# a little walnut logging...



## jimmyjames

http://i178.Rule #2/albums/w249/jimmyjames1981/IMG_20131104_114248_645_zps60e080f7.jpgDid some logging yesterday and this morning, this isn't my families timber but another timber I found. Learning a lot about logging from my friend, got 60 trees out of this patch, mostly lumber logs, not a healthy timber by any means but very tall trees and a lot of board footage

http://i178.Rule #2/albums/w249/jimmyjames1981/IMG_20131104_114021_666_zps98406080.jpg

http://i178.Rule #2/albums/w249/jimmyjames1981/IMG_20131104_114016_872_zps314fbe86.jpg

http://i178.Rule #2/albums/w249/jimmyjames1981/IMG_20131104_114035_409_zps67c5ef23.jpg

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## jimmyjames

One log on the job the entire tree is covevered in what looks like burl pin eyes, if the buyers don't buy the log the landowner says I can have it

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## Mike1950

Looks like some nice lumber.....


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## woodtickgreg

Thanks for sharing this, very cool pics! I always enjoy seeing pics of logs like this. :D


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## rob3232

jimmyjames said:


> One log on the job the entire tree is covevered in what looks like burl pin eyes, if the buyers don't buy the log the landowner says I can have it


Hope you get it. I would like to at least see a picture of it. If it is special maybe you should offer to match or beet the log buyer price? Just a thought..


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## Kevin

Jim looks like a nice logs, but there's also a bunch of small and crooked ones, why are y'all harvesting those? They aren't going to yield enough to be worth the trouble.

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## jimmyjames

Kevin said:


> Jim looks like a nice logs, but there's also a bunch of small and crooked ones, why are y'all harvesting those? They aren't going to yield enough to be worth the trouble.


The small ones are cutoffs from the tops of the mark


Kevin said:


> Jim looks like a nice logs, but there's also a bunch of small and crooked ones, why are y'all harvesting those? They aren't going to yield enough to be worth the trouble.



Those small pieces are cutoffs from the tops of the trees, drag them out whole and cut them down to length, the buyer from Minnesota takes them down to 10". The walnut log market is dry right now and they are taking all they can get, also they are buying veneer 3 face down to 12" as well. If the timber wasn't getting dozed the smaller ones would have stayed, the rest of the trees are getting knocked over and chipped in a 24" Vermeer chipper as we speak


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## jimmyjames

And the ones that don't get bought are coming home with me, I've got a project that uses fat sapwood small 8-10" pieces


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## jimmyjames

And like I said earlier this is a small timber with few trees, just wait till you see the other timber pile, almost all of the trees are a minimum 3 face veneer, many are 4 face center pith.


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## jimmyjames

Hey guys, been pretty busy lately gathering logs, still haven't got to my families timber yet, doing another timber down the road.



Here's a big fatty veneer log, should cut a 29" 4 face venner at 12'6" and a 3 face at 10'.http://i178.Rule #2/albums/w249/jimmyjames1981/IMG_20131115_114735_291_zps9346e3d5.jpg

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## jimmyjames

http://i178.Rule #2/albums/w249/jimmyjames1981/IMG_20131115_102020_290_zpsb0f38665.jpgA bunch more veneer

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## jimmyjames

http://i178.Rule #2/albums/w249/jimmyjames1981/IMG_20131115_102044_561_zpsb6f65017.jpg

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## jimmyjames

Taking this one tomorrow, getting this root burl

http://i178.Rule #2/albums/w249/jimmyjames1981/IMG_20131110_120922_630_zpse96122b9.jpg

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## jimmyjames

32" monster veneer

http://i178.Rule #2/albums/w249/jimmyjames1981/IMG_20131109_171021_263_zpsd76c85b7.jpg

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## Kevin

Nice ones Jim. I don't know hardly anything about the veneer industry, but don't you mean 4 face to 10' and 3 face to 12'6"?


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## jimmyjames

No, the log is 24' long, after trimming and cutting that's what the logs will be. The skid steer in the picture is a t300 bobcat, makes it look a little small, the log is straight and long enough to yield 2 veneer logs


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## woodtickgreg

Excuse my ignorance, but aren't veneer logs supposed to be straight and knot free? I see some are and some not so much. I don't really know that's why I'm asking. I would just love to get my saw into those, I love the smell of walnut. LOL Do they rotary slice those for veneer or just slice em.


