I have a chance to cut a large woods. It will be mined, so everything has to go. :( It is a shame, because it could be a fine woodlot in a few years. I will have lots or red, white oak and poplar tie logs. Got a good market for ties nearby. There will be lots of logs , especially white oak and poplar, that are too small for ties. Have a nearby market for them, at $27 per ton. I just don't see much money in that. It seems to me handling them with non mechanized techniques will take too much time for the money. Any suggestions what these can be used for? My grandfather used white oak for corner posts some. I have my doubts 5"to 10" white oaks will last long as posts. Anyone with experience using them for that? All ideas are welcome.
Red and white oaks 6" to 9" x 10' can be split 4 ways into rails. You will need to make a hydraulic splitter to do it efficiently. Should get 4 bucks plus or minus per rail. But it will require some marketing. Where else can you get $16.00 for a 6" log. 8 and 9 inchers can sometimes be split into 6 rails. We sell several thousand cedar or sassafras each year. We don't do oak because we don't have oak.
8) 8) Cedarman, that is the perfect solution for these logs! That hadn't occured to me at all. splitwood_smiley I"ll be looking into that right away, Thanks.
Cedarman is a true gentleman.
Faron,
I recently cut some pith-centered small beams of various sizes for a customer. I learned that it is easier to cut them from small logs than it is from large ones. I suggest you pull out every white oak that is big and clear enough to make beams for farm wagons. Rumor has it they fetch a fair price. I would also consider cutting the white oak for trailer decking and barn siding. Poplar should make good fence rails and barn siding. You could also turn some of red oak into beams. Careful using red oak in places it will be exposed to the weather. White oak has been used for fence posts over the years but it was used as a last resort with the understanding that it was going to rot off in 5-10 years.
I've got several sources of info that estimate fence post life expectancy. Here's one Link (http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubcd/c774.htm), look about 2/3rds the way down the document. I've found a wide degree of variance from source to source so take them with a grain of salt. But this should give you an idea of canidate species.
You could also consider turning blanks but you need to have a market ready.
With the market as such if its got white oak bark on it they are buying it. With that being said I know it is poor forestry practices. But if its a clear cut . Id push the 10 dib and see what my buyer says.
Dale
Thanks for the ideas, guys. I will cut all the grade lumber possible. I found a number of red oaks lots bigger and nicer in another part of the woods. 8) I intend to stockpile some trailer and bridge floors out of some of the smaller white oaks. But you can only store so much. Somebody, somewhere, needs small oak beams . Just have to find them. I am pursueing the split rail idea. No success so far, but lots of places to contact yet.
I see how you are...sop up all the gravy :D
Gravy? And so the thread turns to food....... ;D
DanG! Now I am hungry digin1
I should know better than to read this forum when I skip lunch ::)
Faron, you gonna cut all the trees down or hire out? Bout time to start farming, the way I see it, you ain't gonna have time to log, farm, and cut timber. I can help you out, just cut and deliver those little tooth picks and I'll handle the rest ;) ;D That'll leave you plenty of time to tend to other pressing obligations :)
Flip, I am only working part-time right now. I am not doing a thing between 10:30 PM and 5:00 AM. ;) ::) Actually, I don't yet know how or if this project is going to launch. Decisions, decisions.
Quote from: Faron on March 28, 2007, 10:40:13 PM
Flip, I am only working part-time right now. I am not doing a thing between 10:30 PM and 5:00 AM. ;) ::) Actually, I don't yet know how or if this project is going to launch. Decisions, decisions.
My cousin had that statement pegged when talking about her husband the custom furniture maker, " Oh Martin only works half days now, that's 12 hours you know."