I was able to get a Black Walnut tree from a friend in town. Dropped it yesterday, limbed it, and had a local guy bring it to my house. I am going to have a WoodMizer guy come saw it into boards. He has been doing it for 20 years and people seem happy with him. The logs are 16’ and 8’, and will probably all be 8’ for ease of stacking it and moving. I plan on air drying it. The tree was about 28” at the base and was 24” diameter at 32’ up.
Now the question -
What size should I get it cut into? I Know this is sort of a dumb question, it depends on what I want to use it for...I am a hobbyist who occasionally takes commissions, and I may sell a little to recover some of the cost. I can see a one board coffee table or two, or a two board kitchen table. I have never made a chair but that is also on the list, maybe a countertop amongst a bunch of smaller projects etc. I’m just making my best guess at what it will become a few years from now.
I had a bunch of cherry milled about 10 years ago. For the cherry I was sending it to a kiln so I made it all the same at 5/4. Plenty of my projects had too much waste at 5/4 but it was good for some others. This time around I can cut a variety because it won’t go into a kiln.
I saw one video where they slabbed the middle 1/3 and quarter saw the other two 1/3’s? I will probably leave it all live edge If that is the way it comes out, but I don’t need it that way. Those slabs were cut at 10/4?
Just wondering what people have found that worked for them?
The unpainted end is at 32’ up the tree.
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