I have a little bandmill. I don't saw tons, I saw for myself and do some custom for others. I sharecut for some of my own use, take all the free logs I can get and buy only what I have to. I got a call from a guy yesterday wanting to sell a log, or something he wasn't sure. He had been referred by a guy who I have share cut walnut and cherry for and has had people contact me that have good freebies, pretty good dude. He said it was "big" and didn't want it to go to waste (good for him, I do like that part). He wanted me to come over and look at it, he was not sure what it was. He didn't want to sell it all and heard I had sharecut for his buddy. I explained the way that worked, told him I was kinda busy to run out and look (he lives 40 miles away) could he e-mail a picture. Here it is, I wish I could post a bigger picture, the bigger it is the worse it looks. He said it was "about 24" at the bottom, with that butt swell it is 16"? on the big end, rotten and knotty as heck. It had been standing dead for a "year or so" he said. I had to pass on this one :D
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/12216/log%7E0.JPG)
I'd take half that log Darin - in 24" lengths, split of course - :D
Mike, don't get greedy. I think everyone on the forum will want to get a share of a quality log like that. ::) ;D
it could be spalted!
Quote from: mike_van on March 16, 2006, 08:36:45 PM
I'd take half that log Darin - in 24" lengths, split of course - :D
That was the way I steered him, politely. I told him thanks for calling (he does have 5 acres of hardwood timber behind the house, you never know) but told him I was sure someone would come get it out of the yard for firewood. It looks like hard maple to me, there would be a decent truck load there. Every day someone is cutting prime sawlogs into firewood and 3-4 times a week I get calls from guys with firewood wanting to try to mill it. I guess it is all part of the game, I just wanted to share one of my goofy calls.
I'm glad you did Daren,I had a good belly laugh :D
Our neighbor talked with my wife a month or so ago. She had a couple "nice cedars" blow over in a windstorm and wondered if I wanted them. Knowing that there is indeed some nice trees in her swamp I check it out. The trees she is offering were living but severly rotted inside. They had snapped off, not tipped over, they were so rotten. I couldn't even get a fence post out of them. :D They are still there if anyone wants them. ;D
Dana
Possibly keeping that 'bridge' open by accepting her free offer, and trying to salvage just enough of the wood left to make something for her in return, will turn into a future offer for some higher quality. The neighbor can maybe learn that after they rot, they fall, and are not worth much at that time. Just a thought. Others have talked about educating in a subtle way to gain a good foothold later on. Does ''Kirk" come to mind, and "Tom" :) along with several others?
I wouldn't go so far as to tell her that the cedar chest you were trying to build for her from this log happened to be in the rotted wood section of the log, so you just couldn't finish it. ;D
> He said it was "big"
Yea, I could hardly drag it through the mud, grass, and stones for you to saw. ;)
Quote from: rebocardo on March 17, 2006, 08:08:32 PM
> He said it was "big"
Yea, I could hardly drag it through the mud, grass, and stones for you to saw. ;)
It would have been easier to drag if it didn't have all the birdhouses and squirrel feeders nailed to it I bet, they really cut up his yard. :D
Beenthere, Thats not a bad idea. :) Something quick and easy like a birdhouse. The rest can go in our outdoor stove, I guess. ;)
Sure looks like the tree was open grown. But, it don't look much like maple, bark of sugar maple is not that rough, nor is it dark. Reminds me of walnut. Anyway, not that it makes much difference. It will keep someone warm I suppose. ;)
Shucks Daren, think of all the money you could could save just by recovering all the nails out of that thang.
Could be a new service business... Nail Recovery.. :D
:D I had a lawyer email a few months back with a 6' diameter cypess 30' long. the area he was in had me excited about this one as it was possible he actually had such a log. I should of known better coming from a lawyer. it was 30' all right, but the 6' almost made 6' circumfrence at the butt flare. i drove 80 miles one way to check this one out. All was not lost. It was a pleasant oputing with the wife. I respectfully told the fellow if he wanted to bring it to me I would mill it, but it wasn't worth the time to drag the mill to him. LeeB
I don't cut on shares, and really don't custom saw other peoples logs anymore, but I still get alot of calls to come look at someones "valuable black walnut tree". We've all read the stories on other threads and maybe posted some, so I won't go there. One thing I have learned though is that I have to follow up on every call, unless it is really too far away. As you guys have said above, you never know what you'll find or who you'll meet. I've already bought 50,000 bft. sales when I originally was called to look at one tree. Remember, you don't find much timber/logs by sitting around looking at your mill. You have to get out and find it sometimes.
What are you playing at?
that thing would make thousands on eBay
iain