Got my sawmill up and running!!! TIME TO MILL!!!

[HawkinsHollow]

Air dried lumber is perfectly suitable for use providing it’s correctly dried. It does take awhile.

For interior use? Maybe in New Mexico where there in low humidity and fewer moisture loving bugs. And that is still a maybe.

 

[jyoutz]

For interior use? Maybe in New Mexico where there in low humidity and fewer moisture loving bugs. And that is still a maybe.

Bark beetles are found in the cambium area between the wood and bark and are stripped off when the log is debarked. Wood borers are typically found in recently dead trees, not green trees that are felled, debarked, and milled. The process of drying wood makes them not suitable hosts for insects. Green wood has been successfully air dried for centuries in humid climates when the boards are properly stickered and kept under roof with good air circulation.

Air drying of lumber. | US Forest Service Research and Development

research.fs.usda.gov

 

[jyoutz]

For interior use? Maybe in New Mexico where there in low humidity and fewer moisture loving bugs. And that is still a maybe.

And some more references:

Air- and shed-drying lumber

Learn how to properly air-dry lumber for better wood performance. This article covers stack orientation, layout, proper stacking, drying rate control and measuring moisture content.

extension.oregonstate.edu

Air-drying Hardwood Lumber | MU Extension

Air-drying hardwood lumber enhances stability, reduces weight, and increases strength. Proper stacking and exposure are key for effective drying.

extension.missouri.edu

Air Drying Lumber from Your Own Forest

Using lumber from trees on your own property is a goal for many landowners. This article will explain if air drying the lumber is the right choice to meet your needs.

extension.psu.edu

And a good USDA book that addresses everything:

Amazon.com

 

[HawkinsHollow]

Well I am not taking any chances, nor do I have the time to air dry this round, so I will have it kiln dried. I hope to have a solar kiln built by the summer and I will no longer have to transport it to the kiln.

 

[Jstpssng]

To paraphrase another TBN member's signature;

When you have a sawmill, everything looks like a board.

 

[kenmbz]

I only have a chainsaw sawmill, but it's done quite a few slabs for benches and tables.
Good luck with that mill, looks great!

 

[part-time-Farmer-NC]

What fun you have ahead of you! While we never owned a mill my FIL and I have cut some trees and had the sawyer come out and cut what we dropped. The biggest was about 25" dia they sure get heavy fast, luckily the kioti made that part easy. While it was mostly pine we did get some cedar logs cut up too. Air dried them all. The pine ended up on the outside of a tractor shelter that got detroyed about a month later during a wind shear storm. But the cedar made it to the house. It's in my den (FIL old house, built in 1940). I almost always look at it and think of him, his perseverance and that the wood came from this farm.

BIL had an almost 30" black walnut tree blown over. I cut it into logs and took to the sawyer. He made some beautiful slabs that I put in a cement floor shed to dry. My plan is to use that one day to make "stuff". I did turn my first bowl down of black walnut and cedar. That turned out real nice I think. Pics below for that.

This is a picture of the cedar boards on my den wall.

 

[HawkinsHollow]

What fun you have ahead of you! While we never owned a mill my FIL and I have cut some trees and had the sawyer come out and cut what we dropped. The biggest was about 25" dia they sure get heavy fast, luckily the kioti made that part easy. While it was mostly pine we did get some cedar logs cut up too. Air dried them all. The pine ended up on the outside of a tractor shelter that got detroyed about a month later during a wind shear storm. But the cedar made it to the house. It's in my den (FIL old house, built in 1940). I almost always look at it and think of him, his perseverance and that the wood came from this farm.

BIL had an almost 30" black walnut tree blown over. I cut it into logs and took to the sawyer. He made some beautiful slabs that I put in a cement floor shed to dry. My plan is to use that one day to make "stuff". I did turn my first bowl down of black walnut and cedar. That turned out real nice I think. Pics below for that.

This is a picture of the cedar boards on my den wall.

What wonderful memories!! That is some amazing work you have there, gorgeous!! Some day when I have more time I would LOVE to get into woodturning. I really appreciate how woodturning produces a product that is the perfect combination of beauty and function. So cool!!

 

[oosik]

I'm in the same position as Eddie -post #14. And brother - do I ever have the pine trees. All the way up to 40" on the butt.

My 80 acres was part of a 160 acre homestead. 160 acres - divided between two brothers. The old homesteader here - John Martin - built four buildings out of rough sawn pine. Two of the four were still standing when we move onto the property y 1982.

One day a man appeared in his pickup. It was time for my mid-morning break from house construction. So I climbed down and we talked.

He wanted to purchase all the old rough sawn lumber from the two remaining buildings. He was going to clean it all up - use it in the den on one of the UBER expensive homes he was constructing in Spokane. We struck a deal and that is where the two old homestead buildings went.

 

[part-time-Farmer-NC]

I'm in the same position as Eddie -post #14. And brother - do I ever have the pine trees. All the way up to 40" on the butt.

My 80 acres was part of a 160 acre homestead. 160 acres - divided between two brothers. The old homesteader here - John Martin - built four buildings out of rough sawn pine. Two of the four were still standing when we move onto the property y 1982.

One day a man appeared in his pickup. It was time for my mid-morning break from house construction. So I climbed down and we talked.

He wanted to purchase all the old rough sawn lumber from the two remaining buildings. He was going to clean it all up - use it in the den on one of the UBER expensive homes he was constructing in Spokane. We struck a deal and that is where the two old homestead buildings went.

Glad you allowed them to recycle it.

My FIL had taken down many an old house and reclaimed the wood. I was just grunt labor he built barns/shelters that have been standing an additional 40-45 years.