please educate a newbie!! DAWN REDWOOD

[Phil Geary]

1. i have come across a dawn redwood tree that was cut down in perfect condition. there are two lengths about 10feet long 18inch and 24inch round. Is it worth trying to get this milled? does this wood have value? I am new to woodworking. so i am not sure about different types of wood PLEASE HELP!!!

[Gary Breckenridge]

Maybe, if all the parts fall into place. There might be about 200+ bd ft in those logs. are the logs free of nails and old fence? What does kiln dried s2s redwood go for in your neck of the woods? Is there a way to get it to the mill? Are there safety concerns like quicksand, a steep hill or a bad back? What will a sawyer charge? How long has the log been on the ground and has it started to rot? Will the sawyer bring a portable sawmill or do you have to get them to the mill? Did you chip off a piece and wet it to see what the grain looks like? Have the ends been waxed or painted?

If most of your answers are positive go for it.

[Phil Geary]

thanks for the reply. the tree was just cut down, it was in a guys front yard and was removed cause tho owner was worried it may fall it was planted to close to neighbors wall, so its in great shape.

i just wonder how much usable wood i could get out of lengths that size?

is this a valuable wood?

is milling wood cost effective?

[Wes Bischel]

Phil,
Here's an exerpt from a report concerning the suitability of use for the Metasequoia. (Dawn Redwood)

Since its introduction into the United States in 1948, this deciduous conifer has mostly been planted as an ornamental, especially at museums and in arboreta. The wood is soft, weak, and brittle, so it has little value as a source of lumber (Wyman 1968), although in China it is used for building timbers (Shao 1982). Pulping characteristics are similar to, and its fibers are stronger than, southern pines (Wyman 1968).

http://www.nsl.fs.fed.us/wpsm/Metasequoia.pdf

While I'm sure it's not the end all for information, it did come up first.

I planted one of these "living fossils" in our parkway 10 or so years ago. One neighbor snickered at how small it was at the time - today he is in awe of the size and beauty of the tree.

Wes

[george wilson]

Many commercial sawmills will not saw logs from near houses,because they very often have had nails, wire,and even horse shoes grown over inside them,which is death to blades. I have a friend who cuts such wood.He goes over the logs with a metal detector. He gets lots of free logs after storms,etc..

One guy in England got himself emasculated sawing logs from a former artillery range when he hit a shell that hadn't gone off when it buried itself in the tree.