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## jimmyjames

The logs in the photo still need cut, usually just the but log is veneer and then lumber on top of that. You can have defects on a face of a face of a veneer log its just a lower grade

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## barry richardson

jimmyjames said:


> The small ones are cutoffs from the tops of the mark
> 
> 
> Those small pieces are cutoffs from the tops of the trees, drag them out whole and cut them down to length, the buyer from Minnesota takes them down to 10". The walnut log market is dry right now and they are taking all they can get, also they are buying veneer 3 face down to 12" as well. If the timber wasn't getting dozed the smaller ones would have stayed, the rest of the trees are getting knocked over and chipped in a 24" Vermeer chipper as we speak


 Nice logs! Interesting you mention the log market being dry. I assume your talking about the log inventory. A friend of mine is starting a big project using walnut, and he went to the two big lumber yards that supply cabinet shops here in town, one was completely out of walnut, and the other had very little, wonder what's causing the scarcity/demand?


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## jimmyjames

http://i178.Rule #2/albums/w249/jimmyjames1981/IMG_20131115_102714_646_zps4f7511e8.jpg

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## jimmyjames

http://i178.Rule #2/albums/w249/jimmyjames1981/IMG_20131115_102722_523_zps17a0585d.jpg


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## NYWoodturner

Man there are a thousand really nice turning blanks laying around out there and potential in your cut off to get to veneer logs... Just sayin


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## HomeBody

barry richardson said:


> Nice logs! Interesting you mention the log market being dry. I assume your talking about the log inventory. A friend of mine is starting a big project using walnut, and he went to the two big lumber yards that supply cabinet shops here in town, one was completely out of walnut, and the other had very little, wonder what's causing the scarcity/demand?


 
jimmyjames, you're not selling those logs to the Chinese, are you?Gary


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## woodtickgreg

Some parts of the country the walnut tree's are diseased and dying off. I think it's called thousand cankers disease. This might be causing a shortage in some areas. Kinda like what has happened to the ash tree's around here in the midwest and great lakes areas.

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## jimmyjames

No I don't sell them directly to the Chinese, but the Chinese are responsible for the price of veneer logs to be up to $20 a board foot in log form.....


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## jimmyjames

Another batch

http://i178.Rule #2/albums/w249/jimmyjames1981/IMG_20131116_114857_727_zps0ef47134.jpg

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## jimmyjames

http://i178.Rule #2/albums/w249/jimmyjames1981/IMG_20131116_114900_769_zpsc5c2146e.jpg

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## Kevin

Some of those look like they might produce AAA veneer. Nice logs for sure.


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## elnino

what are you doing with all the cutoffs and such? I see the amazing logs but none of the trash/bowl sized stuff?


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## Kevin

I see plenty of non veneer grade sections on those logs. There should be no shortage of lumber grade and turning stock.


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## woodtickgreg

elnino said:


> what are you doing with all the cutoffs and such? I see the amazing logs but none of the trash/bowl sized stuff?


Yeah! What he said!I think many of us have dreams of a pile of walnut logs like that. I saw piles of maple at ducks place, we took care of a few of those.

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## HomeBody

Not much different now than it was 80 yrs. ago. Reminds me of these old pics I found. They were marked "North Carolina, 1931". Nice walnuts, then and now. Gary

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## jimmyjames

the next victim.... 35" monster
http://i178.Rule #2/albums/w249/jimmyjames1981/IMG_20131116_143942_133_zps13a829a8.jpg

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## jimmyjames

Kevin said:


> I see plenty of non veneer grade sections on those logs. There should be no shortage of lumber grade and turning stock.



Yep, alot of the tops are all lumber logs , i have brought 7-7ton dump trailer loads of crotches and cutoffs home so far, a bunch or burls mixed in the loads as well, need to go really early tomorrow and seal them with anchorseal. Havent got the cottonwood burl yet, starting that timber probably tuesday, i couldnt reach it to cut it off last week when i was there, will need to stand on the skid loader bucket to i can reach it.

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## woodtickgreg

jimmyjames said:


> the next victim.... 35" monster
> http://i178.Rule #2/albums/w249/jimmyjames1981/IMG_20131116_143942_133_zps13a829a8.jpg


that's not how you schwartz em! LOL.

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## Kevin

woodtickgreg said:


> that's not how you schwartz em! LOL.



If you're big enough it is.


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## gvwp

That 32" Walnut is a BEAUTY! Wish we had more of those around here. We continue to have Walnut supply issues here. For lumber anyway. We have not been able to get enough Walnut logs through the mill to make lumber because our turning stock and thin stock demand takes most of the larger logs. We can't afford to cut what nice logs come in into lumber because the turning and thin stock are worth much more than the lumber that would come from the same logs. Hard to find land owners with a good large Walnut stand that will sell the standing timber for a reasonable price.

