Fallen Walnut Tree

[Chems]

The high winds claimed a causality one of the walnut trees in our garden was blown over. Very lucky to have not hit the house! Its a big tree but its not had leaves on for the past few years, we thought it had died from a diseases but we think actually that the other big tree that was next to it forced it to lean away over time and that snapped the root. A month or two ago before it fell down I took of a big branch that was to near the house and the wood was ever so dry inside the 5 inch branch.

My question is this. We'd love to cut the tree up and plank it and make something from it. It could yield a good amount of timber and we can dry it inside for a few years. But the fact that it died awhile ago, will the timber still be usable inside? Or will it just have speeded up the drying process.

Also if we decided to sell parts of the tree, I understand the base of the tree is darker and used for gun stocks, what would people recommend for outlets to sell it too?

PS If anyone knows of a mobile saw mill in the Northampton area

 

[cambournepete]

Give Mike Cawthorne of MAC timbers in Lower Benefield a call - he has his own saw mill and could advise you.
http://www.mactimbers.mfbiz.com/

 

[Paul Chapman]

Probably difficult to tell until you start cutting into it. I had to have a Walnut tree taken down a couple of years ago. With the help of paulm, we cut up some of it into planks and other pieces for turning. Based on my experience I would say you'd be lucky to get much furniture-making timber from it unless the tree was very large but if you are into turning you will probably get a lot of useful stuff.

Here's some of the stuff we cut up

And here's a bowl I made (my first go at turning a bowl)

Paulm made some much nicer bowls from pieces I gave him.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Chems]

Thanks for the paulm name, I was searching for that thread I remember it well. I think this tree is a little bigger than the one in your pictures, but its really hard to tell. Looking at all that timber you ended up with you could make something that had smaller components like a side table. I'll get it cut up from its fallen shape this weekend and post a few pictures and you can advise what you think I'll get from it.

 

[Richard T]

If, as you suspect, it has been separated from its root for a while it won't have been drawing up water capillary fashion and will be considerably drier than it would be otherwise.
Sounds like an excellent wind fall and well worth the effort.

 

[Paul Chapman]

Thanks for the paulm name, I was searching for that thread I remember it well.

Here it is the-walnut-tree-t28690.html

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Blister]

Hi

This gent is on your doorstep

http://www.aharrisonwoodturning.co.uk/Timber.html

and has a woodmizer :mrgreen:

 

[andersonec]

If you only want to use the heartwood, book-match it, mark the ends of the boards so they don't get mixed up, if you book-match them with a piece of the sapwood on the outsides it can be quite stunning.
I am in the process of cutting up a Damson that blew over, at the base where it split I am saving all the small bits for making Inlay Banding as it's quite pretty.

Andy

 

[Chems]

Hi

This gent is on your doorstep

http://www.aharrisonwoodturning.co.uk/Timber.html

and has a woodmizer :mrgreen:

Thanks for that Blister, I was looking around on google for ages last night and never found him.

That does look nice Andersonec, I'll keep that in mind if we find its usable stuff.

@Paul, do you have a picture of the tree before it was surgeoned?

 

[Gilogrt]

did the root ball come up with it in the wind?

 

[Chems]

Yes, its not snapped the trunk off but lifted the ground all around where it fell and lifted the fence that was near it up by 2-3 feet.

 

[Gilogrt]

What have you done with the root ball? Its alot of graft getting it out of the ground and processing but it can be well worth it! I've done it with an elm root ball last year.

 

[Paul Chapman]

@Paul, do you have a picture of the tree before it was surgeoned?

Sorry, I don't have any pictures.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[softtop]

I had Andy Harrison over to plank up a massive beech tree for me and he is a very nice bloke with some very impressive kit. Not cheap but nothing is alas! I can recommend him.

Henry

 

[marcros]

What have you done with the root ball? Its alot of graft getting it out of the ground and processing but it can be well worth it! I've done it with an elm root ball last year.

There is a fair bit of stuff online about processing the rootballs. Powerwash first, but the potential for some great material. Also the risk of a lot of effort for not much, although if it is already "dug" out, then you are half way there.

 

[marcros]

If you only want to use the heartwood, book-match it, mark the ends of the boards so they don't get mixed up, if you book-match them with a piece of the sapwood on the outsides it can be quite stunning.
I am in the process of cutting up a Damson that blew over, at the base where it split I am saving all the small bits for making Inlay Banding as it's quite pretty.

Andy

A lovely piece of timber