I looked at a fairly large "Sinker Cypress" job today.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/Photo603.jpg)
The logs are all good sized with one log being over 36".
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/Photo604.jpg)
They were tree length and the customer will buck and stage them this week.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/Photo605.jpg)
And then there were these; a 34" Cherrybark Oak, and a 35" Water Oak. note: after cleaning them up, they both actually measured 36" butt. You can see the Water Oak in the background. I also noticed about a dozen ERC logs.
MM, is the cherrybark the same as say a wild cherry? You see larger cherry in the mountains of NC but here in central NC you don't find the larger trees that often.
Dave C
I will reword the post. It is a Cherrybark Oak, which is our highest quality Red Oak. The Water Oak is also a Red Oak, but lower quality.
Some nice logs to work with. I am more curious about how the Cypress look when it comes off the mill ;D
Always like customers that have the equipment to make the job easier.
Went and looked at a big job today as well. Ground is still to soft to walk one of the excavators back out to the landing, but about 20,000 bft of White Oak and Madrone.
Headed over towards the coast with the mill in the morning, wind and rain in the forcast. Will be setting up the mill in a quary to mill some Myrtlewood logs.
Oops! Sorry, I guess I need to get up to speed on the various species of oaks. At that size will you quartersaw or flat saw? Would love to see picks of the inside of those oaks.
Dave C
Probably flat, but whatever the customer wants.
This customer is a logger and the logs are at his yard. He has a loader and everything else to handle these logs.
Looks like a nice project. Look forward to some pictures of Cherry Oak if you have time.
Travel safe MM
DGDrls
I'm sure your up to the task magicman, pis are what i'm waiting for...
Those look like serious logs! Always good to hear what you're up to.
Is that the fellow that I sent your way, Lynn? I'm curious to see what's in those cypress logs too!
Yes Dodgy, that is the job.
The customer called today and it is all bucked and staged. We set a tentative sawing date starting June 10th.
Sinker cypress has to be dried much more slowly than non-sinker to avoid checks, cracks, etc.
I have no idea how this will respond to sawing because from the looks of it, it has been out of the water for over a year?? At this point I also have no idea what the lumber use will be.
You just saws em ;D.
and leaves em. ;D
:D Yup, I thought about adding those exact remarks. 8)
I worked with a guy a while back who was bringing some big cypress logs up from somewhere down there, don't recall exactly where. But (again, as I recall) he said these had been under water for like 100 years or some such time, so they had been felled by an ax or a hand saw. The really interesting part was that, apparently, there was some kind of stamp on the back side of the ax that different companies had, and they would strike that stamp in the end of the log so that they could sort them out after they floated them down-river. He said in these 100-year-old logs, the stamp was still clearly visible. Amazing.
I saw quit a bit of sinker cypress, beware of all the fine sand in the log.
I would suggest you have the customer pressure wash them first or you will surely have some dull blades real quick.
I took a look and they are really nice.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/DSCN1283.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/DSCN1282.JPG)
They are bucked into 8', 10', 12', & 14' lengths and look heavy.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/DSCN1285.JPG)
I saw one 8' log that measured 38" with a 42" butt. :o
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/DSCN1284.JPG)
And there were a few that were Pecky, and I did see some ring shake, but I can saw around that to maximize yield.
I've been piecemeal sawing some small pieces I recovered about 7 years ago. They've been improperly stored and were not nearly that high of quality to begin with. Even with being subjected to rain and sun, they are yielding very nice looking lumber. It is just fairly soft. You will dull some blades though.
Having an opportunity to dull a few blades on something like this is a pleasure. ;D
I sawed 2 sinker cypress logs a few weeks ago and the ends looked like your pecky log picture.
This is the lumber that came out of both logs.
First time to see boards with this figure. Let me know how yours looks
when you open up the log.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/18498/crypress_photo_1.jpg)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/18498/crypress_photo_3.jpg)
Wow that is amazing Woodey. Are the darker areas soft, or are they just stained?
They are holes.
MM, those are fine. I eagerly await the results.
Quote from: 21incher on May 09, 2014, 04:50:50 PM
Wow that is amazing Woodey. Are the darker areas soft, or are they just stained?
You are talking about the dark satin running parrellel to the pecky pattern right? I think it's just water stain.
Quote from: Woodey on May 09, 2014, 04:04:02 PMI sawed 2 sinker cypress logs a few weeks ago and the ends looked like your pecky log picture.
