Squaredy

If only they had thought it through a bit better when they planted the tree. 20 metres away from the house would have been beautiful. That close and it was always going to end badly.

Well you need to work out how bad it is and whether it goes all the way along the logs. If it is really bad I wouldn't touch them - even if they are yours for nothing. Ring shake can turn what should be a whole heap of good timber into a lot of odd shaped firewood. Got any photos of sawn ends?

Perhaps it might be worth paying for a written investigation by an independant and suitably qualified engineer. Even then you might be up against it. Good luck anyway.

What type of shake and how far does it go along the but? Ring shake is the worst but is rare in Oak. Star shake can often be milled around but it depends on many factors. If the shake is really bad they may only be firewood value, and these would be considered way oversize for processors. The extent of that shake is crucial. Also look out for rot coming down the trunk from trimmed limbs - in my experience this is more of a problem than shake with Oak.

I cannot answer your question of what should it cost to buy an acre of Oak coppice for felling. But I can tell you what I pay for such timber when it is delivered to me as firewood. Currently £46 per ton delivered. This could be different in your area of course. So if there is 70 tons in the end, that is worth (I would say) £3220 but that is delivered to the customer and it will need three trips with a timber lorry, so that means you will only get to see about £2500 or so. At a guess if you have to pay someone say £500 for extracting and stacking you will only really be getting £2000. So I guess the answer is unless you are a very fast worker you should not pay much for the timber - if anything. For a larger site using heavy machinery it is a different ball game as you may be able to fell and extract hundreds of tons in a day, but if it is just one acre you will just be hand felling I assume. I would advise making enquiries of firewood sellers in your area to see what price they will buy Oak cordwood for. Bear in mind that Oak is not the favourite firewood as it is so difficult to dry.

Can’t believe no-one has championed ‘Wombling Merry Christmas’. Awesome.

Yeah we did this two years ago - ungraded and unseasoned Larch. Our builder seemed to think it would be fine even though it was a slight variation from what the drawings specified as these said it had to be treated softwood. The building control guy seemed happy and signed it all off. No-one with any formal qualification certified or graded the beams.

Agreed. Above all do not pay by bank transfer - not even a deposit. Pay by cash when you pick it up; or by PayPal where you receive some protection.

Looks like the same saw (or fraud) is back on ebay. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mobile-Dimension-128-sawmill/302991495522?hash=item468bb35162:g:tpUAAOSwF1tcDtsD:rk:3:pf:0 Anyone know anything about this? It may actually exist but I see it is exactly the same photos as the last time it was listed. If you are thinking of bidding take great care. If you know anything about it please let us know.

Try Ruperra Conservation Trust, they may help, but transport may be tricky as timber lorries will carry about 26 tons.

You haven't mentioned what the access is like, ground conditions and of course species and quality of timber. Many sites you would have to pay someone to fell the timber as it will be too time consuming for it ever to be profitable. This is why so much woodland is neglected - far from being a cash-cow it is a financial liability. So maybe the price you have been offered is a really good price. Are the trees just firewood or are they milling stems? If you are unsure of some of these facts some photos and details of species and sizes might help.

No-one fully understands it, not even accountants and lawyers and HMRC can agree on what the rules mean. It is a minefield. Anyone new would be well advised to read up on it - there are threads on Arbtalk that go into it a lot - and it is almost enough to put you off using sub contractors! And we can't even blame the EU for this complex legislation....all our own home grown pile of nonsense!

£10 from Home Bargains for a 7ft Nordman. I actually think that is a Bargain.

If I remember rightly Douglas sent many seeds back to the UK, and saplings. So I think that many of the Sequoias all over the UK are all about the same vintage. The landed gentry and aristocracy of the day all tried to outdo each other with the most exotic trees etc so they all jumped on the bandwagon....luckily for us.

One thing we can be certain of is that it was not 200 years old. First Sequoia was introduced to the UK in 1853. Another thing we can be certain of is this is less of a crime than the really old trees that were felled for no good reason in California in the 1800s. Some of them were 2000 years old. That was ignorance. I guess this was incompetence.....or maybe cynical commercialism; though I doubt they will gain much, as it will need to be replaced, so it won't give them room for an extra house or three.

I just had a quick look, but it isn't listed anymore, I would guess it was too long ago - the oldest item showing is September. I spoke to the guy I know who knows the seller and he said it may be sold now - not finalised but nearly. I will let you know if it falls through! Keep looking on ebay, a few do come up, but it might be better to bite the bullet and go for a new one. I think you can get a half decent one these days for about £3000 or £4000. If you search Arbtalk there are threads where recommendations are made by members.

Just to add another opinion, yes Sequoia has a value but not high. Maybe £50 or so per cubic metre delivered to a mill. So realistically the value of the timber will likely be less than transport cost, especially as the trunk is such large diameter, as a timber lorry crane would struggle with the first couple of lengths. It is the same conundrum for almost all logs - unless it is a lorry load with direct road access cost of moving is very often too high to be viable.

I think the mould is attracted to the nutrients in the sapwood. The readings the OP quoted suggest it has been killed.

I use Stephen Cull, and I am sure they are a bit less than you are being quoted. Are you sure they are made in the UK?

I believe there is a Norwood Lumbermate 2000 for sale near me - South East Wales. He wanted £3500 I think. If this is any good I can find out if he still has it. By the way - little tip - search completed listings on ebay - you may find ones that failed to sell, like the one I am talking about.

How does any dealer get used stuff cheap enough to sell at a profit? Business closures, local authority sell offs auctions, MOD, etc. And yes the original owner would have got a much better price selling privately but may not have had time or inclination. I am am not saying you are definitely wrong, but you would be amazed at the kit that does become available legally. He may even be importing.

Very similar to the Arbortech carving blade. Can you believe they fit chains like that to bars attached to petrol engines and four foot guide bars????!!!!!!!!!

Such a shame that a beautiful tree like that is to be perhaps ruined. But it is so so common isn't it? When they built those houses they had enough foresight to save what was no doubt a nice tree, and it has been appreciated no doubt by the owners for the last 70 or so years, but you can't blame the current owners for being concerned. Having said that, if I were the owner I would leave it well alone except for getting risk assessments carried out once in a blue moon by an arborist whom I trusted. I went to look at an ancient Yew a few years ago (in Cwmbran) with a view to buying the stem as it was being felled, and I was horrified to find it was the largest most magnificent Yew I have ever seen (though not the oldest - I would say 400 years or so). It was in magnificent condition and the stem was 5 feet diameter or so at breast height and then as the multiple stems had conjoined over the years the apparent main trunk actually got wider up to about 20 feet height and was about ten feet diameter before the crown. It was a tree worthy of any magnificent tree book, but totally in the wrong place being in the back lawn of a small house. No doubt when the terraced houses were built in the early 1800s it was just an average large Yew and not a problem, but 200 years later it had become way too big for the setting. In a park or a large private garden it would have been a much cherished specimen, lavished with care and protection. I declined to buy the timber, but as far as I know it was felled.

A log round is almost guaranteed to split eventually unless maybe if it is just a few inches diameter, but even then it may still split. Some species may not like perhaps Sequoia, but Beech is very prone to splitting. I would suggest doing the splitting yourself, so the log does not need to split. Either cut it into two half rounds or four - then it probably won't split. And keep it in a well ventilated place outdoors out of the sun, and it will dry slowly. If you were hoping to keep the whole round and turn it using the full size your only chance is to turn it green, and then finish turning when it has dried.

Thanks!