ERC heartwood question - Woodworking Talk

jeffreythree · 07-09-2008, 10:45 AM

I was out walking in my woods after a morning of fishing the pond yesterday and found 2 dead standing eastern red cedars 14-16" DBH. How much red heartwood would a cedar of this size have? They were still alive 2 months ago but had their tops busted off from the ice storm this winter. I have been itching to try my ripsaw mill on a real tree, but do not want to take a live one until I have a forestry plan developed.

**TexasTimbers** · 07-09-2008, 10:56 AM

It's hard to say how wide the sapwood is. Hoadley says the pasture queens have more sap than those in the woods. In fact, he used ERC to illustrate it. But my experience has been there is no rhyme or reason.

Since they are dead why not just drop em and see. There will certainly be enough good wood to get some experience.

dirtclod · 07-09-2008, 10:59 AM

I have never found any rhyme or reason to the thickness of sapwood on ERC. Generally it's thinner in crouded conditions. It typically runs from ~0 to 1.25" but sometimes up to 2+"

dirtclod · 07-09-2008, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TexasTimbers

But my experience has been there is no rhyme or reason.

Second time someone read my mind on this forum. Y'all just a bunch of

**TexasTimbers** · 07-09-2008, 11:15 AM

That's scary!

Terry Beeson · 07-09-2008, 02:52 PM

The main reason ERC sapwood thickness is lesser on some trees is due to the amount of dilithium crystals in the flux capacitor...

I'm with Tex on this one. Go ahead and cut 'em and see what you get. Just like Christmas mornin'!!!

jeffreythree · 07-09-2008, 05:50 PM

They will make a good test. 100 feet apart, one very crowded, one in the open, they will let me see what my others may look like. I also have a nice little oak dying near the pond, going to cut it before it can drop something on my head. The pic shows all of the dead standing timber on the left from the rain last year raising the pond level and killing them. The previous owner did some work and forgot most trees do not like wet feet. One was a nice red oak clear to 24' or so that will make a nice critter house

. TexasTimbers, I practically drive by your place every trip I make. My property is off of 82 east of Paris. I could have brought you a few sacks of osage sawdust, if I had known you could use it. The sawyer near me was cutting 100 8' sections and I watched them toss the sawdust in the trash bin while waiting for my turn a while back.

**TexasTimbers** · 07-09-2008, 07:46 PM

Next time you come this way holler. I am less than 15 minutes off your path. Try and give me at least a days warning to make sure we'll be here, and so I can blow the sawdust out of the coffee pot. I only do that for important company.

About that yellow stuff, one mans junk is another mans treasure. It doesn't make me cringe. That stuff grows on trees around here. Now had he tossed a bunch of "big old useless Sycamores" in the fire that would be different.

Keep an eye out for species that are big enough to make 8" - 12" inch quartersawn boards. Don't matter the species hardly. I can use anything that will quarter that big. We can work a deal maybe with the right tree and you coming this way one day.

What was the osage going to be used for, do you know?

jeffreythree · 07-09-2008, 09:30 PM

I do not know what he was using the yellow stuff for. I do know that when I called a month later for a couple of boards it was all gone, and he filled his kiln with about 2000 bdft. He says he can't find any logs right now. On the quartersawing, I still gotta figure out what is going and staying. Juggling forestry, septic systems, and a home site that solar will work at is tough. I've got a lot of big oaks, but most branch pretty low. I have never seen quartered hickory, but I have some pretty big ones. Everything else is to small to quartersaw.

Terry Beeson · 07-09-2008, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TexasTimbers

... so I can blow the sawdust out of the coffee pot.

I add more when company comes... ESPECIALLY important company...

aclose · 07-10-2008, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeffreythree

Juggling forestry, septic systems, and a home site that solar will work at is tough.

sweet. are you building a new house? or shop?

i'd love to look into solar. but at my current location, and since we're considering moving, it doesn't make much sense to shell out the $$$$ for a solar system we'll never see a return on.
maybe at the next place though...

jeffreythree · 07-10-2008, 11:07 AM

Once I figure out where the septic can go I am putting in a solar water well. I thought I was pretty close to power lines, but they would need to come from the back of the property. The utility companies also doubled there line rates to around $7.50 a foot and it looks like I am about 1500 feet away. I am trying to make this place as self sufficient as possible, ie no bills, since I can put the power line money toward something better. A house is probably not gonna happen for a while, too many things above it on the list like a path around the pond for my wife's wheelchair, dock so she can go fishing, and a shed/shop to store some tools and a barbecue at. I want to keep my ag exemption for as long as possible if I am not living there.