Backyard Maples and Saving the Lumber

Hi Cynthia, I noticed right away that I don't recognize the type of maple you're dealing with. Looking at the size of the leaf I had to wonder if those might be big leaf maples? I suspect from looking at the condition of the trees that what you have is a soft maple, of which big leaf maple is such a type. Big leaf maple is the primary source of the quilted figure that is highly sought after. The quilted figure is fairly rare however and I doubt you would have it in your trees. Just wanted to make sure you are aware of this on the outside chance.
The only quilted tree I have ever seen (red maple)was on a river bank and the surface of the tree was solid bumps from the bole all the way into the branches. (I now have that lumber drying:D)
Big leaf is a very soft wood easily dented with a fingernail. So in any case you might end up with some white wood lumber which is suitable for drawers and other secondary wood uses. There should be some figure (usually curl) near the bole (base) of the tree. So getting the tree cut as low as possible to the ground will preserve more of the figured wood. It is something to tell the sawyer if you plan on getting the trees milled into lumber.

Good luck with the project.
 
We have more than one thread going on this.
Agree, BLM is one of the most beautful woods on this continent. I love turning it. And the burl is absolutely delicious.
More reason to completely seal any chunks or irregular pieces.
 
It is usually fairly hard to see figure in the end grain of woods. Not impossible you look for the annular rings to have a high degree of irregularity. The exception to this is birdseye maple it is easy to see the "eyes" as rays extending out from the center of the tree.

You can usually see some curl figure at the bole of a tree, normally in the sweep of where the roots enter into the trunk. I don't know what causes this curl but suspect it has to do with the high compression the wood fibers are under from the weight of tree. From what I have learned about figure in woods it can be caused entirely by genetics in some cases and both genetics and stressor conditions in other cases (like birdseye maple). Or maybe just stress from unusual growing conditions. :dunno:
 
Update:

I spoke with someone just now who does portable milling, and who would be willing to do it. (I left messages for 2 others, 1 of whom wants to be paid in lumber instead of cash, I'm told.)

This is what he said:

1. Yes, (like Paul Downes said) this is the kind of maple that can have unusual quilted or birdseye figure if I get lucky.

2. Yes, it would be better to wait a little to cut them, although if I wait too long, it's the rainy season here, and then I will have a host of other problems like working in a mud bath, equipment getting stuck etc. He recommends waiting until late sept or early oct. to get the best of both worlds.

3. He charges $100 to set up (because I'm a 2 hour drive from him) and then $300/1000 bf which is probably what he can do in one day depending on the log size and shape etc.

4. He said the logs need to be arranged a certain way in a pile near the road (driveway)....not sure how I'm going to do that......

5. What amazed me was he said that the rule of thumb for a 2' diameter tree is 25 bf /foot of 2' diameter log, so 250 bf for each 10' log that diameter. I was figuring that I'd be lucky to get 300 bf per tree, but he said that 500-1000 per tree was a better estimate. That's a lot of wood. Anybody need some maple? :rofl:

I left messages with 4 places to find out the cost of milling rough lumber to S4S and the cost of kiln drying. So far I've found one place that would mill it for $0.30/bf (sounds high to me). I'd be happy to air dry it, but if I cut it in the fall, then it will be raining steadily for months........

Then I was thinking that for $0.30/bf of say, 5000 bf, I could just about buy a decent jointer and planer no? and do it myself? Maybe I can find someone cheaper for the milling......

One question I have is is it possible to send the whole logs to a mill to 1. rough cut them 2. kiln dry them and then 3. S4S them in one fell swoop, and what would that cost?

I welcome all comments and discussion.

THANKS
cynthia
 
Great information Cynthia, thanks for sharing.

If you don't need the wood right away and have the room on your property, I would stack and air dry. Google for air drying and you should find a lot of information on the subject. You will be covering your stack to keep the rain off of it. Depending how you cut it (thickness), it will be sitting there for a couple of years or more. You can also build a solar kiln. You can also Google for that.

You do know that you will have to handle and stack the lumber as he cuts it, don't you? You need to plan on having enough strong backs available. Larry Merlau (the Chocolate Man) can fill you in better than me as he has done it several times now.

