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View Full Version : Pine trees - worth saving anything?



mark mcfarlane
04-17-2016, 2:51 PM
I need to cut down a bunch of trees for the new shop. Two of the trees are ~2' diameter by ~100 feet tall. I don't know the exact species, whatever kind of pine grows north of Houston where the tree line starts. Should I just have it all carted off, or is it worth asking for a slab or two to air dry. I sold off my chainsaw 25 years ago after cleaning up a wooded acre of scrub oak, and don't want one again (can't handle the chainsaw nightmares), so whatever I kept would need to be millable on a bandsaw. Here's the two trees in question.

I'm sure its gonna cost a fortune to have them cut down, and I hate to remove them, but the only way to work around them is going to cost me maybe 30-40K extra for the building,....

335914

mike holden
04-17-2016, 3:50 PM
Find your local windsor chair maker. They use the pine for seat bottoms. Most of them are either sole or part owners in an "alaskan" chain saw mill and can make use of the wood.
On the other hand, since you are in Saudi Arabia, I don't know what to suggest.
Mike

Frederick Skelly
04-17-2016, 5:37 PM
I'd keep some of it, if you have room. At least a few blanks that you can use for turning, or bandsaw boxes, etc - especially if you've lived on the property long enough to consider it "home". I've made ssmall boxes from take-downs for people and it's always kinda special - "That box on the mantle came from that tree we had to cut down." Be a neat trinket in the shop after you get it built.

Dennis Ford
04-17-2016, 9:46 PM
Southern Yellow Pine; could be any one of a few species. If you are building a woodworking shop, you will want some wood. This would be great for construction or shop cabinets, shelves, many other uses. Those two trees would make a bunch of lumber, having it sawed up will cost much less than buying equal quality material.

mark mcfarlane
04-17-2016, 11:55 PM
....
On the other hand, since you are in Saudi Arabia, I don't know what to suggest.
Mike

I live in Saudi today. Retiring to Texas in November. The trees are in Texas :)

mark mcfarlane
04-17-2016, 11:59 PM
I'd keep some of it, if you have room. At least a few blanks that you can use for turning, or bandsaw boxes, etc - especially if you've lived on the property long enough to consider it "home". I've made ssmall boxes from take-downs for people and it's always kinda special - "That box on the mantle came from that tree we had to cut down." Be a neat trinket in the shop after you get it built.

Thanks Fred, I'll keep some of it then. It's a new home, I've only vacationed in it a few times, but would still be fun/cool to make something from.

mark mcfarlane
04-18-2016, 12:07 AM
Southern Yellow Pine; could be any one of a few species. If you are building a woodworking shop, you will want some wood. This would be great for construction or shop cabinets, shelves, many other uses. Those two trees would make a bunch of lumber, having it sawed up will cost much less than buying equal quality material.

Hi Dennis. However it is cut, it needs to happen by the 'clearing crew', probably with chainsaws. There is a mill about an hour to the north, that works mostly in mesquite and red oak, but I won't have any decent way to move or transport a log that size. Maybe I can find out who the tree removal guys sell it to.

I had some property a few blocks away from this one and paid about $1,700 to have 3 small (6") trees removed. I know these big trees are going to cost a lot more, and also yield some cash on the backend for the guys who cut it. I'm actually anxious to see how they take them down without destroying the surrounding homes. The only place it can safely fall is onto the golf course in my back yard, which is also heavily wooded in this area. I'll be watching from 100 yards away.

Robert Engel
04-18-2016, 9:38 AM
You have to figure the cost of transport + milling vs. what the wood is worth keeping in mind SYP is pretty cheap lumber.

If you're milling it into beams or slabs it might be worth something (will take at least 5 years to dry), but for dimensional or construction lumber, definitely not.
That being said, if it is clear, the bottom of that tree will yield some nice lumber, depending on how tight the growth rings are.

I've had lots of trees milled from my property and truthfully most if it is still stacked up in a shed 25 years later.
Looking at the whole situation, I would try to find a sawyer interested in it, but I doubt they will make an hour drive for it.

