Sawing my own lumber

[Brian Hale]

The LOML and i just took a stroll thru our woods and noticed 2 good sized poplar trees that the tops have snapped off of. The part left standing is 30'-40' tall, 20"-25" diameter at the chest height, limb free and straight as an arrow. They're located about 300 yards into the wood line thru dense under story trees and the dreaded multi flora rose.

What do you guys think? Is this justification for a good sized chainsaw ($400-$600 range) and an Alaskan sawmill? There's no way to get something like a woodmizer back there and the logs are located on the side of a hill so carrying the lumber out would be an effort but doable.

TIA!!

Brian :)

[Dennis Peacock]

Save the time and effort. Get a tractor and drag the logs of the opening of the woods and get someone with a woodmizer in there to saw them up. At least that's what I'd do.

You can chainsaw mill them, but the woodmizer would make short work of the logs into boards. :)

[Ian Abraham]

It's a lot of work for Poplar :rolleyes:

If they were walnut or cherry, or you already had a big saw, it might be different.

Also be wary of trees that have been snapped off, the wood may actually have cracked internally much further down than the visible damage. You saw it and all your boards fall in 1/2 :(

Cheers

Ian

[Reed Wells]

Brian. If you wouldn't be using the chainsaw for more than a couple of poplar, save the money and buy the material. If it was some decent hardwood I would say yes. You can buy a lot of Poplar for $600.00. Reed

[Bob Smalser]

If there are other trees in your future of a more valuable species, the popples will be good practice. But you need more like a grand worth of saw that what you may have in mind. A Stihl 046 or 064 with 36" bar and ripping chain, or the equivalent in their newer models.

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g193/olypen/oaktree003.jpg

Here are two 30" white oaks over an embankment that won't be worth recovering. A 30" log 8 feet long from one of these weighs 8300lbs, and I'd have to bring in a machine larger than a 14,000lb skidder just to pull 20' of bole to where I could mill it.

My share won't pay for that, and it'd be a bit embarrassing to have the bole pull me and the skidder over the edge.

[Brian Hale]

Thanks Guys!

Dennis, getting the logs out to the edge of the woodline would be very difficult; it's all uphill, plus the woodline is 1/4 mile from our driveway through the blueberry garden and several recently planted gum oak and hickory trees. (we're re-foresting about 1/3 of our 3 acre front yard)

Reed, you're right. 600 does buy a lot of poplar! According to a BdFt calculator i found online, i should get about 700 bdft from each tree.

Ian, i hadn't considered the split you mentioned. I guess i could drop the trees now and investigate that. That could be a deal killer!

Brian :)

[Ted Christiansen]

Brian,

I mill my own lumber with a chainsaw mill (Logosol Woodworkers Mill), it has worked well for me. The previous replies are right, poplar is pretty inexpensive. Buying the equipment just for these two logs would not be worth it. If you already have a chainsaw powerful enough, then it would be worth it.

If you have sources for free logs, then chainsawmilling is one low investment way to turn those logs into lumber.

See my profile for my website about milling logs to lumber (hasnt been updated since I upgraded from the Logosol TimberJig to the Woodworker's Mill). Also check out ArboristSite (Milling Forum) to see what others are doing. It should help you in your decision.

Ted

[Rob Will]

I just bought a Stihl 660 / 36" just for the specific purpose of recovering trees like this. Will it ever pay off vs. simply "buying" lumber? Well....no.....but on the other hand, it is nice to get some wood from your own property.

Whenever possible, it is a good thing to make use of a tree rather than taking a track-hoe and throwing it up on a brush pile.

If you have the means to get it out of the woods......saw it.;)

I suppose a helicopter lift is out of the question?

Rob

[Jim Becker]

Save the time and effort. Get a tractor and drag the logs of the opening of the woods and get someone with a woodmizer in there to saw them up. At least that's what I'd do.

You can chainsaw mill them, but the woodmizer would make short work of the logs into boards. :)

I agree...and the sawyer will be less expensive. If you look at the milling article on my site and see the pile of trees I started out with and the pile of lumber I ended up with, consider that my milling cost was $525...and the extra $25 was for the blade that hit a nail in the LAST log...:rolleyes: For two trees...you're looking at a lot less work than I had with about 9 of them.

[Brian Hale]

What about renting a chainsaw?

I really hate to see these trees rot away. :(

Brian :)

[Dan Drager]

For $600, you can rent a good chainsaw to cut them into logs, rent a Bobcat skid steer to drag them to a flat spot and have a Local sawyer come and turn them into boards for you. Of course, then you wouldn't have a nice chain saw.:rolleyes:

[Rob Will]

Here's a good way to get logs out of the woods if you don't have a skidder.

http://www.anbomanufacturing.com/grapple_rakes/grapple_rakes_1.htm

Rob