Big Mesquite

mesquite buckeye · October 22, 2014, 10:20:11 AM

It is pretty. I didn't make it. The guy who built it took 1 board each from 2 bookmatches. >:(
Also that is as big a piece of it as you will ever see. The trees usually are rotten inside and snakey, so very little lumber of any kind. This tree would have been close to a state champion. It had conks on the side so I cut it to get what I could. One log was mostly rot free and we got 3-8/4 bookmatches out of it.

The tree got big because it is where the tailwater ran out of an adjacent field into the woods. I've been all through the wooded areas of the ranch and haven't seen another tree close to this one in either size or quality. It is rare for one to get over a foot thick. :(

The wood is amazing if you can get it. We've had ours laying around for probably at least 7 years and nobody has bought any. Prettier, stronger and lighter than mesquite.

And so it goes.....

mesquite buckeye · October 22, 2014, 10:34:46 AM

Found the old pictures of the tree the wood came from.

That is the tree with my buddy Andy, whose ranch it is growing on.
The bottom 4 feet was full of wire and not harvested. >:( >:( :(

Here are the 3 bookmatches as they appeared when cut.

While I'm at it here are the pictures of a very large mesquite we cut around the same time. We got a 10 foot long 24" wide x2 bookmatch 3 inches thick out of that one along with a lot of other stuff.

mesquite buckeye · December 03, 2014, 07:24:53 AM

Driving from the saguaros to the mill site (about 2 miles).

Big mesquite.

But not good mesquite. 3 hours of cutting, 2 blades and maybe 40bf of shorts. Butt rotted from the base and a hidden heartrot from the middle of one side, the two snaking through the whole log. Should have been left in the woods. :(

mesquite buckeye · December 10, 2014, 11:13:33 AM

Had a guy call me from San Manuel saying he needed some old RR tunnel timbers milled into lumber. Turns out he hauled it here all the way from northern California. They are about 90 years old.

Anyway he and his father-in-law Iver Iverson (not kidding) showed up early and I got there late from showing some people around the saguaro hill. I had a nice log sitting on the mill that sadly needed to be milled up before we could do his beams. Sad. :( :( :( :'(

So, some free labor and another hour or so later we are ready to mill his beams. Here are Bob and Iver with some nice door stile or better material 8 1/2 feet long. Might finally make a little money. ;D

Ended up with a pretty nice pile of mostly clear redwood and one funky doug fir. They were happy.

Note the self portrait of the hand. I meant to do that. ;D 8) 8) 8)

tule peak timber · December 10, 2014, 11:19:51 AM

The style material is mesquite ?

mesquite buckeye · December 10, 2014, 12:10:05 PM

But of course, ;D

tule peak timber · December 10, 2014, 12:12:51 PM

Good deal... ;D I cut some big mesquite here, but style material is hard to come by. Keep up the good work !

mesquite buckeye · December 10, 2014, 01:19:17 PM

Anything over 6 feet is tough... :(

woodjunky · December 11, 2014, 10:41:22 AM

nice set up you got going there! Im jealous.

mesquite buckeye · December 11, 2014, 12:52:46 PM

Thanks. ;D

The nursery wagons are very handy. Saves a lot of bending over, they hold a lot of weight and can be driven right up to where the lumber needs to go. ;D 8) 8) 8)

mesquite buckeye · January 27, 2015, 11:23:33 AM

Cookies. Order for wedding centerpieces. ;D

Sort of looks like the birthday stack. 8) 8) 8)

Magicman · January 27, 2015, 06:39:05 PM

Yup, I keep a stack of Walnut & ERC cookies that I loan out for weddings, etc.

mesquite buckeye · February 04, 2015, 10:25:34 AM

Not so big mesquite. smiley_biggrin01

Actually I think there is a giant elk hiding under there somewhere. ;D ;D ;D

All stuff for a wedding canopy, some wooden water channels, a turning crotch for a bowl and a couple of log sit downs.... ;D 8) 8) 8)

Mildly annoying job, but a good paycheck and the guy who wanted the stuff helped get it done. The weather was absolutely perfect. Got this load home at 10:30 pm. Had some issues getting through the soft sand in the river and then blew a fuse on the way home. Found a hanging wire smoking. Guess what, that was it. Cut it square and no more troubles. ;D

arg-smiley

tule peak timber · February 04, 2015, 01:53:07 PM

Good deal ! Hey,,, Elk burgers are great ! :D

mesquite buckeye · February 04, 2015, 01:58:07 PM

These were particularly dry and chewy. ;D

tule peak timber · February 04, 2015, 02:15:41 PM

much like me.........................

mesquite buckeye · February 04, 2015, 02:18:28 PM

Well, there's that. No, not going there.

tule peak timber · February 04, 2015, 03:18:53 PM

:D :D :D :D :D

mesquite buckeye · February 12, 2015, 10:51:50 AM

Ivan sent me this picture of the wedding ramada/gazebo he is building.

mesquite buckeye · March 04, 2015, 03:07:50 PM

Back to cutting. These little logs were for superdave.

Probably 150 board feet or so. Went quick. All done in 1.5 hrs. Then we got to some bigger nice stuff.

Got some nice lumber and these bookmatches.

This log made some really nice 9/32 X 13" X 5' pieces to finish a beam in the new addition to the ranch house. They will be end matched to look like a single heavy beam around a steel I beam.