Found a video on the subject that might be of interest.
http://woodtreks.com/how-to-air-dry-lumber-stack-it-and-check-for-moisture/336/
 
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you have more work there than you probably realize, this isnt for the weak kneed folk and if you have back problems you are gonna have more.. .3o cnts a bf is a fair price plus blades, approx $25 each if you hit hardware. and some sawyers can cut more than a thousand BF in a day , and measure your lumber after its cut so you have some idea of what you got, dont trust the sawyer till you get to know him. and your gonna be hurrying to get the boards outa his way on maple.. it cuts easy. and i also dont suggest you get it cut small at first wait till your ready to use it. i doubt that you can find a mill that wil cut and dry it for you but up there you might.. but you will need to haul the logs there for them to get cut..and thats another day,, done that once or twice as well.
 
Holy Batman! This is a bigger project than I anticipated! :eek: I'll have to see if I can scare up some muscle. It wouldn't be hard to find some help for 1 day, but it sounds like this could drag on for days......Sounds like a marathon.....But all that wood.....questions questions I have so many questions....

1. I was looking at a recent price list from a local sawmill and they had (for example) rough African Mahogany FAS 4/4 for 6.95$/bf and 8/4 for 7.05$ What am I missing here? You get 2x the wood for a dime more per bf? Why are the prices so close? Why isn't it more than 2x the price for 2x the thickness? Do most people buy 2by when they want 1by because it's so much cheaper?

2. Should I get my maple cut to 2" thickness even though it will take longer to dry, and then have it milled to 1" when I want to use it? I'm assuming the guy would want to cut 2" because it will take him 2x as long to cut it 1", no?

3. If a log has some highly figured wood, is it only in one spot, or is it up and down the tree? Is there any indication from the bark patterns?

4. What's the difference between a knot and a burl. If I see a thickness or bulge high up on the trunk, is that a burl or a knot? Do turners turn knotty pieces or just burls?

You guys are the best....

Cynthia
 
1. I was looking at a recent price list from a local sawmill and they had (for example) rough African Mahogany FAS 4/4 for 6.95$/bf and 8/4 for 7.05$ What am I missing here? You get 2x the wood for a dime more per bf? Why are the prices so close? Why isn't it more than 2x the price for 2x the thickness? Do most people buy 2by when they want 1by because it's so much cheaper?

actually IMHO by charging .10 bd.ft. they are over charging.. 1 db.ft is a 12"x12"x1" BD. A 12X12X2 IS 2 BD.FT. SO THERE ALREADY GETTING THE SAME PRICE PER BD.FT. SO WHY CHARGE THE EXTRA .20 CENTS
 
...4/4 for 6.95$/bf and 8/4 for 7.05$ What am I missing here? You get 2x the wood for a dime more per bf? Why are the prices so close? Why isn't it more than 2x the price for 2x the thickness?...

Cynthia

Actually, the 8/4 is slightly more expensive. Wood is sold by the Board Foot. A 4/4 board one foot long and one foot wide is ONE Board Foot, and costs $6.95.

An 8/4 board one foot wide and one foot long has TWO Board Feet in it, and would cost $14.10. So, it is quite a bit more, eh?
 
Cynthia, it looks like you were thinking a board foot is a linear measurement, when it's actually a cubic measurement (144 cubic inches). I've seen similar pricing variations at the local hardwood stores here, too. 4/4 maple might be $1 or more per board foot than 8/4 maple. Not sure why there's such a price difference. :huh:

RE: Knots vs. burls...A knot is a place where a branch grows from a trunk (or another branch). It results in a round spot like this:

7525.jpg


A burl, on the other hand, is a place in the tree where the wood grain goes in all different directions, instead of following the typical ring pattern. Burls can be the result of a several things. There are root burls down at the base of the tree, and what I call "tree cancer" burls, that grow as a lump elsewhere on a tree. Wikipedia has a pretty good definition and pictures here, although they don't mention root burls in their description.

In general, turners like burls, but knots can be a pain. (They can also become cool features. I forget how many knots I counted in this bowl)...

Bowl%20043%20-%2001%20600.jpg

That piece was turned from a root burl, so there is burl figure and knots all in one package.
 
Update: For those who recall this discussion about cutting down some maples in my backyard, I have an update. My faller fell and broke a few ribs--I know that's serious but I feel like bursting out laughing, forgive me--so my maple date is now set back to mid-end November. It's okay with me because the later they're cut, the better the lumber should be. I have a portable sawmill guy lined up. Stay tuned.
Cynthia :):thumb:
 
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