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Basswood

Started by WV Sawmiller, February 01, 2019, 06:38:54 PM

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WV Sawmiller

 

 This big basswood uprooted in mid November on the hillside above my shooting house. The broken buckeye landed on my shooting house and knocked a few boards free which is another project before next hunting season.

  Over the last couple of weeks I have cut up the tops and dragged the buckeye off the shooting house and bucked the two forks into logs up to 8' which is as big as i figured most folks would use and about the limit of what I can drag out with my 4 wheeler. Yesterday I took advantage of the frozen ground and dragged the logs off the big bench about 40 yards below the left side of the picture above. After a few hairy trips and use of a snatch block and long cable to get past one contrary dip in the path out I got the logs off the bench and into my pasture. The hard frozen ground let them slide easily - in fact several raced me to the bottom although they did not always stop at my planned finish line.


    Today I used the same frozen ground to pull them closer to the mill with my 4 wheeler and log arch. Before my winch battery died on the arch I got the 3-8' ers about 15-16 in, the 10-11 ft 12" w/sweep and the crotch on the left which is about 20" and 30' to the start of the split. These are right above my mill and I can load any time with just a cant hook.


 


 


 This is what is still left to move - 3-4 8'logs, one 5' and some tops 10-12 inches in diameter. I plan on cutting these as thick as I can up to 4" but mostly 2-3 inches with some 4/4 side lumber and I have contacted several carving clubs. One big one meets Monday night. I hope they want it all but we will see. We have warm weather coming so I guess this will be my next project.

  Oh yeah - there is still an 8' butt log a good 30" diameter below the fork still attached to that rootball I may try to salvage. I think I will have to split it to get it out as to heavy for my ATV. Plus that rootball on that steep slope scares me.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

Bruno of NH

WV
Also check with folks in the wood burning craft they like basswood. 
Lt 40 wide with 38hp gas and command controls , F350 4x4 dump and lot of contracting tools

A-z farmer

Wv sawmiller
My grandfather used to have dead bass word trees
Milled up to make vegetable crates like you made but they were all slats .
As a side note in a good flowering year the honey bees can make gallons of honey from one tree and it is very slow to crystallize 

esteadle

Mill them today. Tomorrow may be too late. Basswood goes back to dirt quickly. Stick it off the mill. Use dry stickers. Keep it outside away from your other wood until it stops molding. I found that it molds immediately, i.e., the day after you cut it. Get it into the kiln the next day. Don't let it sit. 



WV Sawmiller

Bruno,

  Not as many wood burners around here as carvers. Several years back my daughter asked me for some wood for woodburning at a special children's cancer camp they have every summer (For kids with/survivors of cancer and their siblings) as they added WB as an activity. I looked it up on line and found BW was the preferred wood but since I did not have any I wanted to cut I tried some buckeye which is generally a trash wood for most of us. I cut it into 2/4 live edge boards and cut to 3' long, stacked and stickered and air dried quickly. I plane one side and the counselors draw figures/outlines on the board and the kids burn them. Buckeye is another soft, light, white wood and it works well. I have several years supply put up for them now.

A-Z,

   I knew it made good honey which is one reason I don't normally cut them. I think it was also a preferred wood for making bee hives and supers. This particular tree was also a real nice den tree for squirrels and coons and that section did not break in the fall and I may save about a 4' section with the main entrance hole.  

esteadle,

  Thanks for that info. I don't have a kiln but I have a shelf cleared for it in my storage barn so I will see about putting a fan on it the first few days or so especially since this will mostly be real thick pieces.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

moodnacreek

Cut those branches off at the bark before taking photo and you will look like a pro.

WV Sawmiller

Moody,

   You win the prize. I always leave little nuggets like that in there to see who will catch them. :D Sometimes it is misaligned sticker for the sticker police - no names but he lives in Mississippi - sometimes it is long wedge where I forgot to lower the rear roller, etc.

   Actually, if you will look closer I think you will see every one of them broke off when the tree landed and are not the limbs I cut off with my chainsaw. You are right - all the stubs should be cut flush with the bark but these were on the bottom of the log on a steep slope and inaccessible when I bucked the logs. I had to go back with my LogRite to get the logs off the mountain after I bucked them. When I went back my 4 wheeler basket was full of cables and chains and no room for my chainsaw, gas and oil. And if the truth be told - I probably will leave most of them on there and take them off during sawing with the mill. ;)
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

YellowHammer

Basswood is the preferred wood for carving and we sell a good bit of it.  Decoy carvers love it. 

