Black walnut tree

[Karen Rager]

Hello, my name is Karen, and I just joined. I have been working with wood for ~ 20 years. I have made things from incense burners, to boxes (small and large) to pieces of furniture. I love to smell wood, hold it and work with it. Enough about me.

I wanted to let others know that an elderly friend of mine wants to remove a mature black walnut tree from her front yard. She doesn't have the money to have it removed. I immediately thought of the price of black walnut if purchased. I know there are people that will not only cut the tree, but pay her for it (she got a $422 electric bill last week!). She lives in Alexander county. Anyway, if anyone knows of someone that does this type of thing, would you please let me know. Thanks, Karen.

 

[Dragon]

Hi Karen and welcome to the site. I just sent you a PM about that tree. A lot depends on the location of it in relation to existing structures and utilities, condition of the tree itself, length of trunk free of twists, etc. Anyway, welcome again and we look forward to seeing some of your workings.

 

[Trent Mason]

Welcome to the site Karen. :eusa_clap:eusa_clap:eusa_clap I love black walnut, but don't have the means to get it down and out of there. But there are definitely others on here that do. Feel free to post often, this is a great group of folks. :icon_thum

 

[Kyle]

Depending upon size, condition and location yard trees can be good or bad, mostly bad. Not attempting to be a negative Nellie, just experience and dozens of tree removals from yards.

Insulators, crescent wrenches and mostly fence nails are the culprits that cost a sawyer money.

Here is a primer of the economic cost of removing a tree.

1- Visit to see if tree is worth removing
2- Time to cut down the tree, delimb, clean up and haul usable trunk away.
3- Cost for the tree if valuable.
4- move tree to mill and prep for sawing.
4a- Hope the tree doesn't have the above detritus embedded in the trunk.
5- saw tree to the most economically viable solution( blade, fuel, time, maintenance)
6- remove waste, sticker lumber
7- let sit to air dry or load on to kiln sled (1 month to 2 years)
8- kiln dry (up to 6 weeks potential)
9- remove from kiln and store
10- advertise to sell at reasonable price according to grade.
11- hope you have a buyer.

A sawyer can have a LOT of time and money in a tree that is hidden (time is also money) and is not out of your wallet.
That said some of the finest trees that I have had the privilege to saw have been from yards.

Many homeowners over value the tree in their yard based upon here-say about some individual that received 40K from a gun stock manufacturer that bought a veneer Bastogne Walnut in the early 1970's.

Those trees are 1 in 10,000, literally.

I work with a lot of tree services. If you can get someone to take down a tree in your yard for free and pay you a couple of hundred dollars without your house being demolished..more power to you. All I can say if there is a risk of it pancaking the homestead make sure the person is bonded. That being said, you are moving from the realm of receiving any money to paying a lot for removal due to risk.


Good luck to you!

kyle

 

[CrealBilly]

Kyle that was very well said :thumbs_up

 

[chesterboyd]

:eusa_dancI agree Kyle----well said, but you left out horse shoes and basketball goals{or whats left of them} in the trunk.
Maybe some one with a metal detector could check out part of the tree, i.e. what is reachable to see if metal is there.Anyway, good luck to the lady.

 

[scsmith42]

Depending upon size, condition and location yard trees can be good or bad, mostly bad. Not attempting to be a negative Nellie, just experience and dozens of tree removals from yards.

Insulators, crescent wrenches and mostly fence nails are the culprits that cost a sawyer money.

Here is a primer of the economic cost of removing a tree.

1- Visit to see if tree is worth removing
2- Time to cut down the tree, delimb, clean up and haul usable trunk away.
3- Cost for the tree if valuable.
4- move tree to mill and prep for sawing.
4a- Hope the tree doesn't have the above detritus embedded in the trunk.
5- saw tree to the most economically viable solution( blade, fuel, time, maintenance)
6- remove waste, sticker lumber
7- let sit to air dry or load on to kiln sled (1 month to 2 years)
8- kiln dry (up to 6 weeks potential)
9- remove from kiln and store
10- advertise to sell at reasonable price according to grade.
11- hope you have a buyer.

A sawyer can have a LOT of time and money in a tree that is hidden (time is also money) and is not out of your wallet.
That said some of the finest trees that I have had the privilege to saw have been from yards.

Many homeowners over value the tree in their yard based upon here-say about some individual that received 40K from a gun stock manufacturer that bought a veneer Bastogne Walnut in the early 1970's.

Those trees are 1 in 10,000, literally.

I work with a lot of tree services. If you can get someone to take down a tree in your yard for free and pay you a couple of hundred dollars without your house being demolished..more power to you. All I can say if there is a risk of it pancaking the homestead make sure the person is bonded. That being said, you are moving from the realm of receiving any money to paying a lot for removal due to risk.


Good luck to you!

kyle

+2 - very well stated Kyle.

Scott

 

[Sully]

Oh, and don't leave out bullets as debris found in trees, preferably lead-based. My sawyer also told me he found a couple of 3 ring binders inside a tree once. :rotflm: I can see it now: "But Ms. Parkins, the tree did eat my homework."

 

[CrealBilly]

Oh, and don't leave out bullets as debris found in trees, preferably lead-based. My sawyer also told me he found a couple of 3 ring binders inside a tree once. :rotflm: I can see it now: "But Ms. Parkins, the tree did eat my homework."

That's funny :gar-La; I found a old starter in a crotch once can you say shade tree mechanic? But the worst was a glass coke bottle in a eastern red cedar butt log. When my sawmill blade hit that bottle it was like shrapnel from a bomb, the blade basically exploded on impact . A metal detector would not find that but my sawmill sure did.

 

[Dragon]

Very well said Kyle and Scott. Lots of risk for possible minimal to zero gain. I'm working with Karen here and will try to make a run to check out the tree in the next week or so, weather and time permitting.