# A darn fine day!



## justallan (Jan 23, 2016)

My new best buddy in all the world calls this morning and wants to come down with a load of logs to mill. I told him my right arm is out of commission for a few weeks, but I could run the mill. Well, this is what he shows up with.
Most is Russian Olive, but this one is a toss-up. We both are saying ash.
What ever it is, it sure is nice.

Reactions: Like 4 | EyeCandy! 3 | Way Cool 11


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## manbuckwal (Jan 23, 2016)

Congrats ! Looks like fun

Reactions: Like 1


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## Nature Man (Jan 23, 2016)

What an incredible load of logs! Will make some mighty fine lumber. Think I'm drooling... Chuck

Reactions: Like 1


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## David Van Asperen (Jan 23, 2016)

@justallan It sure was a fine day, lumber looks great. I hope mill some Russian olive this year, got my eye a couple of trees.
Hope you heal soon
Dave

Reactions: Like 1


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## woodtickgreg (Jan 23, 2016)

Maybe I missed it, what happened to your arm? I hope it's nothing to serious.
Great looking load of logs though, that otta make your arm feel better!

Reactions: Agree 1


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## bamafatboy (Jan 23, 2016)

I do believe that it is ASH, have a chunk similar to it in my living room now.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## justallan (Jan 23, 2016)

woodtickgreg said:


> Maybe I missed it, what happened to your arm? I hope it's nothing to serious.
> Great looking load of logs though, that otta make your arm feel better!


I've been having trouble with my right shoulder and went to the clinic here and they gave me a cortisone/steroids shot that didn't work, so went to Billings to the orthopedic specialist Thursday and they say by how I'm acting and my range of motion it's either bone spurs or my rotator cuff. They're setting up an MRI for this coming week.
I've researched them both a bit and I'm hoping on the bone spurs. It's an outpatient procedure, you just have to find a ride home.
They are all sure willing to hand out pain meds though. So far I've refused them because I feel if I don't hurt then I won't stop working.
I'll live, right now I just don't move fast.

Reactions: Like 3 | Sincere 2


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## Blueglass (Jan 24, 2016)

Glad you can handle your pain level. Those pain pills are a trap. I love ash, it is "simple" but the grain really speaks.

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 1


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## Nature Man (Jan 24, 2016)

Best of luck with the MRI, and the follow on treatment. Medical challenges are a hindrance for us WBs. Chuck

Reactions: Agree 2


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## woodtickgreg (Jan 24, 2016)

Wish you all the best Allan, The work we have done all of our lives seems to take it's toll on us as we get older. The knee's are starting to bother me at times. Good on you for trying to avoid the drugs, they are very easy to get addicted to and it happens before you know it, ask me how I know. Nothing but ibuprofen for me now. Pain meds are for after surgery and only for a short time as needed. When your body hurts it's telling you not to do that. Ask Marc about the shoulder thing, he's going through it now. it's no fun I know.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## Kevin (Jan 24, 2016)

WOW! That's a serious score. Olive that big would make some AWESOME furniture.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## winters98 (Jan 24, 2016)

Hope you heal fast Alan. That looks like black ash to me.

Reactions: Like 1


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## justallan (Jan 24, 2016)

Well Brett came down and we finished sawing his share of the logs. I just had to have one of the slabs, so I got this one.
All said and done he ended up with maybe 250 bf. and my logs should net me 400 bf. Yup, I'm pretty happy about this deal.

Reactions: Like 1 | Way Cool 4


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## David Van Asperen (Jan 24, 2016)

The Russian olive that grow around here are no way near that big nor do they have that long of a trunk more on the shrub side. I do know of several that are about 12-15 inches in diameter but only 3-4 feet of trunk before they start to branch out. I still want them but then I want most all trees.


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## justallan (Jan 24, 2016)

I haven't spent much time looking at them on the ranch that I work for, but sure don't remember seeing any this big.
These came off the last ranch that I worked on, 30 miles away and right near the river.


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## Nature Man (Jan 24, 2016)

That's some pretty lumber! Can't have too much!!! Chuck

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Mr. Peet (Jan 24, 2016)

I've been in more of the landscape trade when dealing with Russian olive and never was lucky enough to see and hold planks of that stature. Great score. I looked years ago to find if there are forest / timber phenotypes available in the USA and found nothing. Saw something for Italy but never followed up on it.

As for the second picture down in your first post, is that the one you called ash? I would need close up pictures. The bark looked like an elm or even Bebb willow.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## justallan (Jan 24, 2016)

@Mr. Peet we have lots of it up here. I believe it was brought in for whatever reason and took over. It's now considered an invasive species.
The pics 2-5 are the log that we aren't sure about. I considered elm because of it being straight, the bark and the smell, but ash doesn't smell real pretty around here either. Maybe one grew straight


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## Mr. Peet (Jan 24, 2016)

Allan, ash also typically has more sapwood proportionally than heartwood, elm just the opposite. Is it a hard / dense wood? Elm has those wavy bands between the growth rings, ash does not.


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## justallan (Jan 24, 2016)

Thank you. One day I'll figure some of this out.
I laugh because I grew up in the log woods, have worked in log mills, planer mills, cut-up mills and done a bunch of construction and if it's not white wood then I'm lost.


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## HomeBody (Jan 25, 2016)

Compared to the ash we have around here, the bark does not look like ash. It's too coarse. Gary

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## woodtickgreg (Jan 25, 2016)

justallan said:


> @Mr. Peet
> The pics 2-5 are the log that we arn't sure about. I considered elm because of it being straight, the bark and the smell,


Really looks like elm to me. I have milled plenty of both. Ash looks more like an oak and the bark isn't as thick as the elms like the ones in your pics.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## justallan (Jan 25, 2016)

It does seem that the ash here do have thinner bark layer, plus this log was pretty straight compared to the ash that I've seen. Add that to what someone said about the thickness of the sapwood and the smell and it's sure looking more like elm by the second.
Whatever it is, it sure is beautiful. Come spring I'll be sawing some of what I know is elm for darned sure.


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## Kevin (Jan 25, 2016)

It does look like elm now that Greg mentioned it. I know it isn't but it also favors catalpa at least on my little phone.


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