Tamarack trees

[Kubotaguy05]

I am not sure if that is the proper name for this tree. It looks like a evergreen in the summer but it looses it needles in the winter. I had a tough time milling this tree and wondered if any one has had a expierence milling them? It stuck to the tips of my blade and the blade would dive. Just wondering

[SwampDonkey]

Sounds like tamarack or larch. Our local species is twisty, spiral crooked stuff.

[vt k-9]

 I have sawed tamarack before. It has a lot of pitch that
  builds up very fast. I use diesel on the blade as water doesn't
  seem to do the job on tamarack.

[Jeff]

We have it on our property and I actually enjoy sawing it. Maybe because i'm within its native range and it has better form.  The Tamarack we know, is Eastern Larch.

I sawed quite a bit last year to build a fence that turned out quite nice.

[Sprucegum]

Out in this neck of the woods Tamarack is famous for its spiral grain. Its popular as a fence post because it doesn't rot near as fast as our other species.

I read somewhere that tamarack pulp is used to make the clear paper in the little window in the envelope your bills come in.  ???

[barbender]

There's a company in Cohasset, Mn that takes tamarack and processes it for an oil in the wood that is used in cosmetics or something like that. Ainsworth was starting to run it in OSB just before they went belly up in their Minnesota operation. Myself, I have about 9 cords outside piled up waiting to get sawed. I'm hoping to saw some paneling, trailer decking, porch decking, and maybe some wood shingles for the gable ends of our house. I hope it saws decent, it's quite a pile of wood, but if not it is piled by the OWB

[SwampDonkey]

Oh, well. Worst case, it'll keep ya warm. ;D

Too be honest I've never seen anyone saw it here. Most loggers won't even cut it because the mills won't pay much for it as pulp. I planted some on wet ground, it grows like it's sitting in a manure pile. :D

[ladylake]

  I've sawed a lot running lots of water with some dish soap with no problems, it saws easy with a clean blade. I might try a slow drip of diesel next time. just got off a job sawing white oak which likes to gum up also. Used less than 1/2 gal a day and the blade stayed clean.   Steve

[bandmiller2]

Down east Maine when they used to build wooden lobster boats it was used for keel parts they would look for bent trees.Frank C.

[Aroostooksawyer]

Great wood to saw with beautiful grain(awesome paneling) ,strong and hard (our northern equivalent of southern yellow pine),smells great(like gin) durable (to weather and soil) Built a 20' X 60'post and beam shop out of her,board and batten and beams all tamarack.She does like to twist some on drying.Lots water on the blade she is gummy and super sharp blade a must.Inside shop I didn't finish paneling with anything and the tamarack oils come out over the years for a beautiful finish.Probably more orders for tamarack than most other woods at my small lumber yard.Used in potato storage buildings,boxes to store potatoes,barn foundation sills,manure spreader beds,truck beds,fences,decking,post and beam etc.

[SwampDonkey]

Yes, I've recommended to a couple construction contractors to use tamarack in potato storage as well.

[petefrom bearswamp]

Don't have much native Tamarack around here in central NY, but quite a lot of European and Japanese Larch which was planted in the late 30s to early 40s.
Some call it Poor Man's Cherry due to the pretty heartwood.

[mike_van]

I like it for framing lumber, it holds nails as good as doug fir.

[ohsoloco]

Save the slabs to burn if you like "crackly" fires.  I love throwing a few pieces in the woodstove when I have it 

[thecfarm]

I know it as hackmatack or hack in my circle.My father and me sold sold quite a few loads of it for pulp.Added up quick,trees was tall and kinda straight and good size.Just about 2 feet through.I did burn some smaller ones this winter.

[True North]

I know some guys who have an excavating business up here on Drummond Island.  They are having tamarack sawed into square beams that are big enough to fit into the notch of an I-beam.  They are using them in place of metal pilings to make docks and breakwalls on a larger scale.  They are driving the I-beams down vertically into the bottom, and then fitting each end of the tamarack beam into the I-beam and stacking them to make the wall.  They said that they work great.  They did not mention how they were to saw.  I know they had them done on a circular mill over there.

[barbender]

The logger I haul for in the winter told me a few years back he cut some tamarack that was 9 sticks and about 20" dbh-nice stuff! Usually it only gets about 4 or 5 sticks and maybe 12" dbh if you're lucky, in this area. You fellas ever get out west, that western larch gets HUGE. My wife and I went to far northwestern Montana on our honeymoon, I think she was starting to think I was more interested in the massive trees than I was in her

[SwampDonkey]

I've seen lots of 25" tamarack around here. Most old fields however it's maybe 12"-18" because it's not really all that old there. Grows a lot faster than spruce or fir. Most of the big stuff is cut around here now though, but there is an old school house lot that would have a few down the road here. It's awful stuff to take over a site.

[Aroostooksawyer]

I've seen lots of 25" tamarack around here. Most old fields however it's maybe 12"-18" because it's not really all that old there. Grows a lot faster than spruce or fir. Most of the big stuff is cut around here now though, but there is an old school house lot that would have a few down the road here. It's awful stuff to take over a site.

Great fast growing tree and tree of the future ,with some types of pressure treated off the market.Will be used for outdoor decking,inside flooring also ,etc.etc.I know lots wast in drying though.

[barbender]

One logger I talked to a few years back was cutting a large tamarack sale, we got talking about how underutilized tamarack is. He said he had purchased a circle mill operation at an auction, he was planning on becoming the "Tamarack King" with it, but never got around to it. :