Jamie Buxton
04-18-2016, 10:26 AM
I'd consider using the trees for timber-framing the new shop. Or it might turn out that you only have enough for timber-framing some parts of the shop -- maybe posts to frame the doors, or a big ridge beam to support the roof. In my mind's eye, the beams would be visible when the shop is complete, and obviously be pieces of tree, not conventional lumberyard lumber.

Doing this may not be the most-economical way to build the shop. Heck, the furniture you're going to build in the new shop is probably not the most economical way to get furniture. Instead, you'd be timber-framing the shop with lumber from your property because it is way cool.

Jamie Buxton
04-18-2016, 10:37 AM
There's a Houston-area Creeker named Todd Burch who's thought long and hard about timber-framing a workshop. (For instance http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?191474-Timber-Frame-Workshop-%28and-house-%29&highlight=timber+framing. He even has a mill now. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?233438-Building-my-inventory-of-logs&highlight=mill) He'd probably be happy to talk with you about it.

mark mcfarlane
04-18-2016, 11:35 AM
I'd consider using the trees for timber-framing the new shop. Or it might turn out that you only have enough for timber-framing some parts of the shop -- maybe posts to frame the doors, or a big ridge beam to support the roof. In my mind's eye, the beams would be visible when the shop is complete, and obviously be pieces of tree, not conventional lumberyard lumber....


Thanks Robert and Jamie for the ideas. Externally I have very limited options of architecture, the addition must exactly match my house (which is going to be a challenge since the custom brick maker went out of business). Internally we could certainly do some cool things with beams, but I'd have to hire an architect rather than the builder I'm working with, the guy who originally built the house. He has one way he builds all his home, he is very reluctant to deviate from his proven method so he can guarantee his work, he is very reluctant to adopt anything different. I don't think I could warrant the cost or the potential building delays to use a different framing technique and wait for lumber milling,.... But a VERY cool idea to have the house built out of trees from the property.


If I save a few pieces of the tree I can do some decoration around the house.

Cody Colston
04-18-2016, 1:22 PM
They are probably Loblolly pines. The tree service will most likely start at the top and cut off sections on the way down to avoid having the tree fall on anything nearby...like someone's house. They may use a crane or just climb the tree with tree spikes and do it by hand. Either way, you are right, it won't be cheap.

If they would buck the logs into 8' or so lengths, it's possible you might find someone to mill them for you. Otherwise, they will probably go to the land-fill or a burn pile. Sawmills don't like to take yard trees because of the liklihood of them having metal inside.

Congratulations on your coming retirement.

mark mcfarlane
04-18-2016, 2:43 PM
They are probably Loblolly pines. The tree service will most likely start at the top and cut off sections on the way down to avoid having the tree fall on anything nearby...like someone's house. They may use a crane or just climb the tree with tree spikes and do it by hand. Either way, you are right, it won't be cheap.

If they would buck the logs into 8' or so lengths, it's possible you might find someone to mill them for you. Otherwise, they will probably go to the land-fill or a burn pile. Sawmills don't like to take yard trees because of the liklihood of them having metal inside.

Congratulations on your coming retirement.

So I found a web to calculate log weights - 8' of Loblolly pine, 24" in diameter is 1290 pounds. Maybe I can find a small branch from the top :), I don't have a way to load 1290 pounds into the obligatory Texas pickup truck that I don't own yet.

I'll try to estimate the tree heights when I visit my home in a few weeks for my annual vacation, but they have to be near or over 100'. It will be fun to see what approach they take.

Thanks Cody for the congratulations. I'm getting out while I'm still healthy and spry and can do a decent amount of physical work.

Danny Hamsley
04-19-2016, 8:22 AM
The tree on the left, like Cody says, is loblolly pine. They are both nice, and will have some clear lumber in the lower section. Too bad that they probably will go to the landfill, but sometimes that cannot be prevented. The problem with getting the trees sawn into lumber is that you will have to dry it with stickers between the layers and with a cover over the top to prevent the wood from getting wet, and your neighbors might complain about a big stack of lumber with tin on top in the backyard.