Wasted Walnut

[Norm]

Today's been the first day in a long time that I ran the mill. My hands have been shaking because of withdrawl effects. Patty was in at the library taking a test so I grabbed a nice walnut to slice up.

First I sliced it's ears off.



Next was laying it down to slice some thick slabs.



Second cut the blade lost tension and wouldn't cut. Here's why.



They were 6 penny nails, didn't ruin the blade but the stain in the log will keep it from being premium quality. My sense of humor went away too. This was one of the best logs I'd gotten in a long time. Figures.

[sawwood]

Norm i have had that happen on a nice walnut log. We got down to a 6 X 6 cant and had to pitch it in the fire wood pile.    I still like the looks of the lumber you got. Did you finish  cutting the rest up ? O will you never know what you are going to git.  Sawwood

[EZ]

Norm, sorry about your luck with the walnut, I'm sure all of us has been there.
Being a country boy all my life, I cant ever remember driving a nail in a tree. Coarse then again we were so poor that I cant remember even having any nails.
EZ

[Frickman]

Grandpa used to say that anytime someone drives a nail, spike, clothes hook, etc. into a tree a limb should fall out of it and break their arm. He hit lots of metal in his years of sawing.

[Ron Wenrich]

I generally hit nails in walnut and ash.  They tend to grow on better sites, closer to farms and houses.

My worst walnut was a custom job for a friend of a mill owner.  I told him it was full of nails.  Didn't matter, I was to give it a try.

First cut and I hit at least 10 nails.  I limped through a few more cuts, hitting more nails as I went.  Finally had to sharpen up.

Turn the log, and hit more nails.  Did the same routine of sharpening and turning.  I figured that the third side couldn't have any more nails.

Wrong.  I figured I hit at least 50 nails in that tree before I just refused to cut anymore.  I had to throw the teeth away and they threw the log away.  Expensive log and an expensive lesson for the mill owner.

Then there was the time I hit the railroad spikes....... :

[WV_hillbilly]

  Hate to here about your luck Norm. But if you 're going to toss them boards in the firewood pile give me a ring . ;)  

  I just was walkin around my place Friday and noticed my neighbor put up soome more no hunting signs and DanG  it if he didn't have one nailed to a 14 " cherry on my side of the property line . Needless to say it is no longer there . I 'll have to explain to him thats a no no cause he must not know any better.

[Sawyerfortyish]

Ron I think the worst tree for me was a walnut. I hit 23 poster nails on two sides. Coarse then there was that big whiteoak with a 2' long cavity filled with cement OUCH

[steveo_1]

Why would anyone put cement in a tree?!?!?!?!

[Ianab]

Why would anyone put cement in a tree

:P
Back in the dark ages Arborists used to fill holes in a tree with concrete to try and prevent them rotting out any more. Seems that it didn't do much good so it's gone out of fashion now, fortunately

ian

[Sawyerfortyish]

It may have gone out of fashion but that cements still there and Hard to

[Norm]

I didn't have any sharp blades at the farm so I quit for the day. Ron that was on heck of a lot of nails, I'm kind of nervous there's more in the log but it's such a nice log I'm gonna use an old blade to try the rest of the log with. 6 penny's aren't too bad to hit, now railroad spikes would be something else. One thing about a bandmill, hitting metal doesn't throw teeth back at ya.

[sawyerkirk]

I bet well over half the walnut logs I get in here to custom saw have some type of metal in them. I sawed some for a neighbor a while back that was full of bullets, Cut them into 6/4 stair treads, looks great. Left the bullets in the boards! Unfortunately, we burn alot of walnut firewood.

[sawyerkirk]

I stopped at the Woodcraft store in Evansville yesterday and was browsing the lumber selection, there was a walnut 2x8x8' that had a burly end on it, they wanted over $100 for the thing. I really think I should look though my firewood pile! They had some 4' pieces that were about 2" thick, maybe 12" wide still had the bark on both sides, with some burl in them, I think they wanted $40/pc. Yeah they were pretty, but not that pretty. I have got to quit looking at some things as defects and call them character! I think I'll pick though the firewood log pile and pull out the ugliest logs, slice them 8/4 dry em and sell em on ebay!Way too much coffee this morn, starting to ramble.

[Corley5]

I won't saw walnut.  The only place it grows up here is in barnyards and around houses.  Grandpa wouldn't saw walnut either.  Every time he did he found hardware.  

[LeeB]

I don't saw walnut either. Wood be happy to if there were any around here :( LeeB

[Ron Wenrich]

The RR spikes were used by some nice hunter to get up in a tree.  They were spaced nicely apart on a tulip poplar.  I managed to just skim the head of the spike, so there wasn't any major damage to the saw.  The sister logs were put into the firewood pile.

I hit a piece of galvanized strap steel in an oak one time.  Galvanized material won't turn blue.  That one took out 14 shoulders and bent 30 others on a circle saw.  The saw was thrown away.

When custom sawing, I worked at one mill that charged by the foot and by the nail.  It worked out pretty good.

[SawInIt CA]

I am on a portable walnut job now and am wasting about 15 blades a day due to metal...the stuff does attract metal.

[ronwood]

SawInIt CA,

Does the customer pay for all the blades? Must be some good walnut !!

Ron

[SawInIt CA]

The customer pays for all unsharpenable blades....most of them. Just trying to do my part to help WM :D
Yes it is some nice claro and English walnut...Lots of fiddleback ;D Cut I nice Camphor log as well. Boy does that stuff smell good

[Frickman]

I've had potential customers offer to pay for a new saw if I hit metal. When I tell them that a replacement is better than 2 grand they soon change their mind.

[Sawyerfortyish]

Frickman I tell them the same thing.I also tell them that by the time you load it bring it here and I charge you for sawing it I can sell you some out of my barn already dry cheaper. Everybody has it in there mind that walnut is worth a lot of money when they call and try to sell it to me. Not many want to pay a lot when I try to sell it. I do better on oak it's much easier to sell.

[Swing_blade_Andy]

Hi Ya
I have to tell you about the metal I hit in my big walnut tree. Most of it was from the revolution. 1798 revolution that was. Round lead shot- dozens of em, other bullets from other periods and a few iron nails for good measure. But it was worth it. The tree gave me 17 tons of fine black walnut, which is seasoning nicely in my drying house. It'll go on ebay soon- already some interesting bids from local customers.
It was worth the pain I have to say.
So come all ye gunstock makers
come all ye veneer cutters
come all ye table and piano makers,
come to daddy and see my treasure house. But bring your check books.

Swing blade Andy go it all  (at last)

[etat]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1516&e=8&u=/afp/20040312/od_afp/france_wwii_offbeat_040312122851