That is the normal Pecky Cypress. Pecky Cypress LINK (https://www.google.com/search?q=pecky+cypress&client=firefox-a&hs=SQa&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=sb&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=-FdtU7KfH4KqyAT85YKwCQ&ved=0CEwQsAQ&biw=1366&bih=596)
Pecky Cypress is some very valuable stuff.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/2410/DSCN0511.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/2410/DSCN0512.JPG)
Here are a couple of pictures of Pecky Cypress that I posted in another thread.
Quote from: SawyerBrown on May 09, 2014, 09:28:53 AM
I worked with a guy a while back who was bringing some big cypress logs up from somewhere down there, don't recall exactly where. But (again, as I recall) he said these had been under water for like 100 years or some such time, so they had been felled by an ax or a hand saw. The really interesting part was that, apparently, there was some kind of stamp on the back side of the ax that different companies had, and they would strike that stamp in the end of the log so that they could sort them out after they floated them down-river. He said in these 100-year-old logs, the stamp was still clearly visible. Amazing.
Believe it or not, in Florida you're required by law to make all reasonable attempts to contact the owner of that stamp. If he's still in business and wants that log, you are required to
give it to him, gratis.
(I ain't making this up; I took that silly course.) Of course, if he said he wanted it I guess you could just drag it back out into the river and let it sink again. ;D
Quote from: nomad on May 09, 2014, 09:20:01 PM
Believe it or not, in Florida you're required by law to make all reasonable attempts to contact the owner of that stamp. If he's still in business and wants that log, you are required to give it to him, gratis.
(I ain't making this up; I took that silly course.) Of course, if he said he wanted it I guess you could just drag it back out into the river and let it sink again. ;D
I don't doubt what you are saying...but that supersedes all common sense................... :-\
I guess "finders keepers" does not apply in this day age....arggggggg..............
Quote from: MotorSeven on May 10, 2014, 09:28:36 PM
Quote from: nomad on May 09, 2014, 09:20:01 PM
Believe it or not, in Florida you're required by law to make all reasonable attempts to contact the owner of that stamp. If he's still in business and wants that log, you are required to give it to him, gratis.
(I ain't making this up; I took that silly course.) Of course, if he said he wanted it I guess you could just drag it back out into the river and let it sink again. ;D
I don't doubt what you are saying...but that supersedes all common sense................... :-\
I guess "finders keepers" does not apply in this day age....arggggggg..............
Those logs were not intentionally discarded so the owner might like them back. If you set your wallet on the roof of the truck, wouldn't you like to have the person who finds it return it. Silly comparison but same principle in my book.
A brand is a brand :P
Cattle rustlers were shot :snowball:
Log rustling could get you smiley_hanged
Finding the owner or at least the history of the log could be rewarding.
The last two posts both make good points.
However, the owner of the log stamp expected to lose a percentage of logs to sinkage. This isn't taking logs out of somebody's private business lot. It's spending stoopid amounts of money to try to recover wood that's been sunken for a century or more. Remember, those individual logs are a lot more valuable to us today than they were to the men who originally harvested them. And they were reaping a wild crop, not something they'd raised and nurtured.
Brands have the law backing them as being the owner wheather you rounded up a few strays and put your brand on them or you put your hard earned money into harvesting a stand of timber that you purchased and got all the permits to send down the river.
When I was studing forestry brands have some strick laws to back them up and the consiquences are quite firm.
Not like a law written on a whim like, No ladys over 70 may ride a white horse thru town on sunday wearing a white dress kinda laws.
Quote
Believe it or not, in Florida you're required by law to make all reasonable attempts to contact the owner of that stamp. If he's still in business and wants that log, you are required to give it to him, gratis.
If a state government has such a law, then it seems the onus is on them to provide the listing of such brands being registered, not on someone "making a reasonable attempt" which is very ambiguous, to say the least.
Cover your tracks with a trip or two to the library and call it "a reasonable attempt" ;)
Interesting ...
However, finding the owner of logs that old should be fairly easy. They'd have to be at least 110 years old, and there can't be that many people in the whole state that age. (Although, there ARE a lot of old people in Florida! We export them from the northern states ...) ;D
That brings up another serious question, though ... so when did they stop using that method of moving and identifying logs? (Or do they still?). Interesting piece of logging history ...
Thankfully the logs that I will be sawing were trees that were recovered and not logs. They were bucked into logs after I looked at them. Log floats were not a normal method used to transport logs here.
