Big Ironwood

[mesquite buckeye]

So, this guy Mike calls me and says he has 2 really big mesquite logs on his trailer. I'm busy trying to get the cactus project done and he wants to come right away. Argh. Well actually Saturday. Says he'll show up at 8 so I have time to get the saw set up. He shows up at 7:15. :-\ His logs are covered with mud from the 10 miles of mud he just drove through. Anyway, funny looking mesquite, too much sapwood. Heartwood is quite dark. :

We drive up to the saguaro hill, only place I know where we can get some pressure in a water hose. Barely made it up the hill in 4WD.

So we fire up the pump and he starts washing the 4" of mud off the front of the logs and of course I have to tell him the time I sold some big mesquite forks for a ramada and it snowed the day I hauled them. Those got covered with muddy slush. Cost $5 in quarters at the car wash to clean them up. Anyway, meanwhile I take a closer look at the funny looking mesquites and soon figure out that they are desert ironwood logs, and actually as big as he said.

 

By the way, he forgot to mention that the big log had a colony of honeybees inside. >:( ;D

No problem, he says. Sprayed a couple cans of kill a bug into the nest and filled the openings with construction foam.

Right. Being the old beekeeper that I am, I said they are not all dead..

No problem, we'll find out soon enough. :-[ :-\

 

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha

We had 7 gallons of soapy water on hand just in case. ;D

Got the saw all ready to run and couldn't get the tensioner to hold. Cold O rings leaking out the ATF. :( Fortunately Andy came by and showed us an old ranch trick to swell up the O rings by adding a bit of brake fluid to the ATF. Worked like a charm. Leak sealed up in 15 minutes. ;D Had a few other minor start up issues but all ready to cut by 11. ;D

First cuts into the sapwood weren't too bad, cutting with 7° blades.

Right up until we hit the heartwood and the dirt. :(

Did I mention that the logs were dry? Wonderful stuff. One of the hardest, heaviest woods in the world with toxic, choking dust.



 

And yes, there were still a few hundred bees that came boiling out on cut 3. 

We gave them a nice bath and they went to sleep clean. ;D 8) 8) 8) Good thing it was in the 50's and they were  a bit slow.
;D ;D  ;D


 
Maybe a new design feature with honeycomb. ;D

 
Ironwood is purdy. ;D

 
The hail you say. Took a 15 minute break for food. ;D and back to it.

Had a lot of trouble with humps in that hard stuff and were losing close to a blade a slice. Finally found an old 4° blade, ran the lube on full speed maximum and it worked better. Did I mention the fire shooting out of the exit side and the debarker? Actually exaggerating here, it was just a constant cloud of smoke. 

 
To me the first log was disappointing, with a lot of hollow and not the most even cuts we had to cut 1/4 to 1/2 inch big just to make sure they would be usable.
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Mike, however, was all smiles.

The second log was scary, with a big fork and the one side still hanging off. I wasn't planning on milling and didn't have any chainsaws to cut it, so we mounted it with the branch sticking straight up. Wouldn't clear the saw even all the way up. Took a hydraulic jack and moved the log a bit and dropped it just enough to clear. ;D

This log was really nice. Only had a small hollow at the fat end and another in a small crotch. Look at what we found inside.

  

  

  

  

  

  

 

Mike seems to think he is rich.

Prettiest ironwood I ever seed. ;D 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)

[cbla]

That is a very interesting log! What species of Ironwood is that? here in Nova Scotia we have Ostrya virginiana ( Ironwood) That only usually gets to about 8in dia then it usually falls over. I milled one with the Alaskan a couple of weeks ago and for such a small log it was extremely tough to mill.

[Magicman]

I hope he has a nice project in mind.   8)

[dustintheblood]

Our ironwood here in southern ontario is hophornbeam.  Not officially an invasive species, but it comes up like crazy in the sugar maple bush.  Tall lean stems about 6" diameter average.  We whack em down, and they go straight to the wood boiler.  It's like throwing coal on the fire  8) 8) 8)

The bigger ones (~8" diameter or so) we saw then turn to make pegs for timber framers.

I tried some lumber a few times but drying it straight & flat is like herding cats.  It looks similar to the wood you just showed - but smaller.

Nice work!

[mesquite buckeye]

Olneya tesota or Desert Ironwood. Related to beans, peas, black locust and the tropical rosewoods. Sinks nice and fast in water even when bone dry.

I hope he has a nice project in mind.   8)

Seems like he wants a table for the wife and other than that he's just thinking gold.

[isawlogs]

 Nice slabs, one needs a real project for those. If one is lookin' for character, theres lots there. 

[mesquite buckeye]

Nice slabs, one needs a real project for those. If one is lookin' for character, theres lots there. 

The colors were amazing. Hard to see in a photo, but pinks, purples and golds mixed in there. Ironwood heartwood darkens with age so I don't know how durable all that color will be.

[azmtnman]

Nice!  8)

[mesquite buckeye]

 

[dustyhat]

That is wood with color, first time i ever saw ironwood. thanks for the pics.

[Darrel]

Yes, thanks for the pictures.

[tyb525]

Looks similar to the honey locust we have (except nicer!). This is what I grew up calling ironwood in Indiana. Hornbeam/Blue Beech/Musclewood (Carpinus caroliniana)

Unfortunately I have never seen one big enough to cut lumber from, 6-8" is the biggest I recall seeing.



We also have Hop-Hornbeam, they seem to be a little less common here.

[mesquite buckeye]

I get hop hornbeam on my place in Missouri. Same deal, a big one is 8". If they are straight though they cut ok.

[petefrom bearswamp]

Saw one Ironwood/Hophornbeam, Ostrya virginiana that reached about 16" dbh in the edge of a clients field when marking timber a number of years ago.
Here I just burn it in the Classic

[mesquite buckeye]

 :(

[cbla]

16" for Ostrya virginiana  is big .

[mesquite buckeye]

Might be neat to cut up too. ;D 8) 8) 8)

[Greyhound]

Olneya tesota
Very rare, only native to desert SW.  Super dense and super purdy.  My absolute favorite native-exotic.  Makes great knife and pistol grips.  You hit the jackpot on those logs.

[mesquite buckeye]

Add to that most is locked up on government land. Most of what becomes available comes from some private inholdings and when logs get saved from road widenings and right of way clearing for pipelines and powerlines. Some come up from Mexico but this requires lots of papers and lots of mordida.