Sycamore take down.

[frets1]

2 hours ago, CDMR said:

Whereabouts is it? I have a chainsaw mill that could do with some exercise if it's not too far and I am not a million miles from Steve.

It's in Northamptonshire. Unfortunately in a large private estate. Whatever my ideas, thoughts about lots of amazing timber they have, it's theirs. Mostly reduced to firewood. 

If I get one which I get to keep, I'll try and keep you posted. Some customers these days don't want hard wood logs. Not many!!

[billpierce]

Maybe it's a case of being proactive, tell the local lads what you need so they see milling as viable and with a market available.
 
Most of the stuff I've milled and others have that I know about, is still stacked in sheds cos no-one wants it or are prepared to pay for it.
 
I'd love to see better utilisation of timber, rather than firewood, but until there's a sustainable profitable market available I don't think it's going to happen. 

More worth milling stuff if you are going to use it yourself. But any spare bits I have seems to get sold eventually, just sold some 40'' wide beech I milled 5 years ago to a cafe. You ever let anyone know you have sheds of boards?

[Gary Prentice]

I wasn't involved in the marketing at the time Bill, (it was a long time ago). 

 

to stand by my post, as a lot on here have said the same as you, 'personal use' seems to be the biggest consumer.

[Mick Dempsey]

Thing is for most of us who cut trees down, getting off the job with a chèque in our pockets and a song in our hearts is much better than trying to organise a third party to come and get the wood (who often let us down) for usually little or no financial gain for us.

 

That’s the bones of it.

 

 

[sime42]

That's one large sycamore. Must have been some age. I don't suppose you counted the rings?
Is the wood traditionally used for butchers blocks? I didn't know that. I assumed it would be beech.
I've read that sycamore was often used for kitchen utensils. On account of not tainting the food, being stain resistant, straight grained and easy to carve. I used it to make a large spatula, it worked well for that.

[flatyre]

Its interesting that you have trouble shifting milled timber, I live a couple of miles from a small timber yard who started Alaskan milling just a couple of years ago, they now buy up every piece of decent sized timber they can get, mill it, send it away for kiln drying, make bespoke furniture and stuff out of the random wood, and the rest is sold to kitchen manufacturers, bar/restaurant fitters etc. They sell the wood as quick as they can mill it.

I decided to get into the log sales last year and offered other tree firms to take away any decent wood free of charge, and any decent stems as I wanted to do a bit of hobby milling. Problem is the guys cutting the tree down don't have time to think about where to cut to maximise the amount of usable timber etc, they just want it down asap. Then you have the problem of having to take a lot of crap wood that's of little value, then there are timing issues, any delays from either party means an irate customer with a garden full of arb waste. Also can the firm who took the initial job on (and therefore responsible for clearing up) trust the firm doing the milling to leave the place clean and respectable? Having taken trees down and left the timber for a third party, and been the third party, it was of no great benefit either way.

[CDMR]

11 hours ago, frets1 said:

It's in Northamptonshire. Unfortunately in a large private estate. Whatever my ideas, thoughts about lots of amazing timber they have, it's theirs. Mostly reduced to firewood. 

If I get one which I get to keep, I'll try and keep you posted. Some customers these days don't want hard wood logs. Not many!!

I am in southern Bucks so that would be a bit of a schlep but thanks for the offer

 

 

[frets1]

On 10 November 2017 at 07:09, sime42 said:

That's one large sycamore. Must have been some age. I don't suppose you counted the rings?
Is the wood traditionally used for butchers blocks? I didn't know that. I assumed it would be beech.
I've read that sycamore was often used for kitchen utensils. On account of not tainting the food, being stain resistant, straight grained and easy to carve. I used it to make a large spatula, it worked well for that.

Sorry for late reply!!!

stick still standing. Only go for a couple of days a month and always something more pressing to get on with other than drop it!!

will try and count rings at stump level.....

one day!!