Author Topic: English Walnut (Read 2669 times)

redbeard · « **on:** November 12, 2019, 01:31:25 AM »

California sure has some nice Walnut!

we traveled 800 miles down too Winters California too help take out a English Walnut orchard and harvested some nice trunks and burl stumps.

Got the truck loaded up and headed back home with some samples.

This will be a winter thru spring project, our plan is too do the milling in California and haul the slabs and cants by semi.
Hauling the trunks too Washington is going to be too many semi loads.
Better too pick n choose the milled wood plus we can get more on a semi hauling slabs.
The Hud-Son 60 is easy too transport on a 20' trailer.

So far we have 45 trunks stacked up many more too pull out.
5 really nice burl stumps.

nativewolf · « **Reply #1 on:** November 12, 2019, 06:19:10 AM »

Nice @redbeard ! Ask @tule peak timber if he wants a load of burls or something, send a truck south

.

Will they be replanting or is this gone for good to housing?

Magicman · « **Reply #2 on:** November 12, 2019, 08:14:07 AM »

That will be an interesting "road trip" job Jeff. I like the blue paint on that last picture.

tule peak timber · « **Reply #3 on:** November 12, 2019, 08:21:42 AM »

Yahoo,,,,You will be very popular in you neighborhood I predict. Nice looking material for sure! Cheers !

firefighter ontheside · « **Reply #4 on:** November 12, 2019, 08:32:37 AM »

It’s interesting how much bigger the black walnut stumps are than the English walnut growing on top of them.

moodnacreek · « **Reply #5 on:** November 12, 2019, 01:32:02 PM »

No offense to anyone here but those 'logs' are what I have been fighting off for years. If people saw me trying to saw one of those my place would look like the land fill in a week. [it looks like a junk yard now]. Back in the day I would chainsaw all the limbs close to the bole, metal detect and do it. They will twist and crack and need to be resawed. I never found a way to make it pay.

Ianab · « **Reply #6 on:** November 12, 2019, 01:55:24 PM »

They will be cutting those for a different market. There isn't any grade lumber in them, and being orchard not "yard" trees they generally won't have tree huts and birdhouses in them. Walnut is one of those woods with a lower shrinkage, so the crazy grain and curves won't turn into a pretzel as it dries, and epoxy can fix a lot issues.

But at first glance it does look like a heap of firewood.

tule peak timber · « **Reply #7 on:** November 12, 2019, 02:08:57 PM »

More "fire wood',,,

tule peak timber · « **Reply #8 on:** November 12, 2019, 02:18:36 PM »

Just ran some numbers on "firewood logs",just like redbeard's. We pay 2600$ a cord, not split.

Andries · « **Reply #9 on:** November 12, 2019, 02:41:27 PM »

I make my share of "dimensional firewood", but you guys are taking it to the next level!
😆

tule peak timber · « **Reply #10 on:** November 12, 2019, 02:52:00 PM »

As Ianab pointed out these crooked short logs go to a different market. A good market is where you find it. Redbeard should do terrific with this material given where he is located.
One of the most interesting fun things about FF is the difference in markets, the diversity of the woods and members, and the ways we all go about the same thing. Cheers Rob

redbeard · « **Reply #11 on:** November 12, 2019, 03:52:11 PM »

The pile of trunks and stumps dose look like a mess of firewood.
Our goal is too capture a few with the black walnut graft for possible ends of glue up table tops.
So after we slab the trunks into 2-1/2" thick and will have 6'-7' or even a few 8' straight trunk English Walnut then edge the sap wood off so we end up with 10"-12" wide heart wood for table glue ups.
If graft line is not appealing too customers it can easily be cut off.
It dose have a story too it and it will soon be extinct.
More and more Walnut growers are removing these English walnut orchard trees that were planted in the 60s n 70s because there at end of there producing years. Also price for nuts is all time low.
Some farmers in the Winters California area are leaning more toward grape starts, Almonds and Olive orchards.
These are some of the knowledge that we picked up in last couple weeks from surrounding farmers.
I believe this Orchard that were involved with are leaning heavily on Olives for the replant.
This valley has some of the richest soil it's all prehistoric silt bed from river flows up to 30+ feet deep from what I was told.
My chainsaw didn't have terrible abuse from cleaning roots off burl stumps. Not sure how band blades react yet.

This picture is Scott Miller's stock from his sawmill and Wood slab store in Dickson California he said he is on FF hopefully he chimes in.
These Burl's with a short stub of English Walnut remind me of "Onions" and Scott said he saws these parallel to trunk to capture the burl Ray's.
This is something we will attempt also. Again there will be definite graft that will show the two Walnut wood colors.
I encourage everyone feedback on this project this whole venture is a learning process.
The s Hud-Son 60 were using too slab these odd shaped trunks and stumps likes the odd and wide crotches. Hope too see lots of figure in the crotch cuts, Rob Tule peak timber used some beautiful pieces in his Giant round table thread in woodworking section on the forum.

Thank you Rob for our conversation on or trip down too California really gave us lots of insight what to expect.

nativewolf · « **Reply #12 on:** November 12, 2019, 04:20:05 PM »

Quote from: tule peak timber on November 12, 2019, 02:18:36 PM

Just ran some numbers on "firewood logs",just like redbeard's. We pay 2600$ a cord, not split.

Glad to hear you guys were talking. What a neat project and your recent table and other threads just seemed so related. I very much agree that the diversity of backgrounds, markets, woods is what makes this a fun group.