A shroomy butt or two

[Rhob the Log]

First use of a the 56" mill today on some windblown Ash. Two lumps, one we got 5 x 3" boards off, the other is still a work in progress as the light went. Not a bad afternoon and I must say it's handy being a farmer. Ed has a wee Deutz Fahr and loader that did a fast job of moving this timber into place! Anyway, here are some pics...the upright boards are from the 1st butt.

 

Unfortunately, the 2nd butt was a double edged sword. See the end? I crosscut it to give a fresh end as these logs have been down for around 18 months - the whole of the heartwood was pulpy and fibrous and extends about a foot wide up 3/4 of the length and through at least 14" of the 34" depth (that's as far as we got today). It's a learning curve. We've given up the 1 1/4" slabs we were making because of the beautiful fungus lesions. No idea how they're gonna turn out when dry but there's a square foot of really nice looking timber there - we're gonna ask the "inventive carpenter" who has a unit on the farm. Will probably shorten the butt or quarter it to find the extent of this pulpy crap.

 

That's about it - a few bloopers as this is the first time I've had my large mill out:

• Upright the wrong way round at the nose of the bar, causing a taper that we only noticed very late on - 1cm over the 30" width or so. Not ideal, but it depends on the end use. A sloping outdoor bench seat, for example...
  
• Turning your saw upside down to sharpen the other side of the bar, mill attached, is BRILLIANT but the saw doesn't seem that keen on starting after. A little throttle blipping later....
  

 

More ash to mill soon, this stuff green. A nice crotched piece, again about 32" at the base. Lovin' it! Beats 12 year on the ground Oak hands down.

[Rhob the Log]

A little fungus research and it's probably Daldinia concentrica - King's Alfred's cakes. We found a lump of fruiting body in a cavity at the base. Looks like Daldinia concentrica - King Alfreds Cakes - David Humphries’s Fungi Directory - Arbtalk.co.uk | Discussion Forum for Arborists as this causes white rot, though it was a pretty pristine white, strong mushroomy smell and darker gills. King Alfred always burns his cakes so still not 100% this was the fungus. Thought it was a piece of flint the tree had picked up when I first saw it! No image, we cut it up to look inside.

[muttley9050]

Some nice looking boards mate, shame about the rot inclusion, but should get plenty of useable wood out of it

Good work.

James

[Graham]

A little fungus research and it's probably Daldinia concentrica - King's Alfred's cakes. We found a lump of fruiting body in a cavity at the base. Looks like Daldinia concentrica - King Alfreds Cakes - David Humphries’s Fungi Directory - Arbtalk.co.uk | Discussion Forum for Arborists as this causes white rot, though it was a pretty pristine white, strong mushroomy smell and darker gills. King Alfred always burns his cakes so still not 100% this was the fungus. Thought it was a piece of flint the tree had picked up when I first saw it! No image, we cut it up to look inside.

 

The white rot is possibly Inonotus hispidus. The King Alfred's cakes will be on dead wood.

[Rhob the Log]

The white rot is possibly Inonotus hispidus. The King Alfred's cakes will be on dead wood.

 

That makes sense. We've only this nice darker mycelium up the first few boards and this was milling down from the cavity where we found the fruit. The white rot is spread throughout but doesn't impinge on the darker stuff much so probably outcompeted. A saprotroph like the Daldinia probably leaves little resource for I. hispidus. The pulpy heartwood was the reason it fell over in the first place. Cheers for the input Graham!

[Rhob the Log]

Got the Ash stickered and sealed today. Nicely in the round, though we're still yet to finish the other half of the rotten one. The plan is the make beams of it, that way, you're getting more useful wood. Anyway, here's some pics!

 

I used 2" x 3/4" batons that we had spare from shelf creation at the dairy, for the most part 18" apart, though that was on the first board (the only one we've kept from the 2nd butt). Then it was a case of following up from wherever there was a sticker for the 5' smaller butt. We kept the boards in milled order, particularly important 'cos we milled them angled, so they're not horizontal to the ground. Comments welcome, always looking to improve technique though I'm only copying you lot!