I was contacted by a municipal parks department to see if I was interested in salvaging Ponderosa Pines that were being removed from one of their parks. The pines were dying and this particular park has 12 that are being removed. I will be providing stock for several picnic tables but otherwise I am only out the fuel for an 80 mile roundtrip for each load. They cut them down, cut to length and load them for me. I get anything that is straight and over 15" diameter. I have hauled 22 logs so far and there are two trees to go.
I'll be scanning these logs with my metal detector but I know that some of these logs have concrete in them. Apparently, 15-20 years ago they used concrete to fill voids in the trees in an effort to preserve them.
I can see concrete in obvious areas, branch stumps and end cuts but some was placed so long ago that the tree grew around it completely. They hit concrete several times with their chainsaws. I'll obviously be as careful as possible when cutting them with my bandsaw but does anyone have any suggestions on how to find the concrete before my blade does?
I don't have a problem trashing them as needed but I would like to save as much as possible.
Thanks,
I can tell you that a chain saw is not the way to find it. I was slabbing a huge green ash crotch section and all heck broke out. Along with some chain teeth and sparks. Really wrecked the chain, and that was on my big Husky with 36" bar. I also hit a chunk once when I had my portable manual mill. I almost hit my head on the mill it stopped so quickly. I might suggest sending in an extra long drill bit under anything that looks like a overgrowth from a broken branch, or crotch. If they used concrete that long ago, it may be tough to see a scar. Good luck!
Concrete and steel do a bad number on chains!
I have never encountered such thing but did you check if the concrete ran along the whole? I'm thinking of cutting through just the end portion and see but that seems to be quite a stupid step for you would probably finish off the whole log before you know it. However, it may also probably work to scrape it. Do you think that would work?
Thanks for the replies. I am going to try an electronic stud finder that is supposed to operate on density rather than magnetics. Any concrete I can find seems to be in pockets, usually where a branch broke off and started to decay, it doesn't run the length of the log but in most cases the wound has closed over. I did see that they cut into one that was about 3" in diameter - about 6" below the surface of the log. They hit it while crosscutting with the chainsaw, moved up about 18" and tried again. Hit concrete again just below the end of the plug. When the tree fell the remaining plug fell out. Anything I can find I'll chip with a pneumatic hammer/chisel.
Had a little time yesterday since the mill was set up after a small job so I put one on and tried cutting it. It had a few small nails but no concrete found. These trees were standing dead so most of the bark has fallen off or is loose - hard to read the bark for defects.
It's been a number of years now but I bought a job on the west side of Toledo Ohio for a company I was buying logs for. Almost every tree cut with glass insulators in them here to find out during world war two they had German prisners in a camp there and it was electric for the tents. We were hauling them over a hundred miles sounth and the boss said no more and we pulled of the job and left the rest. Needless to say I didn't get a star that week ;D But they were big big trees and everything was growed over and I didn't see any evendence of problems in them,but now I look a bit harder.
can you pressure wash the logs to remove the debris and or bark exposing the cement?
I can powerwash but most of these logs have the bark loose or already fallen (they were standing dead). There are a couple of areas where the scar is visible from the outside. I am more concerned with the concrete patches inside the logs. This method of patching trees was discontinued around 15-20 years ago so most of the patches are now grown over.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/19572/3422/LV_Log_3.jpg)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/19572/3422/LV_Log_8.jpg)
Yikes! :o That chainsaw had a bad day :D