 09:24:01 PM
The logs that I put in the pond eventually sink.  The bad part about that is getting the logs out in winter. Its hard to get a chain around a sunken log.  I end up getting in the freezing water. :o

beenthere

Tie a length of rope around each log and keep one end within reach. Then just "fish" them out. 1/4" nylon rope will last for years and is not expensive.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

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