9 8 6 11 4 10 5 2 7 1 3 12 Less common gems Here are just some of the woods I harvest around the Joplin, Missouri area. The samples include 1. catalpa, 2. sassafras, 3. sweetgum, 4. spalted sycamore, 5. mimosa 6. Osage orange, 7. quartersawn sycamore, 8. hickory, 9. honey locust, 10. walnut, 11. quartersawn black oak, and 12. mulberry. well as less common gems–what teaming up with a sawyer to mine impressive ray-fleck I call “backyard exotics.” (See (as I do here working with figure, or slab the crotch wood “Less Common Gems”, above) For Joplin, Missouri, homeowner in a walnut for a stunning maythose have of you all whothe woodworking have a variety of T. J. Palmer, M.D) makes sense accent table. Perhaps granddad trees growing on your land, you and is the safest way to go. itsplanted wood a into tree an a halfheirloom century By working with a sawyer, ago and you want to transform woods you’ll ever need. All you you can determine how you lack is the equipment and know- quartersawwant to slice a the white wood oak for log bowl or furniture piece in his Harvesting how to transform the resource best effect. You may want to memory. The reasons abound for into usable stock. That’s why harvesting home-grown woods. Identifying suitable trees with natural edges that • What to avoid Backyard Exotics : Trees that There’s no place like home for a bonanza of beautiful woods. Start by finding a suitable make interesting benches, branch out low make poor saw •candidate Size for harvesting, bar tops, and accent logs. If the tree has been dead, By Dave Boyt keeping these pointers in mind: • Speciestables. Crotchesand identification can yield it may have rot or be hollow. : Most portable sawmills spectacular feathered grain. Consider the tree’s origin can handle logs between 10" : (urban vs. forest.) Urban trees Imagine walking into a lumber and 30" in diameter, but a Most sawyers know the are notorious for containing dealer’s show room and having few will cut logs outside that local species, but all bets are metal. Scan suspect logs with next project, all with matching If your property or neighborhood • Formrange. The ideal log length off with ornamental trees, a metal detector. They could grain and color. Just down the has a stand of trees, you may runs between 8'4" and 12'4". onwhich the mayAudobon come Society from half- Field have fence wire, nails, or first choice of all the best aisle you encounter stacks of be wood-rich…maybe super rich. : Straight logs give the Guideway around to North the American world. Rely even a steel post embedded. material–wide slabs of walnut, beautiful boards of exotic native Often times (depending on best yield if you are looking Trees Finally, don’t mill branches, quartersawn sycamore, and species you’ve never seen before. where you live) urban, suburban, for straight boards. Curved even if they’re big and cherry planks milled to exactly Imagine all of this for less than and acreage yard trees include logs can be cut lengthwise as a reference for straight. They contain stress the26 rightwoodcraftmagazine.com thickness for your Oct/Nov 201475¢ per board foot! the usual oak, maple, and ash, as Photos:to Markproduce Neuenschwander curved slabs identifying native species. Oct/Nov 2014and maywoodcraftmagazine.com warp beyond use. 27 Sawmill Options Do-it-yourself you when harvesting the chainsaw mill blade (around $30 for a bandsaw Several choices lay before blade) if they strike metal. Keep the logs clean. Dragging Haulingbounty of backyardyour logs woods: If you decide to Photomill your B them on the ground crams to the sawmill own logs, consider a dirt in the bark, which is chainsaw mill ( ). hard on bandsaw blades. Lift The minimum size saw the logs and carry them, if saveIf you some just havemoney a few by bringing logs and recommended is 70 cubic possible. Even lifting one end a way to move them, you can barcentimeters needs to (c.c.s.),be longer but than most the while moving them helps. It’s mills run saws over 100 c.c.s. The easier on your yard, too. deliverthem to the the logs mill. and I schedule return homea log Most sawyers charge from drop-off so that the customer can widest diameter you will cut, and 30¢ to 50¢ per board foot, you need a special ripping chain. A thewhich most works reasonable well for way straight to with the boards all in one trip. Add to this the safety gear (chaps, B Brush on a thick coat of latex