Anyone here a woodworker or have some experience milling logs? Need some advice.

[flashpuppy]

I have a Maple I have been thinking about cutting. The Missus would like a kitchen table from it.

How does a log that is this burled mill out? Do the slabs look good? I have heard there is actually money in burls but I am skeptical. Is there some value in a tree like this?

 

[Steppenwolfe]

Do you know what kind of Maple you have? Silver or Red Maple aren't worth much. Sugar Maple, maybe if it is curly or birdseye.

 

[flashpuppy]

Do you know what kind of Maple you have? Silver or Red Maple aren't worth much. Sugar Maple, maybe if it is curly or birdseye.

I think it is a Red maple, but I am not positive. I will try to get down to it tomorrow with a field guide and see if I can ID it for sure.

 

[Diggin It]

Bigger issue is if it's solid all through or partially bug eaten.

 

[flashpuppy]

Bigger issue is if it's solid all through or partially bug eaten.

I actually believe this one is totally solid. I have a couple more that look similar to this one. One of them is missing half the trunk, another is fairly hollow. This one seems to be solid and definitely looked healthy last fall.

 

[ustmd]

Are you thinking of selling it? I doubt you would get much for it. Most birds eye maple goes for $4-5/bf retail. IN the raw like that, you would be lucky to get $0.50/bf.

 

[bunyip]

If you do slab it you should rip it into about 6-8" strips and reverse alernate strips and join to prevent bowing.
A solid top is almost guaranteed to bow as humidity increases and decreases.
I have made benchtops this way and biscuit join and glue with titebond although there other good glues.
Don't like ordinary PVA as it creeps so stay with a good cross linked 'yellow' glue.

 

[CobyRupert]

Are you asking about how do the burls effect the grain? I’ve never cut a board from a tree with them, but my understanding is they are a surface bark thing, an outgrowth. I’d be surprised if the boards from the center would show they existed. Maybe somebody knows better.

 

[Stimw]

Here is a site that will have any and all the information you need.-
Forestryforum.com
You can even find a local to saw it for you.

 

[Jstpssng]

To me that looks like a silver maple Silver Maple - Acer saccharinum Looking at the picture I don't think that you would have much luck . Looking at the picture I don't think that you would have much luck getting lumber out of it, but I could be wrong.

 

[bunyip]

Woodturners would kill for those burls, if it is solid take off a big slice to get the burls and sell them individually.

 

[Fossil Farm]

You won't know what you have until you cut it down. Then you will know the condition
of the log. Being maple (and it does look like a silver), some of the burls could be hollow.
You also have several branches low in the log which might require an epoxy fill, again
depending on how solid it is after sawing. A slab could look beautiful, or it could look
hideous. You just won't know until it is cut. Personal preference will determine a lot
of it. Some people like refined boards, some like rustic. Be sure to paint the ends to
reduce checking if you decide to keep the lumber for future use. Some people
wonder why logging companies pay kinda low for trees. Because they take
all the risk until it is felled and sawn into useable lumber. Good luck.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I milled a maple that looked much like that, and it was some pretty neat looking stuff...

I'm sure it has some value, but like was said, you won't know that until you cut it down and mill it!

SR

 

[flashpuppy]

I milled a maple that looked much like that, and it was some pretty neat looking stuff...

I'm sure it has some value, but like was said, you won't know that until you cut it down and mill it!

SR

Got any pictures? I am super curious what it would look like.

 

[npalen]

burled maple | eBay

This is an Ebay search listing by highest price first. You can relist it with lowest price first also to get a range for what the burled pieces sell for.
As Bunyip mentioned above, woodturners would kill for the burled knots. Well, maybe not kill but they might get down on their knees and beg.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Got any pictures? I am super curious what it would look like.

You won't know what the pictured tree will look like UNTIL it get's opened. NO two tree's look alike,

SR

 

[dougtrr2]

You may have trouble finding someone to mill it. Since it is not deep in a forest the sawyer may consider it a "yard" tree and not want to take the chance of hitting metal.

Doug in SW IA

 

[forgeblast]

The burls are like an infection that cause the grain to go haywire and they looke awesome in bowls or in knife handles. Like others have said, slab it and see what you have, if your looking for a sawyer forestry forum can put you in touch with a portable sawyer. But if its a lawn tree, be prepared to pay more. There may be metal in there and if they find it your paying for their blade too. Chain saw mill is work, just get a ripping chain.

 

[oosik]

Way back, when I was much younger - we built a log cabin in AK. We had massive spruce. Used an Alaskan Mill to two side the logs. I cut long 4" thick slabs out of one trunk. Used for tables & benches in the cabin. Cheap, slow way to mill lumber. But for this limited use - it was just the thing.

 

[EddieWalker]

I've found that "people" have all sorts of wild ideas of what something is "worth" without every actually trying to sell what they are so "knowledgeable" about. When I bought my land, I heard from just about everyone that I know in how much money I could make off of the different trees on my land. Pines where worth so much, but then all the hardwoods are worth so much more. I spoke to a couple dozen loggers and never had a single one come out to my place. Nobody was interested unless they could do it their way, and I think a big issue was that I live on the land. That seemed to be the biggest deal killer. I then went to three places that buy logs and got prices from them if I brought the logs to them. They did not want pines, but would accept hardwoods if they where big enough to make railroad ties. Big demand for them, but not worth the effort for what they pay.

Then I went to a guy who advertised on Craigs List who wanted to buy trees so he could mill them up and sell the wood. Again, it wasn't worth the effort for me to deal with him. I know of 4 other guys milling logs into lumber, beams and mantles. To me, they are selling the cut wood so cheap that it's not worth the effort to sell them logs. I base this on what I make going to work, and what I would make taking the time to cut down and haul the logs to them, and then the time it takes to come home. I figured that when it was all said and done, I would make less then $10 an hour, and that's if nothing broke down, got damaged or created other issues.

I found the same to be true with selling firewood. There just isn't any money in it after you factor in all the time it takes to get it ready to sell.