Taking this Walnut today

[Jack Frederick]

About 22-24” and about 12-14’ bole. I will get about one 8’ clear log…I think, but of course you don’t know until it is cut. I have a local climber coming in to drop it and I am the ground crew. A friend will bring in his Woodmizer in a couple weeks. I have 5 gal of Bailey-Seal for the butt ends. I suggested we start at 7 am. Climber says last night via text at 11pm. “Can’t make it until 10” Always best to make sure it is hot as hades for the old man. Should be a good day. Now to make it so.

[John TenEyck]

You should get some good lumber from that. And the crotch could make some awesome veneer or bowl blanks if you are motivated to do it.

John

[Jack Frederick]

Had a good climber to bring the tree down. Butt log is +/-26”x 13-6. All ends are sealed. Lots of clean up to do. Should have some nice wood out of it. Looks like we got it before the rot took over the center.

[Jack Frederick]

Down just over two months we got to milling the smaller logs the last couple days, in the rain. As dry as it has been I can’t kick about the rain so we got wet, but we kept moving. My friend has some nice equipment and it was a pleasure working with him. Hoping or a window this afternoon of no rain and we will tackle the big log. that is going to be slow going. We did the 6’ shown above with the triple branch. Some nice wood in there.

[Justin Rapp]

That wood is really nice. I hope you find some good uses for it once it's dry and ready for use.

[Jack Frederick]

Thanks, Justin. We are milling the big log on Friday. I’m looking forward to seeing what is in there.

[John K Jordan]

My friend has some nice equipment …

Good equipment makes all the difference. Things sure got easier at my Woodmizer when I got the excavator with a thumb and a dump trailer.

[Jack Frederick]

Well, John I recall some time back reading the list of your tractors and such. I had a fresh cup of coffee when I started and had to get a re-fill before getting to the end of the list. What my friends excavator lacks is a good set of forks. I asked him if he’d like me to make him a set of forks for his bucket. I think I can fabricate a set that would be easy on and off. Not a lot of capacity but not having a tractor with forks kinda limits him to the claw. The other option would be a set of chokers and a four claws and adjustable spreaders to lift off the mill.

[John K Jordan]

Well, John I recall some time back reading the list of your tractors and such. I had a fresh cup of coffee when I started and had to get a re-fill before getting to the end of the list. What my friends excavator lacks is a good set of forks. I asked him if he’d like me to make him a set of forks for his bucket. I think I can fabricate a set that would be easy on and off. Not a lot of capacity but not having a tractor with forks kinda limits him to the claw. The other option would be a set of chokers and a four claws and adjustable spreaders to lift off the mill.

I find the excavator bucket with a thumb easier to use with logs than forks while the forks are invaluable when managing the sawn boards. I use both at the sawmill, forks on either tractor or skid steer. I usually offload directly onto forks from the mill.

Forks for the excavator do sound useful on occasion. I can buy the quick-connect “ears” that fit my Kubota mini-ex - if the friends excavator has a quick mount for the bucket it might be easy to weld forks to spare brackets to make swapping bucket for forks a snap.

The ex bucket with thumb is amazing for log handling. especially for very gently and precisely placing a log on the mill bed. (my mill doesn’t have hydraulics) With the forks I end up rolling the log and it’s sometimes difficult to place it gently. An even more important task is to gently is to place a heavy log section in the bed of someone’s new truck or light trailer! That’s one place I don’t want to drop it even a couple of inches. A 2’ length of red oak 24” in diameter can weigh almost 400 lbs! (I often have other woodturners come to get chunks when I get big wood)

JKJ

[Jack Frederick]

Thanks for the heads up on the QC for the bucket. I was thinking about something I could mount on the bucket but there could be are all kinds of issues with that. I have some 1/2” plate I will cut up and weld tomorrow to make some spreader hooks for us for Friday. Have to do something as every time I grab a big piece of wood my first thought is, “Oh, how the mighty have fallen…”