hi all

mesquite buckeye · January 15, 2013, 02:12:32 PM

Just wanted to say thanks to all you guys who have made me welcome at this website.

I'm including some photos from the Carlink Ranch where we have produced mesquite and other desert wood, and my farm in Missouri near Yates.

A storm in the desert

Carlink Ranch

Nice mesquite log on the woodmizer with Super Dave. Carlink Ranch

POSTON WIDEHEAD · January 15, 2013, 02:16:18 PM

Hey Buckeye, you really have a beautiful place. I'm a BIG western movie fan and your landscape makes me wish I were there.
Is that you with the beard?

Nice pics.

David

ely · January 15, 2013, 02:43:49 PM

what are those carts originally used for? i have been forever trying to get me an old peanut trailer running gear to build a small log trailer out of, they look handy... ps that is a very large mesquite tree.

mesquite buckeye · January 15, 2013, 03:39:42 PM

Oops, hit the post button instead of the photo button :-[

Cutting a nice mesquite with SuperDave at Carlink Ranch

Farm in Missouri, old field planted to trees in 1999, photo 2011.

Natural old field succession to mixed stand, thinned and pruned to red cedar, 2009.

Older mixed stand w black walnut in foreground, photo 2009.

Mixed older stand, mostly oak/hickory/ background pole stand of similar species mix, photo 2009.

Summer in the woods, Large tree is an old black locust with conks, August, 2010.

An old conk growing on the side of a heart rotted black locust.

Nice red oak with my nephew 2011.

Mostly clear northern red oak that was released in 1992, photo 2011.

My background: Farm boy, BS Agronomy, MS Horticulture, pruning and thinning forests since 1973, advocate of taking care of the forest, and underappreciated species. Pruning, Thinning, Pruning, Thinning.

An old forester once told me the best way to plant a forest is with an ax.

I would also add that is way we destroy the forest if we cut with no eye to the future.

mesquite buckeye · January 15, 2013, 03:41:04 PM

Quote from: POSTONLT40HD on January 15, 2013, 02:16:18 PM
Hey Buckeye, you really have a beautiful place. I'm a BIG western movie fan and your landscape makes me wish I were there.
Is that you with the beard?

Nice pics.

David

Thanks Dave. The ranch is owned by a friend, in the family since 1883, at the time of the Apache Wars. His great-grandfather just missed being wiped out in a raid, moving to this site just a week before everybody in that valley was killed. Lots of history here. There is thousand year old Indian village site up the hill from his home. The ranch is the largest in southern Arizona, about 9000 acres of deeded land and another 90,000 of state grazing lease land. A lot of work.

No, that is the other superDave. I am Russ

mesquite buckeye · January 15, 2013, 03:46:59 PM

Quote from: ely on January 15, 2013, 02:43:49 PM
what are those carts originally used for? i have been forever trying to get me an old peanut trailer running gear to build a small log trailer out of, they look handy... ps that is a very large mesquite tree.

Those are nursery carts, cost maybe 1200-1500 new. I got them when a local nursery was going out of business at the start of this depression, when I still had money, for cheap. They are really nice, you can line them up one behind the other and they follow, but don't cut the corner. Both axles are connected to turn very sharply and for tracking.

That is a pretty nice one. We have had them up to 30" or so and up to 16ft. Usually it isn't easy to get a log over 5' long without a big crook in it. I saw one that I measured at 60" diameter, but it was funky (rotten).

mesquite buckeye · January 15, 2013, 03:50:56 PM

Missed one picture. Bookmatched mesquite 10/4 X 18" X 14'. That was a very nice log.

8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) smiley_blue_bounce smiley_bouncing_pinky

smiley_big-grin2

Magicman · January 15, 2013, 04:21:13 PM

We thank you Russ for the contribution of interesting information that you have brought to us.

mesquite buckeye · January 15, 2013, 04:34:40 PM

Quote from: Magicman on January 15, 2013, 04:21:13 PM
We thank you Russ for the contribution of interesting information that you have brought to us.

Anytime ;D

Den Socling · January 15, 2013, 04:37:39 PM

How long does it take you to get 10/4 mesquite dry?

mesquite buckeye · January 15, 2013, 04:46:46 PM

Quote from: Den Socling on January 15, 2013, 04:37:39 PM
How long does it take you to get 10/4 mesquite dry?

Mesquite drys pretty quickly. In the winter, 4/4 is usually ready in 3 months, 8/4 about 6 months, so maybe 7 months in winter. In summer probably 1 month for 4/4, 3 months 8/4, etc.

