Log Pond

[Quebecnewf]

Today as I was sawing some of the logs we rafted gone yesterday. I remarked to my wife how much better these logs sawed than the ones that have been drying on the rocks over the summer .

This led me to have a brain wave as I'm apt to do while sawing . 

Why not make a log pond ?

 
There is a pond right where I stash my logs ( see pic) 

I will get a small excavator , dig of the mud and make a small dam to raise the water level . Presto instant log storage . Keep the logs wet , they will be cleaner and saw better .

What do you think ? 
Anyone else doing this . Any pics of your log pond . Feel free to comment 

Quebecnewf 

[caveman]

We put logs in a pond when we know we will be holding on to them for a while.  We do this mainly to keep the bugs out but they do saw nice.  It is a pain and a time commitment to get them out.  A couple of weeks ago I was wading around on top of sunken logs trying to determine which were pine, which were cypress and the length and diameters of them.  Then I had to use my feet to get a choker cable around them so we could drag them out.

Not long after I took this picture of John hooking up logs we started getting a bit of rain.  The pond is 5-6' deeper now and it is a little more difficult to find what we are looking for.  We try to stage logs in the pond by species and length but sometimes they float and blow around for a while before they sink.  The live oaks generally sink like rocks.

 

[Quebecnewf]

I like the pics . Sinking would not be an issue in my pond . It's all softwood . Pond will be no more than 2 foot deep if that . Bottom will be smooth rock so little to no mud to deal with . 

Will use atv and skidding arch to pluck logs from pond and drag them onto the deck 

Quebecnewf 

[Crusarius]

If you are going to use a pond why not get enough nylon rope to at least tie all the logs up so you can pull them out easily?

Tie them and then put them in the pond.

[WV Sawmiller]

   If you do that why not go ahead and use different color rope for different species as a color code system?

[Quebecnewf]

Rope on the logs in the pond is not needed in my case . Multicoloured same thing . Only saw spruce and fir and they are sold together .

Quebecnewf 

[Crusarius]

I would think grabbing a rope would be alot easier than dealing with the water

[caveman]

If you are going to use a pond why not get enough nylon rope to at least tie all the logs up so you can pull them out easily?

We did jug them and have lines on some of the logs 10-12 years ago when we started putting logs in there but they get tangled when they float around.  The pond will be only a few feet deep during the dry season and 12-14' deep or more in the late summer.  This is not an efficient system for us but I hate burning logs that turn to mush after letting them sit around too long.  This time of the year its not too bad to get in there and get them.  The water is a bit cooler in January.

[Quebecnewf]

I would think grabbing a rope would be alot easier than dealing with the water

Dealing with logs in water is in some ways less challenging than dealing with them on land . My pond would have a consistent depth .
The logs will not sink . They are very easy move about in water . Very easy to chain up two or three logs in the water . We use a skidding arch so it's easier grabbing them in the water with choker chains and the arch than it is on the land . 
Main thing pond  can't be too deep and needs a sloping entry / exit point for the atv and skidding arch . I'm lucky in that the rock in and around my future pond is perfect for this 
Quebecnewf . 

[Remle]

My only question, is how does keeping the logs submerged in water affect the drying time for the lumber produced before it can be sold for use in construction ?

[Iwawoodwork]

When  getting the logs out of the ponds why not use a set of tongs instead of trying to wrap something (chain, choker, strap)around the floating or sunk log?  

[beenthere]

My only question, is how does keeping the logs submerged in water affect the drying time for the lumber produced before it can be sold for use in construction ?

Essentially no effect at all. 

[sawguy21]

That is a common practice here with softwoods, there are miles of log booms on the Fraser River near Vancouver  and some on larger lakes. They do create problems during storms when logs escape and become navigational hazards. Some A lot of them are quite sun bleached, is the wood salvageable?

[Quebecnewf]

When  getting the logs out of the ponds why not use a set of tongs instead of trying to wrap something (chain, choker, strap)around the floating or sunk log?  

Tongs would be a good idea . The only thing given the length of the tongs you might not get enough elevation of the end of the log with the small skidding arch I use. The chain makes it easier to choke multiple logs at a time . I harvest small to med logs so I normally tow 2 to 3 at a time with the arch . 
Quebecnewf 

[Iwawoodwork]

Yes for your little floating logs I can see where the arch and multiple logs would be easier to handle the way you are but for the sinker logs that were mentioned I sure would be trying something like tongs so I would not have to go swimming, I dont mind wading but not down trying to shove a choker are chain under/around a sunken log,

[charles mann]

I was laying in bed last night, trying go to sleep, since i had to be up at 4am, thinking of this exact topic. My pond is as it sits now, about 15' deep, with a med slope on the intake side, where i entered/exited the pond with my dozer. I was thinking of taking my current wood pile and hoisting them in with my crane, then using 1/4" chain to secure them to the bank. Plus iv got access to 5 32-36"breast height x100' pine and 1 36"x70-80' sweet gum id like to go ahead and take down. But with my mill not finished, i dont want to cut them unless i can keep them wet. 

