A couple of questions

[Dawgs8um]

I'm a lurker on the site and have learned a lot. I bought a mill this year and have been sawing 8 x 8 posts and 4x12 beams for a barn I'm going to build. I had a large black cherry blow down in a storm 12-15 years ago. I have 2 very nice logs from the tree. Put one on today and cut a 1" slab just to see what it looked like. It has fantastic grain. What size slabs would you recommend? 

Has anyone cut any hackberry?  I have a  hackberry log about 24" x 10'. Is it good for anything? A friend gave it to me. 

[beenthere]

Cut the hackberry up like you cut up the cherry. Then see how you like the grain patterns to evaluate if you will cut any more hackberry. I'd suspect you will like it and want more. 

Welcome to the Forestry Forum. 

Click your user name and there in your profile you will see "modify profile" box and can add some location to aid more helpful answers. Hope to see some pics of the cherry and the hackberry.

[thecfarm]

What kind of mill you got? 

[firefighter ontheside]

Hackberry is most notable when it is spalted, which makes it neat for woodworking.  The log has to lay out in the weather for a while for that to happen.  I've got a really nice log that's been doing that for a few years.  I need to mill it soon.  

[WV Sawmiller]

   Welcome to the FF. Can't say about the Hackberry except try it but I'd say that about any new tree species I go ahold of.

   I often cut wild cherry into 8/4 Live Edge slabs and make primitive benches out of them. Here are some I made.


 


 


 

   I also sometimes cut them into 3" & 4" thick fireplace mantels. I had 2 with a lot of sweep that I squared off the back and made a sort of crosscut saw shape about 7" wide on the ends and 12" wide in the middle. A customer came by who had 2 fireplaces in his home and saw them and bought them both.

   Customers also like 1-2 inch thick cherry boards to cut into strips to make cutting boards and such by alternating the red cherry with white wood like ash or maple and with walnut. Good luck.

   I.e. Don't let the cherry go to waste!

[Dawgs8um]

I live in Northeast Mississippi. My mill is a Hudson Homesteader 30". Not what I wanted, but the only thing I could find at the time without waiting 12-15 months. I wanted more hp and electric start, but it was not to be. For my purposes it's ok. One problem I'm having is the drive belt has a lot of vibration on the back side(not the power drive side). Hopefully you know what I mean.  The belt is tight from my experience. I've tried tightening more, but this saw does not really have any way to effectively tighten the belt. Anyone had this problem?

I was thinking of sawing the cherry in 1" and 1 ½" slabs. Black Cherry around here is usually small and crooked. This one was pretty big and very straight. 

[fluidpowerpro]

I've got a Homesteader 36 and I notice the same with the drive belt. I have considered adding an idler/tensioner pulley but have not because as far as I can tell the belt vibration isn't affecting the operation of the mill. It cuts fine.