However, since it's one of the few woods that easily dries when cut thick, such as 3 and 4 inch, and when finished with a poly it looks almost exactly like maple (which doesn't like to dry thick) it is our number one seller for table leg stock in 3x3 finished size.  
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

WV Sawmiller

YH,

  Thanks for the info. I finished dragging down the rest of the logs to the mill except for 4 small 3-4 ft long pieces before the battery in my logging arch died again. When I got them staged I went ahead and painted the ends good with anchorseal which I should i have done as soon as I bucked them to length. Some were already trying to check. I just could not carry enough stuff up the hill and work on the steep slope to do it all at the same time.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

hamish

Find yourself a high end kitchen cabinetry shop.  Basswood and Poplar are the two high end mouldings for kitchens in my area.
Norwood ML26, Jonsered 2152, Husqvarna 353, 346,555,372,576

WV Sawmiller

Hamish,

   Is that Tulip poplar or cottonwood or such in your area? Around here we have tulip poplar and I have an abundance on my place. I had one furniture maker as a customer but he had more ambition than business acumen and went belly up and is dodging everyone he ever bought from. He was a nice guy but he did stiff me for a load of wood I'd traded for a baby changing table for mt daughter that we never got. 

   I got everything down today except 4 small pieces 3-4 ft long and 12-13 in diameter before my battery on my arch died. I can probably move them all in one trip in the morning but the ground is no longer frozen so it will be messy.


 9 logs on the right and a small one and crotch on the left. I sealed these and will start sawing them real soon while the weather looks good.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

offrink

Looks nice! Today I started my first kiln load of wood, 48"+ basswood 6' and 12' long and 3" thick. It sat for years prior to slabbing and sat outside for over a year and it had a moisture content of 68%. Hopefully it will dry quickly!

WV Sawmiller

Offrink,

   Is all your wood 3" thick or do you have an assortment of cuts? What will you do with it once dried? 

    I cut 5 logs, 653 bf today. Will finish stacking/stickering it tomorrow under my shed and put a box fan on it for air flow.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

YellowHammer

We stacked some basswood under fans today, also.  Basswood is kind of odd, it is one of the few woods that is very forgiving of face cracks when drying, but when thick, can end check really bad, not really splitting but honeycomb.  For example, I made the mistake of putting a 12/4 pack under roof some months ago, but it still received lots of SW sun, and it's endcracked for several inches into the wood.  It dries very easy so that may be the problem, but on the other hand, it will sticker stain, so it's best to keep fans on it. I definately end seal. 

  
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

offrink

Quote from: WV Sawmiller on February 03, 2019, 07:32:54 PM
Offrink,

  Is all your wood 3" thick or do you have an assortment of cuts? What will you do with it once dried?

   I cut 5 logs, 653 bf today. Will finish stacking/stickering it tomorrow under my shed and put a box fan on it for air flow.
It is all 12/4. We will be making tables and desks out of them. A half dozen layers of epoxy after leveling and sanding and it will be smooth and durable.  The interesting worm and bug holes and live edge all add $ to the price!

hamish

Its mostly Balsam Poplar in this area.
Norwood ML26, Jonsered 2152, Husqvarna 353, 346,555,372,576

WV Sawmiller

Hamish,

   Yeah that is not a tree we have much of here. Only one I remember seeing was planted and not native. Only Balsam I saw was the very light wood in and around the Amazon. I guess it is really Balsa not Balsam. I remember homes in Iquitos Peru were built on big balsam logs and floated up and down the Amazon river. 

   I did get the Basswood I cut yesterday stacked today and have a box fan blowing between the 2 pallets. I still have about 150 bf off the first log on a shelf I will take down and add to these pallets so I will have better access to the wood. It was too dark to get a photo today when I finished. I will resume cutting the rest tomorrow.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

offrink

Quote from: WV Sawmiller on February 04, 2019, 08:28:09 PM
Hamish,

  Yeah that is not a tree we have much of here. Only one I remember seeing was planted and not native. Only Balsam I saw was the very light wood in and around the Amazon. I guess it is really Balsa not Balsam. I remember homes in Iquitos Peru were built on big balsam logs and floated up and down the Amazon river.

  I did get the Basswood I cut yesterday stacked today and have a box fan blowing between the 2 pallets. I still have about 150 bf off the first log on a shelf I will take down and add to these pallets so I will have better access to the wood. It was too dark to get a photo today when I finished. I will resume cutting the rest tomorrow.
Any chance to get some photos?