Nice thing about mesquite, it doesn't move all that much as it dries. Also, our relative humidity is typically in the 20% range or lower, so drying is clearly accelerated under our conditions. A typical May-June day here is 100-108° and humidity at that time is usually 5-10%. Don't need a kiln at all unless you leave sapwood, which can get powderpost beetles. 8)

Den Socling · January 15, 2013, 04:51:51 PM

I've lived in Phoenix so I know that summers can be like living in a kiln! ;) I've dried 8/4 in my vacuum kilns. The guy wanted me to see if I could dry it in 5 days. There was no degrade but it wasn't dry. I couldn't do it in 5 days.

mesquite buckeye · January 15, 2013, 04:56:20 PM

Quote from: Den Socling on January 15, 2013, 04:51:51 PM
I've lived in Phoenix so I know that summers can be like living in a kiln! ;) I've dried 8/4 in my vacuum kilns. The guy wanted me to see if I could dry it in 5 days. There was no degrade but it wasn't dry. I couldn't do it in 5 days.

We have one of those too, what a pain! If you can get it to work, I think more like 2 weeks. It makes them ugly dark brown on the outside, but still ok once you plane them.

Den Socling · January 16, 2013, 11:47:01 AM

Mesquite. You "have one of those too"? You have a vacuum kiln?? I build vacuum kilns.

mesquite buckeye · January 16, 2013, 11:55:38 AM

Yeah, we had a door customer who needed door stiles, etc. ASAP.

Bought an old used Woodmizer vacuum kiln in Kansas. Hard to get it to work well. the heating mats like to screw up, the compressor for refrigerant blew up, and it likes to leak through the heat mat ports. GRrrr.

We only fire it up for emergency orders that are at least 500bf. >:(

Oh well.

How well do yours work?

Den Socling · January 16, 2013, 04:31:07 PM

Yep the old WoodMizers were a pain in the butt. I actually redesigned the VK2000 back in the 90's. Then Don Laskowski decided to get out of the vac kiln business. He realized the blankets were always going to be a problem. Our kilns are pretty sweet. I can't run an ad here but you can see the kilns here: http://www.pcsvacdrykilnsltd.com/

mesquite buckeye · January 16, 2013, 04:41:46 PM

Took a look at the website. Looks like you have reduced the chance of leakage by going to end loading.

How do the new ones apply heat? Also, can the woodmizer models be upgraded so they actually work?

Den Socling · January 17, 2013, 10:21:27 AM

Our kilns are heated by circulating water through aluminum plates that are layered between layers of wood.

As far as updating an old WoodMizer is concerned, anything is possible but I wouldn't do it unless the kiln was an important part of daily production.

mesquite buckeye · January 17, 2013, 10:42:29 AM

Quote from: Den Socling on January 17, 2013, 10:21:27 AM
Our kilns are heated by circulating water through aluminum plates that are layered between layers of wood.

As far as updating an old WoodMizer is concerned, anything is possible but I wouldn't do it unless the kiln was an important part of daily production.

Mucho dolares, No? :(

Den Socling · January 17, 2013, 12:50:28 PM

I'm afraid so. To build them trouble free takes a lot of money. You start with a stainless steel chamber. I always hated vacuum leaks when working with other companies kilns.

JuniperBoss · January 17, 2013, 09:23:50 PM

Hello Mesquite Buckeye. You do have a nice place. I like those logs and the lumber they produced. Someday I want to do just what your doing. Keep up the good work!

mesquite buckeye · January 17, 2013, 09:27:38 PM

Quote from: JuniperBoss on January 17, 2013, 09:23:50 PM
Hello Mesquite Buckeye. You do have a nice place. I like those logs and the lumber they produced. Someday I want to do just what your doing. Keep up the good work!

Not so much mesquite in Oregon, though....... :D :D ;D 8)

I never get tired of seeing what is hidden inside a log.

JuniperBoss · January 17, 2013, 10:11:44 PM

What I meant was that I wanted to run a sawmill, and open up some logs of juniper, pine etc. Your right, we don't have mesquite in Oregon. The logs that I open up all go up a chimney :D.

mesquite buckeye · January 17, 2013, 10:21:41 PM

Quote from: JuniperBoss on January 17, 2013, 10:11:44 PM
What I meant was that I wanted to run a sawmill, and open up some logs of juniper, pine etc. Your right, we don't have mesquite in Oregon. The logs that I open up all go up a chimney :D.

You might try helping somebody with a mill in your area to see if you really like it. I rent an old woodmizer in Missouri, not a bad way to start out if you can get somebody to trust you with theirs. Works better if they know you have run one before. Good luck and enjoy. I never get tired of it. 8) 8) 8) 8)