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Questions about bark

Started by Mrbrettbaker, March 12, 2021, 07:04:58 AM

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Mrbrettbaker

Hello, complete noob here. I have a 16 acre wooded lot I will be building on. I design and build machinery for a living and am building a sawmill to make use of the timber I will have to cut down. Unfortunately there are a bunch of trees, mostly pine that I will have to drop now and it may be a year before I can mill them. I read that not getting the bark off could ruin the lumber. Would this just be the lumber close to the bark? Could I just cut the first Inch or 2 off and salvage the inner wood? There are some very large  trees.. Any education as how to save some of this lumber would be greatly appreciated.

WDH

The main issue is insect and fungal infestation.  Two completely natural processes in nature.  The insects love the inner bark in a downed log and it is an attractant.  Fungal spores are everywhere.  Insects  are the biggest problem.  They penetrate the wood and create pathways for the fungal spores to enter the wood.  

You can prevent insect infestation by thoroughly spraying disodium octaborate tetrahydrate, a borate salt that is harmless to animals but deadly to insects.  One commercial product that is labeled for insect control is Timbor.  However, the sprayed logs must be protected from the rain as the borate is water soluable and rain will wash it out.  
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

DonW

Maybe you have some water where you could submerge the logs. Watering wood is something rarely done now but earlier was a way to store and protect and even improve wood before it got milled. 
Hjartum yxa, nothing less than breitbeil/bandhacke combo.

Iwawoodwork

Depends on the type/specie of wood  and your area(dry, wet, humid) a lot, I have Doug fir, oak, large Juniper and a little pine that has been down a couple years and still had solid wood with a little sap wood rot. Wood will last better with bark off, dry area, and on skids off direct contact with soil.

Don P

Or hire in a portable mil and get it sawn up and drying and use the opportunity to pick up build ideas.

Mrbrettbaker

Thanks everyone. WDH I will look in to these treatments. 
DonW can you tell me more? I have a stream and some swamp that will becoming a 5 acre pond. I have a big backhoe and dozer and could cuff out an area to make a small pond quickly. 
Soaking they logs doesn't ruin them?

welderskelter

Soaking wont hurt them. They will cure. Its called water cured. Sawn logs should be sawn immediately when taken out of water. We pulled out some deadhead logs that had sunk that had been there since around 1905 when Weyerhauser logged off this country. The outside boards were a little brittle but the inside was still very good. Course most of these logs were picked up at 16 to 25 ft deep. They would have made perfect furniture as they couldnt be made to warp. Had them laid on the ground , leaned up on things, let the sunshine on them and no warp and no shrink. Perfect.But to get them you would have to go to scuba school.

Don P

Ways to stop fungi, and most things,
Deny it food, moisture, temperature or oxygen.

Keeping the wood under water cuts off the oxygen supply.
You can drive by piles of logs under sprinklers, the film of water helps keep oxygen blocked.

Much slower but you can pick up bacterial degrade so underwater isn't usually good for long term unless you go deeper and colder (deny temperature and oxygen).

DonW

The ideal condition for watering wood is submerged in flowing water, the but end facing the flow. It's rare and far more common is a pond. In practicle terms the pond condition allows for plant growth to get established on exposed sections but it is a minor issue in terms of any significant damage to the wood. Some advantages besides the stability mentioned are increased resistance to insect and microbial infection, a firmer structure and the shorter time it takes the wood to reach equilibrium moisture, it dries quicker which mitigates a need for artificial drying. 

The duration logs can be kept differs much according to species and for a few it's not even a good option, maple for example is one I understand will not benefit and will even suffer unwanted discoloration. For pine a year is sufficient for a good sized log and two years about the maximum. Elm can stay submerged indefinitely and will only improve.

A miller I use waters his best logs as a matter of course, in particular pine that he slabs and spruce used for rafters. He charges a premium for this wood, which I gladly pay him.
Hjartum yxa, nothing less than breitbeil/bandhacke combo.

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