WV Sawmiller

   I got out this morning and before the rain stopped me I cut 2 small upper 8' logs with some sweep. I have a couple more even smaller and 2-3 larger diameter but shorter 5-7 ft long, pieces to cut then I get into the 3-4 sections. I normally cut 2" widths but because these are destined for carving I cut to the nearest inch and even some 3X4 ft long pieces. I got them stacked and a box fan between them to keep the air flowing.

Offrink,

  You can see a little of the wood here. I will try to get a picture of the stacks the next time I cut.


 First of 2 logs. 2nd was even smaller and more sweep. 99 bf total yield from the 2.


 Results of today on the forks. The 16/4 piece at the bottom was already stacked from the last time I cut any.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

offrink


WV Sawmiller

   I should finish sawing tomorrow. I sawed 2 small 8', then several 4', a 6' and a 5' log today. One more 5', a couple of 3' and a crotch about 30" or so. There is a market for these small pieces for carvers so I am saving it all.


 Several of these 4' "logs". Hardest part is loading as too short for my loader. I put one end on the loader, lift part way then lift other end my hand.


 Assorted 4' lumber pieces. Good thing about 4' lumber as they stack well end to end on my 8' loads.


 My lone 6' log


 One of my 5' pieces. Looked good but some rot inside I had to trim around. These will match up with some 3' for stacking.


 Flat stacked 5& 6' pieces to prevent double handling. Will finish 3' and stack all tomorrow.

   I notice the wood comes off white but turns a reddish tint pretty quickly.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

GAB

When the loader arms are too far apart, for a short log, I place two boards on the loader arms and then load the log on top and proceed to load with the log lifter.  I do the same thing with large burls.
Gerald
W-M LT40HDD34, SLR, JD 420, JD 950w/loader and Woods backhoe, V3507 Fransguard winch, Cordwood Saw, 18' flat bed trailer, and other toys.

WV Sawmiller

Gerald,

   I have done that and may have to do that with a big crotch tomorrow. These were small enough I could lift one end with the arms and the other up to the tire then lift or roll it on to rails and scoot it around till it would clamp. A couple times I had to grab a scrap sticker sized stick off the ever-growing scrap pile to level the log since both toeboards were inaccessible for these short "logs". 

   I guess if I did enough of the short logs I'd fabricate a solid plate of some kind to slip over the arms to close that gap. It would work just as well if it were solid. I guess I could even use wraps of cable or chain to close the gap. I may experiment and if it works I'll send the design to WM and surely they will send me some money. With my luck they would name it after me and that would be my compensation. :D
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

WV Sawmiller

   I got out and loaded a large 3' long crotch with John, sawed a few pieces of 8/4 from one side then rolled it off the mill when I tried to turn it over. Had to load it like GAB described earlier. Had to trim out a good bit due to a split in the wood. Then loaded a 5' top and encountered rot and lost more there. Finally sawed a 42" piece and had to trim off one end of that. Yield was only 93 bf and hardly worth the effort but I am done. I think total yield for the whole tree was around 1,085 bf. There is still the big 8' butt log up in the woods if I get in the mood and right conditions to try to salvage it.

   I have 2 stacks and decent air flow with a box fan running between them but I will likely build another stacking pallet or two and restack everything. Because of cutting over different days I have a hodge podge of widths. One row will be a single 16/4 plank 18" wide on top of a 22" row of 8/4 and under a 20" row of 4/4. I may just dismantle them, flat stack by different thicknesses and restack to standard full 24" widths on each level. That will make them prettier and possibly easier to access in the future.


 Contrary crotch - sawed a few cuts, moved the claw and it shifted, went to back out and band pulled off, finally got it out, then it rolled off the mill. Actually did yield some pretty pieces in the end once the splits were trimmed out.


 5' top. See knothole at end - rot under there. just sawed to 4/4 boards in the end.


 Sawed one other 42" piece then trimmed to 3' and 4/4 boards from it. Total yield with 1.2 hours on the mill for my efforts. My mama said there would be days like that.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

WV Sawmiller

   Okay, I will likely restack one of these days pretty soon but decided I was not really too embarrassed to post the current stacking and stickering job. My layers weave in and out a bit because at the time I stacked I did not always have enough to finish a 24" layer of a specific cut so you may see a single 18" plank underneath a 10" & a 12", etc. With more/all the wood available now I can make more full width shelves/rows. I have 2 more skids about ready to use as time and weather permit.


 
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

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