scored a cedar tree...now what?

[Matt Ellis]

had some pretty stiff wind here in GA last weekend, and i noticed that 20" cedar had toppled in a local cemetery. i left a not on the gate, a guy called a while ago, telling me i could have at it. there is also a 40" oak that has been down for a while, but i think is still good. it has been supported off the ground by its limbs. i may take a stab at it, but i would have to cut it up into about 6' sections to be able to handle it.

i know a local guy that has a small band mill that i can take it to. i guess my question is this: what can i use cedar for besides lining closets or building a cedar chest? i know it is pretty weather resistant naturally, but i don't really need any deck furniture at the moment. should i just try to swap the saw mill guy for something he has cut already?

-matt

[Sam Yerardi]

I use it for chests, etc., but also for small jewelry-type boxes. I picked up about 250 bd ft in Ahmish country near where I live for $20 this past fall. I couldn't believe it as they were just stacking it up to cart off and apparently do this on a regular basis. Got a lot of really nice stock. So far I've used it for some chests I'm working on. I also use it for drawer bottoms in some of the period furniture I build.

I guess to answer your question - - if you can get it I'd get it.

[Jim Becker]

"What kind" of cedar will be helpful to know for best uses, but it's certainly usable! The oak "should" be fine, too. I honestly don't consider 6' lengths to be a problem given that is is very rare that you need material longer than that, anyway. 6' gives you some leeway for checking even for a typical 5' wide project, such as a large sideboard.

[Homer Faucett]

If you can find some way to handle 8' lengths, it may benefit you to make the logs at least 8' long. The hydraulic arms on the LT 40 that my sawyer used were 8' apart, so anything less than 8' was a hassle to get on the mill and positioned properly. I had a couple of 7' maple logs that we had a tough time positioning because they were too short.

[Joe Petersen]

Whereabouts in N. GA? I have built a chainsaw mill to mill an Oak and am just itching to try it out. I just got a slightly longer bar and will try it out this Saturday.