what to do with a walnut tree?

[Abergavenny Walnut]

Hi there

I have a beautiful 35ft mature walnut tree, which I would guess is about 35 years old. It has an 80 inch circumference (measured at 4 foot 6 inches from the ground)

Sadly it is too close to the house (planted by previous owner), so it is going to have to be removed.

We would like it to have a second life (and not just to feed the wood burner!) but we do not know what to do with it.

Any suggestions / offers welcome.

The tree is located near Abergavenny, South Wales and we have good access to the tree for tractors etc.

Thanks
Tony

 

[hanser]

Perhaps try a post on this forum http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/milling-forum/

 

[Woodcrafts]

You could try contacting this company:- http://www.primetimber.co.uk/english-walnut/

 

[paulm]

Hi Tony,

Great that you are wanting to do something useful/memorable with the timber, and great that you thought of UKW for ideas

I've converted a couple of walnut trees of similar size, I think that kind of circumference measurement translates to a diameter of something like two foot, and the results can be disappointing in terms of the amount of dark heartwood present, which is the aspect that's most sought after.

One tree (Paul Cs) had a few inches of heartwood (there's a thread on the forum about it here the-walnut-tree-t28690.html?hilit=%20walnut and here chainsaw-mill-t59686.html?hilit=%20walnut ) but not much compared to the diameter of the tree, and the second one was a larger circumference but actually had less heartwood still !

I think the heartwood is created over time as the tree ages and the sapwood undergoes a chemical change, so the older the tree the more likelyhood of a higher percentage of the trunk being heartwood, but I might have misunderstood or remembered that.

Another thing to consider is how straight and long the main trunk is or whether it divides early into two or more trunks, the straighter and longer the better usually.

It may be best to have the tree dismantled and felled by a tree surgeon first, leaving the main trunk and larger limbs as long as possible, and then you will be able to see the amount of heartwood involved, and that will suggest whether it is likely to be worth getting it planked up, or more suited to local woodturners or similar ?

Hope the threads above give you some ideas at any rate.

Cheers, Paul

 

[paulm]

Here's some more ideas of what can be done with it, page 2 onwards bowl-centre-savers-t28841-15.html?hilit=walnut

And here clock-t66045.html?hilit=%20walnut

Shame I'm not closer to you or could have lent a hand once the tree is down.

Cheers, Paul

 

[bellringer]

just make sure the tree surgeon know you want the trunk and the get someone from Arbtalks to mill it

 

[whiskywill]

These people buy trees and they are fairly close to you.
http://www.wentwoodtimbercentre.co.uk/