I want lots of wood

[Rick Lucrezi]

I am in trouble. I remember as a kid going to shops that had huge piles of rough sawn hard woods. When I was in high school we even had a pretty good selection of slabs of local harwoods. Apparently these days its worth too much as fire wood. No one is cutting hard wood into slabs.
I am trying to convince the wife I need a couple things.
1. Buy 100 acres of forest land with a creek
2. A dozer to skid logs out with
3. A sawmill to mill up said logs
4. A very large barn to house said sawmill, dozer, and lumber.:D

I think then I will be happy

[Dewey Torres]

I think then I will be happy

I don't think even that will make you content for long. Always dreaming about more!

[Todd Crawford]

Only 100 acres - that ain't gonna last you very long!

[Pat Germain]

If you really want a lot of wood, you can order it directly from a sawmill. Just don't be surprised when they ask you how many thousand board feet you want. And you'd likely have to haul it away yourself. ;)

I'm actually surprised how good the availability of hardwoods continues to be. It's not cheap, but you can still get just about anything these days. (Except southern yellow pine in my area.)

[Matt Ellis]

i know a fellow that has a barn, a jd tractor and a woodmizer lt15. he is a forester my profession, so he has access to screaming deals on a lot of material. currently he has 7000 b.f. of walnut in his barn, along with cherry, red oak, poplar and a few others.

must be nice.

-matt

edit: he's always looking for more logs.

[Bob Johnson2]

i know a fellow that has a barn, a jd tractor and a woodmizer lt15. he is a forester my profession, so he has access to screaming deals on a lot of material. currently he has 7000 b.f. of walnut in his barn, along with cherry, red oak, poplar and a few others.

must be nice.

-matt

edit: he's always looking for more logs.

Sounds like... A friend at works uncle planted 40 walnut trees on his farm 40 years ago to retire on.

[Greg Cole]

100 acres isn't "that much" acreage for harvesting lumber off from honestly, unless it got stands of mature tree species you want to harvest.
I have an Uncle in Vermont who's been working in "the woods" his whole life. A few years ago he bought a woodmizer and has done little else than make lumber the last few years. Last time I was there he had more lumber than he'd ever know what to do with. Literally 10,000+ BF or white pine (some over 24" wide!), cherry, ash, birch, maple, butternut...
He buys land tracts, cuts off what he wants and sells the land when he's done or after he's sat on it for awhile.. kinda like speculation in real estate to some extent.
He had to build 2 pole barns to store the stuff in as he filled the "old barn" in a couple weeks.
Most of his years in the lumber industry was cutting timber for pulp-paper or for firewood. He said he's kicked his own posterior for all the burl, spalted and figured wood he's made into firewood.
Too bad for me I am 1500 miles from his cache.:rolleyes:

[Bill Karow]

Quote: "Too bad for me I am 1500 miles from his cache.:rolleyes: "


Well, Maine isn't too far from Vermont, so maybe I could help. I'd be willing to take a big old pile of hardwood from your uncle as your SMC proxy if it'd help you out :D

[Maurice Ungaro]

......I think then I will be happy

Happiness is to be found in the journey and the blessings that you already have. You'd find that once you had all that wood, you'd never have the time to do anything with it.

[Andrew Joiner]

I often have the same dream. I can actually afford it. The reality is I hate maintenance. When I figure the cost and keeping the machines tuned my dream turns into a burden.

It is way cheaper and easier to buy dry slabs when I need them, not to store them. The bonus is I get too SEE the grain and defects BEFORE I put out the money!

Good luck. Sometimes logic doesn't prevale when it comes to wood lust.

[Jared Larrow]

"I have an Uncle in Vermont"

Greg -

Where in VT??? :D I'm in Burlington.

Jared

[CPeter James]

I am not quite there yet, but have a good start. The barn shows 4,000 bd ft of lumber that I just sold. I have 13 acres of wood lot and I can cut enought pine and oak to keep ahead of my projects. It doesn't seem worth it to buy the sawmill because I get a good rate from the guy who cuts mine.

I have a crane that goes on the back of the wheel tractor to carry the logs. It keeps them cleaner for the sawyer.

CPeter

http://home.metrocast.net/~cpjvkj/40c-420usnow.jpg

http://home.metrocast.net/~cpjvkj/barn.jpg

http://home.metrocast.net/~cpjvkj/420ulogboom.jpg

[Sonny Edmonds]

Oh! Does that ever make me green with envy! :D

[CPeter James]

1,600 bd ft out of that tree. Only got 5 saw logs. Each one over 500 bd ft.

CPeter

[Kelly C. Hanna]

I am right there with you on this one. If we can ever get out to the ranch this is part of my plan. Apparently there may be a delay in getting us a place out there...sure is a bummer. I was really looking forward to getting that started this year.

[Gary Herrmann]

Rick, look for urban loggers in your area. You'll find good prices. Not as good if you harvested your own though.

I just have to find the space or someone with a kiln to dry the two 50+ yr old silver maples I'm going to take down sometime in the next couple years.

[Rick Lucrezi]

i know a fellow that has a barn, a jd tractor and a woodmizer lt15. he is a forester my profession, so he has access to screaming deals on a lot of material. currently he has 7000 b.f. of walnut in his barn, along with cherry, red oak, poplar and a few others.

must be nice.

-matt

edit: he's always looking for more logs.

This could be me.

[Rick Lucrezi]

CPeter, you need a son? Thats great. Living the dream. I know I can go to the yard and buy wood. Its just not the same as tending your own land, working hard to get the logs cut into slabs, patiently waiting for them to dry, and then build heirlooms for every one of your family members and close friends. Makes me weepy just thinking about it. Truth is, if I did not need to work to pay bills, (I don't have many but) I would do exactly that. Build stuff for family and friends just because I love to make stuff.

By the way, I spent a fall in Manchester many years ago. It was when that big huricane came through. Maybe the one that the "perfect storm" was about. Absolutely beautiful country.

[CPeter James]

As a matter of fact, maybe I do need a son. Want to be adopted?

CPeter

[Rick Lucrezi]

As a matter of fact, maybe I do need a son. Want to be adopted?

CPeter


You bet. Do I get to run the tractor?:D

[hank dekeyser]

Amen,

As a temporary fix you could consider investing in a portable bandsaw mill. I got a friend w/ one and it's a blast ! He's got the tractor and kiln and shed and acreage too. Yup color me green with envy. Makes my 3 wooded acres seem like a trailer house. (But it won't keep me from knockin' a few trees down)

[Rick Lucrezi]

I have 3 friends with those portable mills. There pretty common here. Its just getting them to do any thing. I am the type who hates to borrow, or ask for favors, or hire some one to do what i can do. I have been accused of steping over dollars to pick up nickles quite a few times. I like to be busy:rolleyes: