Anyone want some beautiful straight oak logs here in Northern California?

SLawyer Dave · March 17, 2013, 02:03:57 AM

I'm trying to upload the pics I took, and if successful, you can look at the trees and logs I am talking about. I am cutting firewood out of 4 very large oak trees for a local farmer in preparation for a new field, but I couldn't cut up the beautiful straight trunk logs until I tried to see if anyone on this forum might be able to use them for making lumber. These are the nicest Valley Oak logs I have ever seen. Straight, 24" to 32", tight grained, no pith and nice coloration of the heart wood. I have 2, 12' logs ready to be picked up in an empty field that you can drive right up to. There looks to be at least two more trunks of the same size and quality, plus potentially some smaller, (16" to 18"), but very straight secondary trunks. The logs are located in Biggs, which is a small unincorporated community 5 miles north of Gridley here in Northern California. If you or someone you know in this area is interested in the logs, PM me with your contact info. While I'm not trying to sell the logs, (I would not be opposed to taking some of the lumber out of them if you were a mind to). ;D

Those are the two logs that are ready for pickup. Please note that those are not my ugly stumps. I did not fall them. The "new" landowner did and he obviously didn't have a clue what he was doing, (he dropped two trees on a fence).

The first log is trimmed to 12'. I did not trim the butt end of the 2nd log, and it currently measures just over 13'.

beenthere · March 17, 2013, 09:48:09 AM

Interesting project.
Show us pics of the "beautiful straight" logs.

SLawyer Dave · March 17, 2013, 11:02:09 AM

Ha, Ha......Everyone's a comedian. If you aren't familiar with Valley Oaks, they tend to be twisty, turvy and have lots of pithy spots. However, once in a while, you can get pretty exceptional lumber out of a section. These logs just are exceptionally straight for what I have seen coming out of a valley oak tree. While no where as large as the Hooker Oak, here is the wiki article about the most famous Valley Oak Tree: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooker_Oak

Ga_Boy · March 17, 2013, 11:22:52 AM

Welcome to the FF SLawyer Dave.

I have to agree with Beenthere's question about the pictures of the straight logs you mentioned. The pictures you posted are good canidates for fire wood logs.

Eihter way, hope you have fun with your project. Most people here enjoy members posting pictures of their projects as they progress.

giant splinter · March 17, 2013, 11:50:19 AM

Those are fairly straight for California Oaks, I see a couple of you guys are in Chico and looks like right off the 99.
I try to avoid the 99 when I head south in the winter cause I don't want to ever "get stuck in Lodi again"

thecfarm · March 17, 2013, 12:14:11 PM

I figured there was more to the story when he said,"these are the nicest Valley Oak that I have seen". I would hate to see a normal one. :D

justallan1 · March 17, 2013, 12:34:18 PM

I was born and raised about an hour from there and lived in Chico a short while and unfortunately that is straighter than most of the oak around there. Me being new at this whole thing if I needed some 4-6 footers for something I would tackle them if they were close, but the way I see it there's only a couple full length boards in there for a whole lot of work.
Allan

Magicman · March 17, 2013, 04:53:23 PM

I hate to saw logs like that because the customer does not get much for his $$$. Matter of fact, I culled several like that last week. :-\

Clean Image · March 17, 2013, 07:11:36 PM

Hey come on guys you're going to give us California guys a complex about our trees! :D You may not be able to set em on a mill but at least we have Redwoods ;)

Driving up and down the middle of the state you see these dotting the country side all over and they are beautiful...till you cut 'em down and hack off all their branches!
Need to find a thread about grits to hack on....hope everyone had a good St Patty's day!

Ljohnsaw · March 17, 2013, 07:15:50 PM

Seriously, that is a really straight tree! At lunch time, I go out for walks and I see these two trees - more typical of the valley oaks:

Or:

But if you want to use them for firewood, how about this patio burner I saw (I'm gonna make one of these!):

Peter Drouin · March 17, 2013, 09:48:33 PM

What do you with the [ patio burner ] does it keep bugs away?

Magicman · March 17, 2013, 10:33:43 PM

Some of my customers also have logs like that.

I see my share of them, and they will make "barn lumber" but other uses are questionable. :-\

mesquite buckeye · March 17, 2013, 10:40:55 PM

My mill won't cut around a corner....

I'll bet what you do get is pretty, though.

tyb525 · March 18, 2013, 12:02:20 AM

You could get some nice short board out of that. Sounds like you don't have much to work with where you live, so you gotta take what you can get.

Ljohnsaw · March 18, 2013, 01:59:18 AM

Quote from: Peter Drouin on March 17, 2013, 09:48:33 PM
What do you with the [ patio burner ] does it keep bugs away?

