Advise on English Walnut

[carl zietz]

In the process of prepping to build my new house, I am going to have to take down an old english walnut. it is about 46 inches in dia 1 foot up from the ground, and has the typicla walnut umbrella shape with limbs up to 14 -16 inches in dia. when the time comes, how do I make the most of the wood?

Carl Zietz

[Curt Fuller]

Around here (in Yewtah which has a similar climate to SWW) a tree that large is probably going to have a lot of center rot. But it's also going to have some spectacular figure in the crotches and the areas where the weight of the tree has "curled" the wood. I would take advantage of all the nice crotch wood and then work my way out from there.

[Reed Gray]

If it is pure English (actually Persian, but that is another story) walnut, it will be a light tan in color. If you are lucky, it might have been grafted onto some black walnut, and then it will have a lot of color to it, but not as dark as the black. If you are going to store it for a bit, cut a 16 inch log section to about 20 to 24 inch long, and rip it down the pith/center. Seal the ends with Anchor seal, old cans of oil finish, titebond 2, etc. I put a heavy duty tarp on the ground first, then stack the pieces on end, and cover with another heavy tarp. Best tarps are what some of the outdoor signs are made of, or truck canopies, or awnings. I found some on Craigs list. There will be some splitting on the ends, but there should be enough so you can cut off the waste and still have lots left. I can get at least one year of storage, and some times more. Covering in winter here isn't too much of a problem because of the rain, but covering in the dry windy summer can destroy your log pile.

robo hippy

[Mike Cruz]

Great advice so far. I would add that a little cash out will go a long way for you. IIWM, and I've done this before, so this isn't just theoretical... I would find a local sawyer, maybe someone with a Woodmiser, who will give you a good price, and ask him what lengths and widths he can handle. Cut the logs to lengths that are within his limits (shortest and longest...most likely 5-6' to 12-16') but also good for you. Either you or he, may have to cut the logs with a chainsaw to make them manageable for his Woodmiser (my guy can handle 28" diameter logs). Have him cut "slabs" at whatever thickness you want. Then you can cut those slabs to manageable lengths with a chainsaw.

The point is that with a tree that big, hollow or not, your sawyer can break down the tree faster and more evenly than you could ever do with a chainsaw. My sawyer would do it for me for probably about 24-50 cents per BF depending on what is involved. Even at that price, it is cheaper than gas in my chainsaw, plus oil for the chainsaw, plus sharpening the chains, plus wear and tear on the chains, plus my time, plus wear and tear on my Stihl 290 farm boss, plus the chiropractor bill! Besides, a Woodmiser is a bandsaw... WAY less waste than a chainsaw! And the cuts ase SO parallel (especially compared to your best chainsaw cut) that you waste SO little wood.

Bottom line, for me at least, is that if you are doing an entire tree by yourself, this is the way to go. BTW, a lot of these guys with Woodmisers will come to YOU to cut. I don't know what the "on site" rates are, though...

Best of luck, and looking forward to the English Walnut Gloat thread...

[Philip Duffy]

You might want to consider that the stump/base of the tree has some highly figured wood and a gunstock maker would find such a stump very attractive - - -if it is cut 4-5 ft above the ground. The process of cutting rifle blanks involves getting the stump out of the ground and power washed so when it gets to the bandsaw it is pretty clean. A buddy of mine does this all the time for his exquisite blackpower rifles. Either way the walnut should be very good stuff! Philip

[Ralph Lindberg]

Carl, there are some good points made, if you need help finding local resources several of us here are "western" Washington and might be able to point you in good directions.
Local groups and contacts can be a great help, I will be leaving for the Shelton area in mere moments to go to a get-together with a fellow from southern OR who is bringing up a truck load of Burl (mostly Madrone).
I wouldn't know about this without local contacts

[robert baccus]

If it is a big open tree you might consider having the big limbs cut and lowered --dig the stump roots and lower the trunk/stump in one piece. Sure saves the pretty wood if you can handle it.