paint or Anchorseal 2 (Woodcraft #150809, logs. Charging by the hour is Just loading the log on a helmet, and steel-toe boots), and Use a chainsaw mill to slice up a $24.50/gallon) to seal the ends of logs and prevent end-grain checking. trailer can be a wrestling match, you have a significant investment few logs or logs in heavily wooded deal with specialty cuts such involving winches, ramps, and (about $1,700). Many people use areas that are hard to get to Finding trees as crotches, short pieces, and other equipment. And you’ll chainsaw mills to cut logs where with a portable bandsaw mill. quartersawing, since they need straps. Heavy ratchet they find them, which lets them case, avoid doing it yourself require more handling. The straps used by truckers are Workingmove the log with one boarda at a time. Make sure you really want with a chainsaw. There are average rate is around $60/ great. Hauling logs and lumber shop bandsaw to remove the tree for too many risks. Tree services hour. Other charges may include puts a serious responsibility through at a steady pace. One woodworking stock. I would can be expensive, but they transportation and setup fees on you. Make sure your vehicle way is to pass a manageable log never recommend an urban tree earn their pay! Tell them if the sawyer brings the mill to has adequate towing capacity logsBandsaws. of 1.5 hp or more over the jointer to get a good be cut down just so to make what you wantPhoto done. OnceA the you. Still, you should beat the and that the trailer is rated for can be used for milling small flat side, and then use the fence something out of it. Still, if you tree is cut into usable logs, 75¢ per board foot cited earlier. the weight of your logs. On the I recommend a 1” wide on the bandsaw to cut yourPhoto have a dead or dying tree, or one Findingseal the ends a sawmill ( ). If the customer is willing, return trip, be sure the load is resaw blade with 3 teeth per Cboards. If you mill regularly, that otherwise needs removal, I’ll put him or her to work off- securely strapped down and inch, though 1.5 to 2 teeth per make a right-angle sled ( why not make the most of it? bearing the boards. I generally that the straps put pressure inch would work well for more ). Secure the log with screws Beyond your property line, There are thousands of portable enjoy having the customer Haveevenly aacross portable the boards. powerful saws. The key is to use through the sled’s fence and akeep neighbor’s an eye opendoor forto ask trees about and custom sawmills across the work with me, especially when mill come to you a sharp blade, and to feed the log into the log’s waste area.I marked for removal. Knock on country. Do a web search for cutting unusual wood, because those in your area. The state we can discuss the various a tree. Sweeten the deal by forest products association, possibilities. Some sawmill If you don’t have a safe way offering the owner a bowl or Department of Conservation, operators have strict rules to haul logs and lumber, find thoseother piecewho burn made wood from in the their wood. and SawmillFinder.com about what a customer can do someone with aXX portable I’ve offered split firewood to Arrangingare good resources. for milling because of liability issues. sawmill to come to you as To get the most out of your shown on page . To help the fireplace. Because you’ll have logs, know ahead of time what sawyer’s job go smoothly, pile to haul the logs home, don’t bite When you talk to a sawyer, you want as an end product. up or line up the logs on level Fellingoff more thantrees you can chew. describe the size and number The sawyer will cut accordingly, ground to give him plenty of of logs accurately. Be up front accounting for shrinkage as area to work in–at least a 30' about them coming from a yard. the wood dries, and the loss square. Provide logs for blocking Leave the hazardous business Many sawmills will refuse to of wood from planing. If you and 1 x1" stickers to air-dry the of felling a tree to a bonded and cut yard trees because of the have a specific project in mind, sawn boards. Stage the logs so C insured tree service with the high probability of hitting nails make a cut list and let the that the sawyer cuts the best Run the log-bearing sled along the saw’s fence (or a clamped-on right equipment to do the job and other embedded metal. sawyer decide the most efficient ones first.