Preparing a whole old-growth tree?

[Charlie Harley]

On my parents farm there is an old walnut tree that was very healthy but whose roots got undercut by a creek. It fell earlier this summer and actually still has all its leaves. I'm confident this will be its last year of "growth" as the roots are rapidly losing dirt to the creek.

The tree is BIG and very healthy. The base looks to be 36" in diameter. the trunk is 24+ inches most of the way up. Several branches are 12+ inches in diameter. I'd like to cut it in a way to maximize its use for turning.

Does anyone have thoughts about how to proceed?

Are there particular ways to cut that maximize usage?

Obviously I won't be able to use this whole tree soon. What is the best way to preserve it for future use? Paint it all with anchor seal or green seal? Should I strip the bark? Store it inside a barn?

All help is gladly accepted.

 

[bonsaipeter]

Hi Charlie:

Sounds like you have some very nice walnut to keep you occupied for quite some time.

I can't answer your first question since I don't know what it is you intend to turn from your good fortune, bowls, pens, etc.

However, I can comment on your second question on how to harvest and store the wood. Ideally you should try to cut the trunk and branches into as long pieces as you can handle. If your folks have equipment which will allow you to carry long heavy pieces to a barn for storage, that's great. Your two biggest concerns are rotting if left on the ground and end checking. I suggest that you:

1) Move as long a log as you can to the shelter of the barn, roll or lift them onto pieces of wood or blocks to get them off the ground.

2) Cut the ends (chainsaw) square and clean.

3) Leave the bark on and heavily coat the ends with at least two coats of a quality end-grain sealer such as Anchorseal.

4) When you are ready to do some turning, cut off only that which you can turn immediately and recoat the freashly exposed end-grain on the log with end-grain sealer.

Have Fun!

Peter

 

[Bob Herrman]

Charlie, I had a similar opportunity last Christmas, when I came upon a Cherry Tree larger than yours. Like the previous post said, Cut the logs or trunk as long as possible and store under shelter off the ground. I spend an haft a hour every Saturaday morning with a chain saw cutting blanks. I have kept the wood as logs and cut off what I plan to do that week and coat the log ends and blank ends with achorseal. No splits and no checking on the logs

I also roll the logs every 4 months to keep moistuer even in the wood. Being in Florida I spray the wood with insecticide at the same time to keep the bugs from having a feist. So far so good, the wood I turned today had plenty of water enough to spray me.

I am not sure that Walnut will do as well as cherry, but what a find. I must omit that I did have twenty foot of the trunk cut for flat work. Unless you over do it, you have several years of turning.

 

[tdrice]

walnut tree

Charlie,
The best way to preserve it would be to ship it ot me, freight prepaid. I promise to take really, really good care of it.
Terence

 

[Angelo]

Storing wood

Here is what I do when I have a bounty of wood
For Bowl Blanks
I cut the length a little longer than the diameter. This will allow you to cut of any checking if some should occur. I then lay the billet down and use the chainsaw to cut it in half (like cutting a bowl blank) Then, I stand this billet on end with the end grain right in the dirt. On the top I put a haevy coat of ancor seal. While the anchorseal is still wet I lay on a piece of heavy duty aluminum foil (the big kind that you get for reasting turkeys.) I fold the excess over the edges and use 2" making tape to secure it. I try to take only the best parts of the tree mainly for the biggest bowl blanks. As time goes on and some of the starts to deterioate, I cut the other things I want out of it(like vase blanks) and repeat the storage process.

What this does, is that it lets the wood act as in nature. I can still (and does) wick up moisture from the bottom. Hwever, that moisture cannot escape thru the top. I have been able to keep most wood well over 6 months with little or no degrage. Sometimes even longer.

If this works for you, I will expect payment in the form of very large bowl blanks! <wink wink nod nod>

Angelo

 

[Barry Elder]

Sounds like a great opportunity to enlist the aid of someone from the Department of Forestry and your local AAW Chapter for a long-term project.

 

[DMcIvor]

big walnut

Before taking a chainsaw to the tree you might out of curiosity see if you can find a mill to tell you what it's worth as lumber. I don't know, but a tree that big might fetch a pretty price at the mill. You could still end up with limbs and crotch sections to keep you in turning stock for a long time.

 

[Brodie Brickey]

Harvesting the tree

Charlie,

Since the tree is still alive, wait until winter to harvest it if possible. You want the tree dormant to reduce sap coming from the tree.

As others have said, cut to the largest logs you can handle and raise off the ground, out of the sun, and preferrably covered.

Good luck,

Brodie

 

[Al Neighbors]

Black Walnut Tree

Several years ago (about 1999, when all I made was bandsaw boxes), a friend gave me a large (20-24" diameter) Black Walnut tree. He drove up next to my wood pile, and rolled the trunk and largest limbs off his trailer. The shortest piece was about 6' long, and the trunk was about 10'.
I left the logs lying on the ground for 2 years, uncovered. Later moved them to cross-ties to get them off the ground, and clean up the clutter. I live in NW Texas, where it's dry most of the year... 12-15" rainfall per year... and most of it remained intact, except for about 6 or so inches end checking. But the bark came off the bottom when I moved them. The borers had moved in. I only made about 6 or 8 bandsaw boxes and a few table Crosses from it.
I began turning less than three years ago, and my wife has a set (not truly matching, though, beginner that I was) of four bowls from that tree. The largest is about 12 inches diameter (all without wormholes). The rest of it was burned in our fireplace.
Just my experience with Black Walnut. I'd take better care of it if I had it to do all over again.

 

[John Nicholas]

Here is what I do when I have a bounty of wood
For Bowl Blanks
I cut the length a little longer than the diameter. This will allow you to cut of any checking if some should occur.

Bill G has a pictorial sequence on Wood Central about cutting a log into bowl blanks.

http://www.woodcentral.com/bparticles/log_to_lathe.shtml

John

 

[Gretch Flo]

Before taking a chainsaw to the tree you might out of curiosity see if you can find a mill to tell you what it's worth as lumber. I don't know, but a tree that big might fetch a pretty price at the mill. You could still end up with limbs and crotch sections to keep you in turning stock for a long time.

A friend was told that for one tree it was not cost effective to get the equipment to his house. needed 5 or more. Gretch

 

[PapaDoc]

Thanks for starting this thread. It has been helpful to me in many ways. I saw the link to Bill G's article. Nicely done. Are there other resources that you know for this topic of harvesting and storing wood? I get most of my wood from a tree surgeon who actually knows what a turner wants. But I am impressed with how little I know about what this thread is discussing. I would like to learn more. Thanks.

 

[DMcIvor]

A friend was told that for one tree it was not cost effective to get the equipment to his house. needed 5 or more. Gretch

Depends on the tree. If it's highly figured burl, it only takes one. But it does also depend on how far away the mill is, how much demand there is for the wood, and so on. My point was that it's better to know the answer to this before cutting the tree into lengths that are useless for lumber, and it wouldn't cost anything to get the answer. I do know of one case of a highly figured burl walnut tree that was peeled for veneer and brought the seller a year's salary. But, your point is valid in that in most cases you'd probably need a small grove to make it worthwhile.