Big Red Oak

[yarnammurt]

Maxed the Lt35 out today. The cant is a 24x20. Cut 1000 tomato stakes today.

 

 

 

 

[esteadle]

They are so nice when they are so round and straight ;-)


Tomato stakes?
Maybe Stair Steps?
A table slab or two?

[thecfarm]

Tomatoes stakes? A buck each? times 1000

[WV Sawmiller]

   That is what I get for 1" X 1" X 5' tomato stakes. I usually cut 10' logs into 1" , stand them on edge and cut into 1" strips then cut them in half with a circular saw set on a 45* angle to make a stake with a one sided point.

   Looks good and I hope you sell them all quickly.

[yarnammurt]

I do it the same way, we sell them to the Farmers Co-Op and a couple other feed stores.  But we get $1.75 each and sell the in bundles of 350.
We pre-sale this time of year and deliver in March. I have around 25 more logs lined up and ready. All red, White, Post Oak. 

[Resonator]

Guessing a land clearing job? The log in the background in pic #3 needs some "trimming". ;D

[yarnammurt]

Guessing a land clearing job? The log in the background in pic #3 needs some "trimming". ;D

Yep, clearing out about 10 acres.  95% big oak the rest old pine. They are all laid out and ready, just the stump and log already topped. And that one has some metal in it. 

[TimW]

  That is what I get for 1" X 1" X 5' tomato stakes. I usually cut 10' logs into 1" , stand them on edge and cut into 1" strips then cut them in half with a circular saw set on a 45* angle to make a stake with a one sided point.

  Looks good and I hope you sell them all quickly.

Howard,
  What wood are you using for these stakes?
I miss cut some SYP stickers and my friend took them for garden stakes.
        hugs,  Brandi

[WV Sawmiller]

   I have mostly used ash but did some out of hickory. White oak would be best if available or red oak acceptable. You could make them out of poplar or even pine if that is all you have. They would last 2-3 years if the farmer pulled them up and stacked them out of the weather at the end of the year.

  I first tried them at 6' but I guess that is too hard for people to drive up and 5' is the most popular. If some break at a knot or such and I can trim them to 4' I'll discount to $10/dz and someone will buy them too. If they won't make 4' I make 2' & 3' stickers out of them.

[yarnammurt]

  That is what I get for 1" X 1" X 5' tomato stakes. I usually cut 10' logs into 1" , stand them on edge and cut into 1" strips then cut them in half with a circular saw set on a 45* angle to make a stake with a one sided point.

  Looks good and I hope you sell them all quickly.

Howard,
 What wood are you using for these stakes?
I miss cut some SYP stickers and my friend took them for garden stakes.
       hugs,  Brandi

Here in South Arkansas you couldn't give pine garden stakes away.  I've tried, lol. Red, white,  post oak only, not even hickory.  I know guys that would buy treated 2x6 and cut them with a skill saw. But then you have the chemicals at the roots of your plant.  

[Magicman]

Any species garden stakes will survive one growing season.  The only common species that can be relied upon to be usable beyond that are Post & White Oak, Black Locust, and Sassafras.

[DanMc]

I would be a little ashamed to cut such a beautiful oak log into tomato stakes.  But yet, $1000 from that log is some pretty good moola.  I think I'd get over the shame.

[yarnammurt]

I would be a little ashamed to cut such a beautiful oak log into tomato stakes.  But yet, $1000 from that log is some pretty good moola.  I think I'd get over the shame.

Yea it is hard, the one my boy is setting on was one of the best 10ft red oaks I've ever cut. I have 4 more red oaks and 3 white oaks that are all 30"+ . I'm going to slab atleast one of the red oaks and one of the white oaks. At 10ft they are big enough I was cutting close to 500 stakes per log. And it's hard to pass that up. 

 

[Stephen1]

As my son says to me when I try to save a piece of wood, sell it Dad!, there will always be more.... so true

[SawyerTed]

It is an adjustment to look at logs as commodities/raw materials.  

[Don P]

That mater stake is looking at the pine and saying, "Keep laughing toilet paper :D"

A tomato stake lasts one season here, then into the fire, we get late blight every year, too much disease potential to begin with it. I burned some poplar and red oak ones last weekend and need to start making the next ones. Happily my standing order with the boss is 75 though.