Free Black Walnut Logs Question

[Dewey Fraser]

My sister in eastern Massachusetts has 3 freshly cut black walnut logs to give away.
They're only 12" diameter by 8' long, so the actual black walnut part, the heartwood, is probably only about 6" diameter.
My question for the woodworking community is:
Is it even worth the trouble of transporting and milling these logs for the small amount of useable black walnut lumber you would end up with?

[Jim Becker]

Honestly...no if there's only 6" of heartwood. The cost of milling compared to the usable lumber if you don't like sapwood will be nil... Really nice firewood, however. OR...for turning.

[Rob Smith76]

That is really a question only you can answer. How far away are you? You can spend a day or two visiting your sister and bring the logs back as a bonus. you can have them milled and using the color contrast for an interesting look. You can use the wood for turning. Depending on if you have a bandsaw, and how big it is, you could saw them yourself. The logs could give you about 50 bdft +/-. Around my area, retail is about $8 a foot.

As far as sap/heartwood colors go, you could leave the logs sit for a year or two and let the color "bleed". The sapwood will darken a bit and make the line between softer.

If it were me. I would get them and cut them into 3-4" slabs. Then make a nice glued-up bench top, sapwood included. Or save them for project that need thick legs.

[Zac wingert]

No, if you’re running a business. Yes, if you’re not. For the reasons others had said above. You won’t make profit, I’m guessing. But if you make something for your sister that came from that tree, assuming that’s from her yard or something, it’ll mean a lot.

[Carl Beckett]

I have done a handful of these finds, with mixed results.

I bought a cheap guide for my chainsaw (not a chainsaw mill but a guide that runs on a 2x4 screwed to the top of the log). The guide was $25ish. It allows me to square off the logs and rip thick slabs.

Then these I can handle in my bandsaw.

Some work involved. And even 8ft logs are HEAVY so some work to handle them. Plus I can sharpen my own chains and put a ripping profile on the chain which helps.

Oh, you need to seal the ends and then air dry (a year for each inch of thickness).

The result: You have some smaller pieces which may have mixed color/interesting grain patterns. From these you can make a small item (a box or something) and gift it back to your sister as coming from the tree on her property. This becomes sentimental, and is the payoff for me (I have a number of items made from wood from a friend/family member)

ymmv