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## Kevin

gvwp said:


> That 32" Walnut is a BEAUTY! Wish we had more of those around here. We continue to have Walnut supply issues here. For lumber anyway. We have not been able to get enough Walnut logs through the mill to make lumber because our turning stock and thin stock demand takes most of the larger logs. We can't afford to cut what nice logs come in into lumber because the turning and thin stock are worth much more than the lumber that would come from the same logs. Hard to find land owners with a good large Walnut stand that will sell the standing timber for a reasonable price.



Well described David. I discovered FBE because I was looking for walnut. I quit logging the walnut when I discovered the FBE. But if the walnut market keeps growing like it is I might just quit walking past them to get to the FBE, and start throwing a few of them on the cart too. Turning blanks are definitely hot right now.

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## jimmyjames

Yes its definitely hard to find walnut trees that are reasonably priced, a lot of the timbers around here have been clear cut of all the walnut trees, happened probably 10-15 years ago, loggers were taking g everything down to 6"..... one timber we did take down to 12" but that timber is now in a ravine via bulldozer..... in the last 3 weeks I've walked 127.3 miles walking timber(using GPS tracker) to find the big ones 30" + I walk by probably 1000 12" trees....


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## jimmyjames

Also the initial thought was too get walnut logs for myself but.. the prices the mills are paying for walnut logs it would be impossible for me to mill them into lumber and make any money at all.


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## gvwp

Kevin said:


> Well described David. I discovered FBE because I was looking for walnut. I quit logging the walnut when I discovered the FBE. But if the walnut market keeps growing like it is I might just quit walking past them to get to the FBE, and start throwing a few of them on the cart too. Turning blanks are definitely hot right now.


 
That's usually how it works Kevin. You find a jewel when looking for something else. We have a good inventory of Walnut in all sizes of turning and bowl blanks but could use a bit more of good Boxelder. I would pass by smaller Walnut to get to the FBE if they were in the woods as well. LOL.

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## gvwp

jimmyjames said:


> Also the initial thought was too get walnut logs for myself but.. the prices the mills are paying for walnut logs it would be impossible for me to mill them into lumber and make any money at all.


 
Yes I agree. Our mill included. For large (20"+) 4SC Walnut logs with light sap we are paying between $2 and $5bf but we do not process veneer. Makes if very difficult to make regular lumber from these logs.


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## Kevin

gvwp said:


> That's usually how it works Kevin. You find a jewel when looking for something else. We have a good inventory of Walnut in all sizes of turning and bowl blanks but could use a bit more of good Boxelder. I would pass by smaller Walnut to get to the FBE if they were in the woods as well. LOL.



I have not forgotten your request David. It's just that I have about 7 pallets in front of you, 2 on the dock, and I am out of logs. Good news is the weather looks good enough for a while I can probably get enough logs in the next 2 harvests to get the pallet orders caught up. Don't give up on me.

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## Kevin

Regarding the logging market I need a full time logger and sawyer as it stands, and the Chinese have not yet discovered FBE - just imagine what would happen to my little forest if they did and the market actually corrected to compensate for it the way other markets have due to their pressure. I'd be getting insane money for it. Instant retire kind of money.

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## gvwp

Kevin said:


> I have not forgotten your request David. It's just that I have about 7 pallets in front of you, 2 on the dock, and I am out of logs. Good news is the weather looks good enough for a while I can probably get enough logs in the next 2 harvests to get the pallet orders caught up. Don't give up on me.


 
No problem Kevin. I know you will let me know so no worries.

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## sprucegum

I visited a veneer mill many years ago. They can make veneer from less than clear wood. It is cut off the log in a endless sheet like unrolling a roll of paper towels so each defect shows up once in each revolution of the log. In the mill I went to a worker put marks each side of the defect and a big shear knife automatically cut on each mark. Other workers sorted and assembled the pieces to be glued and pressed into sheets of plywood, the defective sheets went on the back or were used as filler layers. There is a buy yard near me that buys veneer logs the more defects the lower the price a top grade veneer log will bring a very high price while a lower grade log may not even bring saw log price.


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## jimmyjames

The log buyer that bought these runs a flat cutting machine at his operation, the log is cut in half and the can't is clamped to a sliding apparatus and passes the log past a knife

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## Kevin

That's called a rotary slicer Dave and you're right they can get stuff between knot holes etc. but my understanding is they pay more than grade for such logs but not much. They have a slang name for logs like that but I can't remember what it is. Those rotary slicers are impressive.


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