What to do about logs...

[ithium]

Very close to where I live (I live out in the countryside) a tree has been felled close to a public footpath where I walk my dogs. it has been chopped up into several pieces; some are only one or two feet long but some are about five feet long. I'd say there's maybe fifteen feet of tree altogether, and it's maybe two feet in diameter at the widest.

I'm very tempted to go and ask if the farmer who I think owns the land will let me have the logs... they have been there for a while, at least three weeks now (can't be sure exactly, as I didn't go down that path for some months previously) and I think the tree is oak, although I don't really have much of a clue when it comes to identifying trees.

The thing is, I'm firstly wondering what on earth I would actually do with the logs if he lets me have them - and, if I was able to handle them, how much is fair to pay if he asks for any money. The things weigh a tonne - I think I could struggle back with one of the smaller pieces but the five-foot pieces would be impossible to move on my own!

So if I can figure out how to get them into my garage, how do I make use of them when they're there? There's no way I could get them onto a table saw, and that wouldn't cut through two feet of wood in any case. Am I better off just leaving well alone? I just don't like the thought of that nice oak out there going to waste... it keeps calling to me... :shock:

 

[woodbloke]

I think that unless you can organise some serious lifting gear and find someway to convert the timber fairly rapidly, I'd just continue to dream about the timber Trying to move green timber in that sort of volume would damage your back...just a thought - Rob

 

[ithium]

Well, I'm sure I can drag it to my house without too much difficulty... the logs are about 1/2 a mile away from me and with a 4x4 I figure I could get them there... don't worry, I'm not intending to try and lift them myself! I'm just stumped as to what to do with the things if I actually got them. How the heck would I chop them up? :?:

 

[woodbloke]

If you can identify the timber as oak, then if you find a lump without knots it ought to be possible to cleave it into rough boards with a froe or a splitting axe. This is what medieval carpenters did as oak will split quite easily. I've never done this sort of thing before and have no idea if it would work so I'd suggest that you go quite carefully. If you can get some bits out of the logs then they would be suitable for air drying and could be machined at a later date. If you leave the logs in the round for too long then they will start to split and the wood may not be any good - Rob

 

[Karl]

How the heck would I chop them up? :?:

I think that is going to be the main difficulty - without the right (expensive) gear, you would be lucky to do anything with them. Except maybe carve some garden statues????

To convert the wood for indoor use would take a few years of drying out. Much more hassle than it's worth.

Cheers

Karl

 

[MikeG.]

Before you do anything, find out what sort of wood it is. If it is turkey oak it is useless for anything except fence posts.......if it is walnut it is worth a fortune!

If you can get them to a local timber yard they may well plank them for you. It shouldn't cost a fortune (I had a huge sycamore done a few years ago for £30 to £50 I think). Don't forget that the boards will shrink a lot, so don't slice them 1" thick! Also, leave some pieces 3 or 4 " thick for table legs if you have furniture in mind.

You then have to correctly stack the planks for a year or 2 (or more) to dry them. Go through all that and it is a great feeling when you actually make something out of the timber........

Mike

 

[dickm]

I can feel my chainsaw, axes, wedges and bandsaw itching for work! But you are probably a long way from North-east Scotland

 

[Ironballs]

Some of the timber yards have portable converting gear, so for a price you can have it converted in situ. Like the others have said though, only worth it if it's decent timber

 

[big soft moose]

its feasible to rip down the grain with a chainsaw then turn them green or part turn them green to season. (assuming you are a turner of course - if you are aiming to plank them and make furniture you may have major issues with seasoning)

this approach also has the benefit that you can mill on site which reduces the weight to carry to the car considerably

however you do need both a decent chainsaw and a high degree of skill to do this - fortunately i have both.

Where are you ? - if you are anywhere near bucks, ox, herts, berks, wilts area I could probably pop over and give you a hand - come to that i might be able to sort you out some wood

pm me if you dont want to give your location on the open board

on the question of payment for them , you shouldnt pay anymore than firewood cordwood price (arround 20-30 notes a tonne) and less if they are difficult to extract - unless of course they are walnut or similar.

 

[busy builder]

Pay him as firewood, between £60 and £120 per tonne max.

Is it me or do you lot make up names for wood....turkey oak ???

 

[Sgian Dubh]

Is it me or do you lot make up names for wood....turkey oak ???

Hardly. It's a well established name and refers to Quercus cerris. See the link below for more description. Slainte.
http://www.aie.org.uk/trunkline/aie_tr_turkey.html

 

[The_Stig]

You might struggle with getting a timber yard to convert it as many people are warey about the likely hood of metal or other items that could be in a log.

Timber yards have metal detectors that search for nails, musket balls, etc and will chop them out as required. However if you can not transport the log(s) then most yards will not collect small amounts due to the heavy transport costs.

 

[big soft moose]

Pay him as firewood, between £60 and £120 per tonne max.

Is it me or do you lot make up names for wood....turkey oak ???

60 to 120 per tonne for firewood is for logs cut up and delivered - cord wood at the road side is generally between 20 and 40, but this wood isnt even at the roadside.

in those circumstances most landowners might not even want payment ( tho i normally reward them with a bowl or similar out of the wood to keep them sweet) but if he does then no more than 20 or 30 is reasonable.

 

[CWatters]

Google homemade sawmill. There are folk who make sawmills out of chainsaws and ladders..

http://www.goatpark.force9.co.uk/tempsite/chainsaw.htm

 

[apj101]

Google homemade sawmill. There are folk who make sawmills out of chainsaws and ladders..

http://www.goatpark.force9.co.uk/tempsite/chainsaw.htm

gotta love the inginuity of wood workers