Sawing Catalpa

Qweaver · April 01, 2015, 08:15:39 PM

I'm sawing 15 Catalpa logs for a builder and he wants them to be as straight as possible. I sawed the first log and the 2x12s stayed really straight and the 2x6s, coming out of the first cut after the slab, bowed @ 1/4"...just about the max wanted by the builder. I've never sawed Catalpa but it seems pretty stable. I'm going to saw one whole log into 2x6 and see if that works better. The logs are fairly heavy but very soft. The turner and cant hook dig some pretty deep holes but they close up pretty well. The builder has sawed for years and understands the problems.

Jeff · April 01, 2015, 08:38:24 PM

Do you mean Catalpa?

POSTON WIDEHEAD · April 01, 2015, 08:41:57 PM

Never heard of it Boss. say_what

Qweaver · April 01, 2015, 08:42:09 PM

Yep, I just misspelled.

Jeff · April 01, 2015, 08:56:36 PM

Quote from: POSTONLT40HD on April 01, 2015, 08:41:57 PM
Never heard of it Boss. say_what

Think Big leaves and green beans.

bandmiller2 · April 01, 2015, 09:02:14 PM

That's the great thing about this forum you can misspell something but everyone knows what your talking about. Frank C.

thecfarm · April 01, 2015, 09:02:54 PM

Green beans?? I have seen a few of them around here. I forgot when they blossom here.

Magicman · April 01, 2015, 09:08:38 PM

Ours are blooming now. I saw a large tree flowered out quite nicely this afternoon.

thecfarm · April 01, 2015, 09:22:11 PM

I think there are really only two trees that bloom around here. One is the chestnut and this green bean tree. One blossoms around the first of July and the other???

LaneC · April 01, 2015, 09:27:55 PM

I have been wondering if these are the same trees we have down here. You get the worms off of them and use them for fish bait. They come once a year and you shake them from the tree, pick them up and freeze them in corn meal for later use. They are excellent bait for bream and catfish. I have never seen a tree that was big enough to mill. They are usually about 4-8". I have been wondering about this for a while because of other posts. Do you get the worms from the catalpa trees you are milling? I am just wondering if it is the same tree that we call by the same name.

POSTON WIDEHEAD · April 01, 2015, 09:40:08 PM

Is this the tree some people refer to has having Monkey Cigars?

Danny?

Qweaver · April 01, 2015, 09:41:11 PM

The trees that I'm milling are 20" dia and up to 26". I have no idea about strength but I'm guessing well below yellow poplar.

LaneC · April 01, 2015, 09:54:31 PM

OK. I have never seen one any where near that size down here. They usually grow along river banks or in hardwood swampy areas down here. Do you all get any types of worms that eat the leaves off of the trees? Down here they are green and yellow with a black head. They get to be about 3" long. They only eat the leaves from this certain type of Catalpa tree. There can be several hundred to tree at times, if you can keep the wasps form killing them. The wood is very soft on the inside and stringy as well.

west penn · April 01, 2015, 10:03:44 PM

very soft, used for carving duck decoys and pretty rot resistant.

Magicman · April 01, 2015, 10:10:49 PM

Yes LaneC, Most trees are pruned heavily each year, but if they are allowed to grow, they get quite large. While growing up, we had one in the front yard that was probably 24"+.

hackberry jake · April 01, 2015, 10:32:51 PM

I know @Larry has cut his fair share of it... Speaking of... I meant to buy some more off of you the last time I was there.

kensfarm · April 01, 2015, 11:08:56 PM

Quote from: LaneC on April 01, 2015, 09:27:55 PM
They are excellent bait for bream and catfish.

Best catfish bait. We use to call them Catagler trees.

rooster 58 · April 02, 2015, 06:56:10 AM

We used to call them "Toby" trees ;)

bandmiller2 · April 02, 2015, 07:04:17 AM

Up here they are considered a messy trash tree, they aren't even that good to burn. Frank C.

Qweaver · April 02, 2015, 07:48:30 AM

I'm sawing catalpa and the mill turner and cant hooks are sinking really deeply into the soft wood. I thought of putting a 1" piece of oak between the wood and the cant hook after the first cut. I'll try that I guess.
Suggestions?
The builder said that they used straps and the loader to turn big logs but I don't see how to do that in this case.

Qweaver · April 02, 2015, 07:54:01 AM

I think that anti-rot is the main thing.

bandmiller2 · April 02, 2015, 08:15:21 AM

No self respecting pathogen will attack them. Frank C.

WDH · April 02, 2015, 08:15:45 AM

David,

Yes. The fruit is a long pod. If you rip the leaf apart, it stinks (foul odor).

Hillydano74 · April 02, 2015, 08:17:09 AM

When cuttin cedar I just grab me up a scrap piece like a knot laying close by, put it between the cant hook and the log. Quick fix that works well for me.