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View Full Version : Rule of thumb formula for tree yield?



Joseph Ezerskis
06-16-2004, 10:13 AM
A neighbor's neighbor of a friends said we could have the small walnut tree from his back yard. My buddy agreed we could keep it stacked at his second property. My question is just how much useable hardwood could we get out of the bunk/bole/first log/veneer log/whatever. I'd like to know to determine the yield before I go and hop the fence with a measuring tape. This isn't a big tree so we'd stick with flitch sawn.
Thanks,

Joe

Todd Burch
06-16-2004, 10:35 AM
Figure out the diameter of the tree. Take a steel square and draw a square inside the circle. Take it from there!

Martin Shupe
06-16-2004, 4:28 PM
Joe,

About a year ago, I helped a friend slice up a couple walnut logs. I think the tree was 12-15 inches in diameter at its largest point. Something you need to consider with walnut is that there will be sapwood on either side of the heartwood. Most walnut furniture is made with heartwood only, and lumber with sap wood is used for secondary wood.

So...the outside slabs were "waste", and the closer we got to the center, the wider the heartwood got.

Just something to consider.