Newbie needs advice on salvaging doug fir...

[billyO]

Hello all.  I'm new to the wood cutting game, and looking for advice.  I've got a few nice sized doug fir trees on my property (about 18-20" dia at thickest) and would like to incorporate them into a remodel I'm doing on my house.  I plan on using whole trunk sections as posts and a beam to replace a section of the load bearing wall and open up my floorplan. 
The problem is, the trees have been down for a number of years (at least 3) and when I peeled the bark off, there is some bug infestation and rot (soft spongy wood) on the outer 1-2 inches.  I've cut up one of the trees to make some furniture, and the inner 14-16 inches seem very solid and structurally sound. 

My question is, what's the best way (or tool) to cut off the outer couple of inches to remove the bad spots.  I'd like to keep the round shape of the wood.  (If anyone has a magic technique that would remove the outer 8 growth rings, that would be ideal.)

On a related note, am I fooling myself to thinking that the inner portion is structurally sound?
Thank you for any thoughts.
billyO

[Dodgy Loner]

I doubt if you'll find any magic techniques; my suggestion would be to use a chainsaw to remove the bulk of the rotten portion, followed by a drawknife to clean it up and smooth it out.  Without seeing the logs, I can't comment on whether or not the center might still be solid, but I can give you a tip on determining that for yourself. 

You must realize that the sapwood (the living portion) of any tree has only an active resistance to decay, so when the tree is dead, the wood can no longer fend off bacterial and fungal decomposers and will begin to decay very quickly.  The heartwood (the dead portion) of a tree has a passive resistance to decay, which is gained from the chemicals imparted into the wood when it dies.  Therefore, the heartwood can remain sound for much longer than the sapwood.  If the inner 14-16 inches of your logs are heartwood - in Doug-fir, the heartwood will be orangish brown in color, as opposed to the sapwood which is cream to tan - then in all likelyhood, they are still structurally sound.

[billyO]

Thanks for the reply Dodgy Loner.  The center loosk mostly orangish-brown (see photos). 

When using a chainsaw to remove the rotten outer portion, do you do this freehand like you would whittle a stick twith a knife? Or should I use a chainsaw mill rotating the log after each cut rotating as necessary to remove the maximum rot without taking any good wood?

thanks again for the reply.

[Dodgy Loner]

Looks like the center of those logs should be just fine.  I would just freehand the sapwood removal.  It should be soft enought that it won't be too much work, and the heartwood should be hard enough that you'll know when you're cutting too deep.  The tough job will be drawknifing it smooth, but if you intend to use the logs as poles in your house, that's really the only way to get them looking decent.  Good luck! 

[kderby]

BillyO,

If those photos are representative , you are doing just fine.  I like the draw knife answer for the unique look you would get.  Do you have a pressure washer?  I want to see if that decayed material can be removed with water.  I really want to see the texture and color that result.  I don't know if it would be unique or wierd?  Let us know if you get brave.

The strength is still there so don't hesitate using them.

Good Luck!

KD

[billyO]

Thanks for all the replies.  I'm going to try the pressure washer, great idea!

On an unrelated note, being new to the wood cutting game, do the score marks on the log indicate poor saw handling, or is that fairly normal?

[beenthere]

The saw cut marks indicate (to me) that the chain might have been a bit dull, and/or the operator was cranking the saw through the cut rather than just letting the teeth do the cutting. But they are not very detrimental, just look tough.

[billyO]

beenthere - Thanks for the advice, most likely I was pushing the saw through (lack of experience). Not the best for the chain and bar, I'll back off in the future. 

[southernskyent]

Hey yous guys    i have lots of standing dead trees and have the same thing   Find some one whth a debarker and let them run it through 1 or 2 times. it worke wonders up here aye    the pressure washer thing takes forever and it doesnt work all that good.   If all else fails cut it ito an octagon??   8 sides   it looks good..    have fun    and if it looks tough   STOP      and have a beer