Losing our big tree...

[dennishoddy]

The problem with getting the wood to saw mills is the cost of doing so.
We have huge walnuts in our yard. Several years ago, we had a down burst that took out one of them that was 3' in diameter, and 22' to the crotch of the tree. I contacted a local sawmill that is no longer in business about taking the tree. He offered $200 as shipping costs eat up any profit he might have made even with me cutting and hauling. There is no market for wood around here. The market is on the east coast, for furniture manufacturers. One tree isn't enough.
Big walnuts and oaks are in short supply on the east coast because of over harvest, so the furniture people are looking west.
We live along the Arkansas River. Several years ago lumber companies contracted with the land owners around us to buy and harvest their trees. We had cutters and semi's all around us for most of a summer. Some of the Walnuts went to gun stock manufacturers in Missouri, the oaks went to the east coast. They moved down the river all the way to Keystone lake from what I was told.
What they did by removing old growth trees was cause the turkey's that were thick to move on. Their favorite roost trees were cut down and removed.
Just this last fall we started seeing some turkey moving back in.

 

[Shadowrider]

Dennis I've seen walnut in individual boards selling for as high as $350. That's for a 5 or 6/4 thickness x 10 to 12" wide by 8' long. Friggin mesquite is almost as bad and that's like a damn weed in TX and NM!

Just saw a guy selling the floorboards out of old railroad cars for insane prices to the "repurpose" crowd. It really is insane what the high end home builders will pay. The more messed up and rustic it is the more it costs.

Edit: I was referring to a portable sawmill in my suggestion above. There are guys that come to you, if you can find them close enough.

 

[dennishoddy]

Dennis I've seen walnut in individual boards selling for as high as $350. That's for a 5 or 6/4 thickness x 10 to 12" wide by 8' long. Friggin mesquite is almost as bad and that's like a damn weed in TX and NM!

Just saw a guy selling the floorboards out of old railroad cars for insane prices to the "repurpose" crowd. It really is insane what the high end home builders will pay. The more messed up and rustic it is the more it costs.

Edit: I was referring to a portable sawmill in my suggestion above. There are guys that come to you, if you can find them close enough.

Yes, finished walnut is expensive to buy. Our sawmill only had hobby folks in the area for a market. and not that many.
Sales in metro areas are probably higher. I was at a wood store just south of Cattlemans in OKC a couple of years ago. Sheets of burled walnut for overlays were in the atmosphere for pricing.
Blanks for turning could make your wallet shrink, but the individual saw mill like we had here doesn't have the machinery to make blanks for retail sale. It has to be transported to another facility to make that happen.
Since I have so much around the yard, I have lots of walnut cut, split into staves, painted on the ends to prevent splitting, stacked in the barn to season. Some is in 6' lengths, some in 2' lengths.
I mess with a wood lathe on occasion building things to give away to friends like turkey call strikers, etc. Walnut is easy to turn. The stuff I make out of Osage orange is a challenge.

Turkey striker out of Walnut:



Some from persimmon, walnut, and oak.


Each type of wood produces a different pitch on the call.

 

[Shadowrider]

Those look really nice! Try your hand at a bowl now.

 

[dennishoddy]

Those look really nice! Try your hand at a bowl now.

I have no idea how to even start on a bowl. Bought the lathe at an auction. I'm self taught, an probably don't have the tooling to do a bowl.

 

[twoguns?]

Those look really nice! Try your hand at a bowl now.

Hmmm at first look.....jusayin....