When the Mississippi river floods, the trees are floated to a landing and usually tied to standing trees until the water goes down. sail_smiley
"Brand" means an identifying mark upon forest products or booming equipment, as provided by rule and regulation of the State Forester; any brands in use and registered with the Public Utility Commissioner"
A call to the Public Utility Commissioner and State Forester would be a reasonable attemp to contact. Then you will find out wheather it is still an active or inactive brand :P
I know I'm beating a daid 'orse here.....but this is known abandoned property on public property. The loggers/owners never made an attempt to recover, so they should not be entitled decades later to said property. All I am saying is that the "law" in their favor is absurd. Jeeze, if that were the case, then every shipwreck would involve a huge can of ship worms. Ok...Im off the soap box :D
Quoteif that were the case, then every shipwreck would involve a huge can of ship worms
From what I read, that is exactly the case in every shipwreck. Many worms and then some....
Sunken logs in Lake Superior involved finding heirs of previous lumber mills for ownership, and then in the end, the Indian Tribes put their oar in the water to lay claim to their "heritage". Usually ends up in some "payoff" to settle the dust.
But when you mention "abandoned property on public property" then sounds like the public owns it and it would be much more difficult to take.
There should be a time limit on claiming things like that, say 15 years or so. Just like if you lost your wallet and you didn't make an effort to find your wallet for 15 years... Then you clearly didn't care about your wallet.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/Photo639.jpg)
The rain quit and I was able to move in on the Sinker Cypress early this afternoon and sawed two logs.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/Photo640.jpg)
The first log was solid and sawed out some very nice 1X12 lumber. The second had a huge knot and rotten cavity, but it had 4'-6' of good wood on each end. We sawed some 1X14" & 16" boards for raised panels, etc.
Tomorrow should be a good day and I should be able to get some good pictures. Because of the ring shake visible on some of the log ends and the possibility of bad logs, this will be sawed "hourly rate".
OK, a good day and a few pictures.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/Photo652.jpg)
Most of the logs are very good such as this one.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/Photo651.jpg)
And then some do not look so good.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/Photo654.jpg)
Until you look inside. The swirls in this lumber were eye popping.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/Photo647.jpg)
This morning's "off bearer" is seen carrying a 12 foot 1X8.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/Photo648.jpg)
And then she shoveled sawdust.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/Photo650.jpg)
And then she hopped into the JD 6415 and brought up some more logs.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/Photo641.jpg)
Another "not so good looking" log.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/Photo643.jpg)
But not to worry.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/Photo644.jpg)
It yielded some fine lumber.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/DSCN2009.JPG)
Another log's lumber.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/DSCN2010.JPG)
Some nice pecky lumber.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/DSCN2014.JPG)
Some nice bookmatched lumber.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/DSCN2016.JPG)
And four 3"X26" slabs for counter tops.
The customer will have much more than he needs so most of it will be for sale. The customer's wife that was helping this morning is wishing that she was building a new home.
MM
I suppose the price/bdft goes down a bunch with help like that... ::)
;D
They might say that "good help is hard to find" but that one found me. She did not hesitate to grab the ends of the slabs and 1X12's.
Who is looking at lumber :).
Quote from: WDH on June 12, 2014, 08:40:38 PM
Who is looking at lumber :).
With a helper like that, it's hard to get bored...
MM looks like you are getting good recovery out of those logs, lot like the WRC we got out here. Some nice looking lumber being milled there.
Yes Harvey, even the logs that appear to be hollow have produced a nice yield. We have not found a total junker yet.
Today has been spent removing limbs, and replacing a damaged power weatherhead. Also getting generators to my BIL and our Daughter to run the Fridge. That storm last night was quite severe. We were walking the floor at 3:15AM. :-\
The customer is stickering lumber today and we will start back sawing Monday AM.
Beautiful lumber coming off that mill. I've seen you pull some beautiful lumber out of half rotten stuff before!
nice job
That looks niiiiice. It's rot resistant as well isn't it?
Since all of the sapwood has long ago rotted away and this is all heartwood, yes it may be rot resistant, but I seriously doubt that any of it will ever be exposed to the outside elements.
As a note, these logs were not found in or under the water. The customer's skidder tires kept encountering logs as they skidded logs out of a swampy area. They decided to dig down with the trackhoe and guess what?? All of these logs were dug up out of the mud.
