Which trees are useful?

[marhar]

0,000 black locust trees. No thorns on the trunks. Just smaller ones on the branches. Never

The old times used to say that locust would last 100 years longer than stone when placed on the ground. Of course that was an exaggeration but here is a link that discusses how long the wood will last. The article state the that poles made from locust and they have lasted 150 years and are still standing.

Why Black Locust Wood is a Superior Rot-Resistant Alternative to Treated Lumber

Black locust wood is naturally rot-resistant, durable, and insect-repelling, making it a superior, eco-friendly alternative to chemically treated lumber for fencing, decking, and outdoor structures.

www.treeplantation.com

 

[CH4Ohio]

Agree. Friends and family near my place are interested in having me mill logs they supply. For that I will ask them how they want it and mill accordingly. (They know that I am new at this and that they very well may not end up with what they asked for.)

We have a lot of red cedar around here. It is popular for cedar chests. My daughter wants to line one of her clothes closets with it.

I am mostly asking about gum and poplar and sycamore because we have a lot of it. Especially gum. We never even used it for firewood growing up.

I also heard someone say that water oak was not that useful. They did not say why.

We have lots of white oaks too but I prefer not to cut them down. But in the last three years we have had at least three good sized white oak blow downs.

Board fence, like horse fence, is almost always poplar around here and in parts of KY. Poplar was sought after for barn siding down home in eastern KY and my relatives used to saw poplar mainly for that purpose. It doesn't have a lot of colorful grain, but it's a stable hardwood despite being much lighter than oak and maple. As you're aware, grows nice and straight too. There's a lot of demand for poplar.

 

[N80]

Honey locust... if you can get past the thorns.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey_locust#Uses

We have about 10,000 black locust trees. No thorns on the trunks. Just smaller ones on the branches. Never had a punctured tire from those. Extremely heavy dense wood. Great for fence poles and firewood, too.

Found an interesting comparison between the two.

Honey Locust vs. Black Locust

As you work on various projects around your home, you will become more and more familiar with the various materials that are available for each …

www.h2ouse.org

Good article. Overall they seem pretty close.

 

[N80]

Also, it's not even a poplar. Just called that.

Yes, what we have is tulip poplar. Very common. Often way bigger than I can use on my little mill. But I have them at all stages from mature to seedling.

 

[N80]

I don't know which I envy most,someone with spare time and energy to log and mill lumber to give away or those that recieve free lumber. I don't have time and energy to meet daily obligations or find people willing to work for wages,much less free.

This mill is owned by two people so that alone amy help it get more use. I don't think my son-in-law will be giving away any lumber. And my intentions to give away lumber might be pie-in-the-sky. It will depend on my time, what blows down and/or what people bring me. And as everyone told me before I bought it, it is a lot of work. But I enjoy it. So we'll see.

The energy is there but as you say, time can be a problem. I won't get back down to the mill for another 3 weeks. So brand new toy is just sitting in the shed doing nothing.

 

[plowhog]

And my intentions to give away lumber might be pie-in-the-sky.

I just gave away a nice madrone slab. The person receiving it can do much better wood work than I will ever be able to do.

Remember, if the diameter is too large, you can quarter saw the log and still mill it.

 

[N80]

Remember, if the diameter is too large, you can quarter saw the log and still mill it.

Can you explain? I understand the general principle of quarter sawing but in regard to this process do you mean splitting with a chainsaw before loading it onto the mill?

 

[plowhog]

splitting with a chainsaw before loading it onto the mill?

I've had to do that with a few larger logs, yes.

 

[yanmars]

Quarter sawn sycamore is beautiful and a good wood to work with.

 

[N80]

Quarter sawn sycamore is beautiful and a good wood to work with.

Good to know. They don't seem to blow down much but we have quite a few of them in the creek bottom.