We have contest winners!
The Forestry Forum is sponsored in part by:
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
I'd never use beech for a structural member. I've seen to many beech cants fall in half on the mill at the knots. Beech knots create a lot of unsound wood quite some distance from the knot itself.
I don't think it had so much to do with disease, as back then the beech diseases were not what they are today. I think it had more to do with past high grading of beech and beech type forests here. Hard maple and any quality beech was taken out, leaving the lesser trees to become the mature trees for my era of sawing in this area. I'll admit that clear beech would be strong, but anywhere there is a limb, you get this big "V" that runs out into the wood and the wood around these just fall apart like it was a cut. We have a lot of Beech in Michigan, but you never hear of it being sought after for timber. I can't remember our mill ever selling any as grade, only low grade blocking to the steel mills. The pallet makers were not wild about it for the reasons stated, and because it's hard to nail. It does create some pretty good feed for the Deer and Bears though, I'll say that. Its got a pretty good use at the bottom of Busch aging tanks too.
I think it is rte 67. I have relatives that live a few mile from it and I still can't remember the road/route names. I heard they were expensive as well.
Somewhere I heard, saw, read someone was looking for reclaimed oak timbers from a farming application where the livestock had urinated on them. Preferably pigs. Guess the patina is quite unique. Urine is antiseptic (?) I wonder if it slows down decay.
Started by Sedgehammer on Timber Framing/Log construction
Started by jander3 on Chainsaws
Started by Max sawdust on Timber Framing/Log construction
Started by REGULAR GUY on Drying and Processing