Wow! What a bunch of beautiful wood! I can hardly wait to sink my saw teeth (that I don't have yet) into some logs like those. Thanks for sharing.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/DSCN2023.JPG)
Some of the log cavities are completely plugged with hardened "buckshot" mud.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/DSCN2022.JPG)
The 42" log is quietly awaiting it's turn.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/DSCN2024.JPG)
The loader complained, but never faltered.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/DSCN2027.JPG)
I lowered the side supports to allow the log to snuggle against the mast for maximum clearance.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/DSCN2026.JPG)
The cantilever designed sawmill allowed the 42" wide log to lay flat on the sawmill bed rails.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/DSCN2028.JPG)
I sawed it down to 30" before turning.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/DSCN2030.JPG)
The first cut after turning was 34½" which removed most of the ring shake.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/DSCN2031.JPG)
The small end after turning.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/DSCN2032.JPG)
I am removing 1" boards.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/DSCN2037.JPG)
I took it down to 20".
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/DSCN2038.JPG)
Ready to saw through the 20" cant.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/DSCN2039.JPG)
One of many 1"X20" boards.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/DSCN2041.JPG)
The wet sinker sawdust is a constant pain.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/DSCN2042.JPG)
The last log today was the absolute worst in the whack. Ring shake plus fractured many different ways. It still yielded some fine lumber.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/DSCN2043.JPG)
Today's lumber whack.
Lynn,
Once again, another great outcome to a challenging project! That lumber looks fantastic! Hard to believe those logs could have that much pretty lumber in them. That's why you are the Magic Man!!! Andy 8) 8)
smiley_clapping I want that board!
This thread is one of the BEST ever. Magic Man , you not only share your wisdom and skill with all of us; you provide great pics and weave it all together. "You got it goin on".....as my young God daughter would say! Appreciate the posts!
I'll try to remember to take a picture of the tight growth rings today.
Some more nice logs today.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/DSCN2044.JPG)
The pith must be centered in Pecky logs to maximize the pecky pattern.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/DSCN2045.JPG)
And this one is looking good.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/DSCN2046.JPG)
This pecky log had some rich red wood.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/DSCN2047.JPG)
This log got slabbed.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/DSCN2048.JPG)
2½"X28" two Live Edges.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/DSCN2052.JPG)
We were able to get six of these beauties.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/DSCN2049.JPG)
Pecky boards in the foreground and 2½"X28" Live Edge slabs in the background.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/DSCN2055.JPG)
This shows the closeness of the growth rings.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/DSCN2057.JPG)
This 34" butt X 14' log is loaded and ready for tomorrow. Today's sawing is seen in the background.
Way cool...... ;D 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)
WOW! Did you count to see how many rings were in that log? I would've had to...
I would have loved to, but the off bearers are being paid by the hour and I am sawing "hourly rate" so that would have been some expensive counting.
That was a 33" butt log, so it would have easily been hundreds of years.
I finished sawing the Sinker Cypress this morning just before my eyes got screwy. I knocked off and went to the eye Dr, but that is another story.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/DSCN2059.JPG)
Here is the "bone pile". It's the cutoffs from the Cypress logs and guess which one of my FF Friends has first dibs ??
Great thread, thanks for sharing the pictures and experience. :)
Quote from: Magicman on June 19, 2014, 05:37:43 PM
I finished sawing the Sinker Cypress this morning just before my eyes got screwy. I knocked off and went to the eye Dr, but that is another story.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/DSCN2059.JPG)
Here is the "bone pile". It's the cutoffs from the Cypress logs and guess which one of my FF Friends has first dibs ??
I see quite a few chunks that have apparently dodged the bullet.
Somebody better turn them into special creations before they get too lonely in that pile.
Herb
I'm guessing POSTON,but it's kinda far for him. WDH?
Ima guessin Dodgy. Sorry to hear bout ur eyes.
Quote from: hackberry jake on June 20, 2014, 01:40:56 AMIma guessin Dodgy.
smiley_thumbsup and thanks for the concern about my eye. It is wacko this morning.
Hope your eyes get better. Could be cypressidise. You may need to saw some hardwood to get them to clear up. bg
That bone pile is better than the good pile I have. Make sure it is well loved.
Lynn,
What blade did you or still use on those big cypress logs?
hugs, Brandi
I was and still am 100% Turbo 7's (7/39). I do not own a single blade with any other profile.
Thanks Lynn,
I have also went to just Turbo 7s. But wasn't sure since I haven't had the chance to let cypress sawdust fly.
hugs, Brandi
Cypress is a total joy to saw, probably my all time favorite species but....
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/DSCN2041.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1403049245)
The sawdust will clog the sawdust chute. ::)
This topic details my most memorial Cypress job. :)