[moodnacreek]

  If you do that why not go ahead and use different color rope for different species as a color code system?

Believe me, he can tell the difference.

[moodnacreek]

I always wanted a log pond. A mill nearby kept their pine logs that way. I could have fresh, cold pine on hand and not have rush to get it sawed and on sticks.

[D6c]

I've got a pond just behind my outbuildings that I've thought about trying.  It was cleaned out and deepened a few years ago but probably has a good amount of mud.  It's also covered with duckweed most of the time.
Does mud make it more trouble than it's worth?

[moodnacreek]

I suppose on a thin kerf band it [mud] would be an issue. I have to saw dirty logs all the time, not that I like it. When you offer your lumber for sale, end cracks, stain and early signs of rot doesn't fly.

[caveman]

John and I had a busy day yesterday.  After sawing yesterday morning we pulled a few longleaf pine logs out of the pond.  We need to get started sawing some flooring for a repeat customer.  The pond is really low; this is the driest time of the year for us.  There should still be some good heart pine logs hiding under the surface.  These had 12-14" heartwood.


 

 

 

[Andries]

Great photos Caveman.
'Fresh' logs, a year after they were cut. That looks like a good way to go, given the hot and humid weather at your location.
Your water is freshwater, whereas the OP, @Quebecnewf is right on the edge of Atlantic saltwater. I wonder if the saltwater has a rusting effect on all the fine adjustment parts of his sawmill and edgers, planers, etc.
Maybe he'll give us an update?

[newoodguy78]

Does your pond have a hard enough bottom to drive out and grab them or do you end up fishing for them? 
Seems like a good idea for log storage to me. 

[moodnacreek]

  If you do that why not go ahead and use different color rope for different species as a color code system?

I think the guy knows his logs.

[caveman]

Does your pond have a hard enough bottom to drive out and grab them or do you end up fishing for them? 

The pond has mostly a sand bottom.  Right now it is about 4' deep so I can drive out a little.  Yesterday, I used the grapple to pull logs and today I used tongs on the forks trying to find a few more 1x6's in a pecker pole.  When it is deep, we use a choker cable and drag them up the bank.  It is labor intensive but some of these logs grew for  100's years and they deserve to be turned into something decent.  We do have some junky, small logs in there that need to be sawn into 4x4's before the rains come.  It rained a couple of inches last night and an inch or so this afternoon.

[newoodguy78]

I like the idea.  It's a shame the amount of good logs I've seen turn into nothing but bug food essentially. Seems like it's well worth the effort 

[rjwoelk]

I was reading some were about logponds and the toxic results of logs being stored, has anybody seen this in their log ponds? I have considered this idea as well as I have a 150x200 dugout that could be used for that purpose.
When is it to late to put them in, such as down for a year 2 years? Or do they need to go in right aways after being cut?

[beenthere]

Put up a link to the "toxic" results. tks

[sealark37]

I have seen mosquitoes at Goose Bay that could move a fair-sized log if they had a pair of tongs.

[Magicman]

 

 
They do not need tongs. 

[caveman]

We put some cypress logs in the pond yesterday.  They are floating because they have dried out a bit since they were cut.  One of our reptilian residents was basking in the sunshine this afternoon.  One of these days I need to pull the weeds out, but they are accumulated on the steep banked side of the pond.

[Andries]

Pull weeds out?
Oh, forget that man!
Pull those crocs out!
Isn't saying 'reptilian resident' like saying 'jumbo shrimp' and 'government expertise'? Just wrong.

[tule peak timber]

Very cool!

[chet]

I'll stick with bears, wolves, and mountain lions!

[Old Greenhorn]

I can only think that if that was us, there would be a rifle down at the mill ready to go.   Kind of like the one in the shop, salt shed, and woodshed. Working today we had our eyes peeled for a fox that has been coming around for chicken dinners. One of the dogs took off an a track and off we went after her, but she lost it and gave up. I hate carrying a sidearm when I am cutting, but it may come to that when Bill isn't around with his.
 We kind of think of beavers and foxes as fair game, due to the damage they cause.

[47sawdust]

Very unusual sawmill pet !

[longtime lurker]

Well I think having a  long nosed short leg swamp dog in the  back of the sawmill yard is a fabulous addition.
They're low maintenance, don't really get underfoot when you're working, and ain't no-one sneaking out the back way with your chainsaws at night.

[Resonator]

Do they make gator skin logger boots?

[cutterboy]

No skinny dipping in that pond!!

[TimW]

Caveman,
 What is your little doggie's name?

[caveman]

We have not named it.  This one showed up here about this time last year, about a foot shorter than it is now.  I suspect he's been eating some fish.  

Several years ago, one a touch over 13' was caught in my across the street neighbors' front yard.  I had been seeing that monster in a relatively small ditch out in the swamp about 1/4 mile from the house.

[TimW]

Munch or Mooch comes to mind.

[Stephen1]

I see a new pair of boots coming soon!