Out west here, we have temperature swings during the day of about 40°. So in the summer, the valley will be 100°+ daytime, but 60° at night. In the mountains, you will be 85-90° daytime, but chilly at night (45-50°). If you want to sit out in the evening, you need something to keep you warm. Plus, it would be a really cool 'smore maker!

Ljohnsaw · March 18, 2013, 02:01:16 AM

Quote from: Magicman on March 17, 2013, 10:33:43 PM
<<snip>>
I see my share of them, and they will make "barn lumber" but other uses are questionable. :-\

I think it would make great furniture lumber or even a nice mantel.

Ianab · March 18, 2013, 02:29:29 AM

Yeah, they won't make any official grade, so commercially they have little value. But most furniture is made from boards that are only 2 to 4 ft long. You will recover plenty of good pieces like that from those logs, even if it means a bit of selective trimming from your "barn boards".

Ian

Magicman · March 18, 2013, 08:40:04 AM

I seldom get to see what is done with the lumber from knotty logs, but the great majority of my customers are farmers, not woodworkers.

Our "pasture trees" that grow out in the open are similar to the California trees. Regardless of the species, they are mostly limbs. Woods/forest trees with "neighbors" will self prune and grow tall straight trunks.

SLawyer Dave · March 18, 2013, 10:30:24 AM

I guess it is all relative. I saw these logs as "straight", because they did not bend horizontally or vertically. They certainly had some irregularities due to the knots/limbs/crotches, but I thought such would give the log a more interesting grain due to the tension wood. My assumption, (and you know how that gets you in trouble), was that you could mill some real nice dimensional lumber from 4' to a few pieces running 12' out of each log. I figured they were not that "valuable" for selling, but was hoping someone might be able to put them to good use, (other than just to burn up for firewood). Oh well, looks like I'll have even more firewood unless someone speaks up.

thecfarm · March 18, 2013, 10:36:17 AM

There was a thread a little while back about ugly logs. The ones you have are pretty compared to some of them. ;D I don't have buyers for my ugly logs. So I'm like you,firewood.

qbilder · March 18, 2013, 10:48:10 AM

I'd saw them if they were here. Around here, woodworkers would consider lumber from those logs as gold. We don't have any really nice hardwood trees, and certainly nothing that large. A few gambel oaks get that large but will most certainly be hollow. I have seen a few maples that large and solid, but just as gnarly. Siberian elm gets bigger & sometimes even nice saw logs but not often. Point being, those logs would be a rare treasure here in the high desert.

mesquite buckeye · March 18, 2013, 11:28:13 AM

Quote from: SLawyer Dave on March 18, 2013, 10:30:24 AM
I guess it is all relative. I saw these logs as "straight", because they did not bend horizontally or vertically. They certainly had some irregularities due to the knots/limbs/crotches, but I thought such would give the log a more interesting grain due to the tension wood. My assumption, (and you know how that gets you in trouble), was that you could mill some real nice dimensional lumber from 4' to a few pieces running 12' out of each log. I figured they were not that "valuable" for selling, but was hoping someone might be able to put them to good use, (other than just to burn up for firewood). Oh well, looks like I'll have even more firewood unless someone speaks up.

My experience when people who haven't milled logs get a log, they think the log is straighter than it actually is. The sawmill has no such illusions, and can only cut a straight line. The first log has a substantial crook in the middle and would best be cut into two straight, short logs. That's what we do with the mesquite we get. Also, even if you can get some longer boards out of the middle of such a log, the boards will often bow or crook right where the bend in the log was located. I'm sure you could get some lumber from these logs, and if I had them I would saw them, but there is no fortune here. You might be able to make some nice furniture from a native oak that would otherwise just go poof in a fireplace.

You might want to try to find a local sawyer who might be interested in cutting for shares, just because it is a native wood. Woodmizer maintains a list of people who have their machines.

If you want some lumber, it will take an effort on your part to make it happen.

Ljohnsaw · March 18, 2013, 11:44:11 AM

If I had my mill built, I would snag them in a heartbeat. They are only about an hour from me. I tinker making furniture and this would be great for cabinetry for my future cabin. Alas, no place to store them until my mill is complete later this year. :/
h

giant splinter · March 18, 2013, 12:08:49 PM

John
Grab the logs and find a place to keep them, they will last until you finish your mill build. I am sure you will find something to build out of them, the price is right and what a great opportunity to make a mantle or entry door from a very special oak.

SLawyer Dave · March 18, 2013, 08:16:07 PM

Quote from: mesquite buckeye on March 18, 2013, 11:28:13 AM

If you want some lumber, it will take an effort on your part to make it happen.

Just to be clear, I am very willing to just give them away without any recompense if someone can use them for lumber/milling. I have to upload the new pics, but I have a third log all trimmed out that I "think", is the best of the bunch so far. 10' log, one small bump where an 8' limb came off, but otherwise round the whole length, "straight", 24" on butt end, 21" at tip.