Walnut tree..is it worth it.

[Kelly]

A friend offered me a 30 inch black walnut tree. I don’t know what to tell him.
If I got a sawyer to go in and cut it up, I would need to pay him. Then I would have to find a place to stack and store it.Then wait 4 years before using it because I understand there are no kilns around that would process a small load.
I am 72. It doesn’t look like I would be able to use it until late in my 70’s so I don’t think it is worth fooling with.
Am I looking at this correctly ?

 

[Willemjm]

We harvested a few Walnut trees after storm Mathew passed through NC.

We were not set up with a saw mill, handling equipment and a kiln.

In short, the experience made me realize why it is better just to go buy the lumber and pay the price.

 

[Echd]

Good opportunity to cut some green turning blanks and start turning!

But I agree that it can be quite an ordeal to have your own lumber processed. GPS Hardwood in Kernersville has a kiln service. They say a $150 minimum charge, which equates to 1000 board feet for ten days of kiln time. Maybe they'll still let you do under 1k bdft for the minimum price? At current prices even for common grade walnut it could still be a good return on investment, but it would be a headache, and you still need to airdry at least a few months even for thinner stock.

It's also pretty easy to goof up air drying over time. I've bought quite a few loads of (home) air dried lumber from non-professionals and while the prices were always great, there was normally a LOT of waste from cracked or overly misshapen stock. Normally worth it due to the very low cost of buying off Craigslist or what have you, but disheartening to toss 40% of what you bought because it's unusable.

 

[creasman]

Wish I were closer. I'd certainly help you claim it. I've hired a guy with a portable saw mill after one of the hurricanes took down some of my trees and it was well worth the effort. I do understand your math, though. Just hoping there are some local woodworkers around who are interested. A walnut tree that size will likely have some nice lumber. Hate to see it go to waste. I prefer air-dried vs kiln-dried when it comes to furniture.

 

[AllanD]

Have you seen the tree? If it is like a solitary tree with a lot of branches it may produce a lot of knots, etc. That may not be bad depending on what you tend to do with it. If in a grove of trees with a straight clean trunk it will provide better lumber. I personally gave up on harvesting my own lumber and in the same camp as Willem.

 

[JimD]

I had a large oak fall down because it had root rot. I did not investigate having it cut up and was happy with that decision when we found out the trunk was rotten out pretty bad. Needs to be healthy to produce usable lumber. Oak is also not walnut, however.

I did have the company I hired leave the stump, however. I cut that down to the ground to gain a little lumber I will use for gun stocks or other small decorative pieces. It has a lot of figure. Sawmills would not want to cut up the root ball but it would have the best figure, I think. I did not have that opportunity but even the portion just above the ground is highly figured. I think this wood is special enough it is worth "messing with". I used my 14 inch bandsaw to cut it into rough pieces that are drying now.

 

[Wilsoncb]

… I prefer air-dried vs kiln-dried when it comes to furniture.

Can you elaborate? What do you do to kill the bugs?

 

[creasman]

Can you elaborate? What do you do to kill the bugs?

I find air-dried lumber planes smoother and works easier. Something about the kiln process makes the fibers tougher. If stored properly you shouldn't get bugs. But, I agree, if there are bugs best to send it through the kiln to zap 'em. I have several hundred feet of walnut and cherry that was never in a kiln and no bugs.

 

[Howie]

Is it not 1 yr. per inch year to air dry?

 

[wndopdlr]

Wow! Wish you were closer as I see a huge potential for highly sought after bowl blanks in your tree. I have never seen bugs in walnut heart wood, but they will invade the sap wood. I have had them show up in my walnut blanks (sapwood) and nuke them in the microwave. You can't do that with lumber, but usually most want the heart wood lumber anyway. If you edge your boards it could minimize or eliminate the problem of bugs.

Can't help you with the age thing, I am slightly ahead of you there and I understand your rational.

 

[JimD]

Kiln dried walnut also gets a bad reputation because some operators use steam to move pigment from the heartwood to the sapwood. The heartwood then gets a dull gray color but I guess the sapwood gets browner. If I had this tree cut into boards, I would not be afraid of kiln drying it as long as I was confident it would not be steamed.

 

[Berta]

Is it not 1 yr. per inch year to air dry?

I used to think so, but I was told not always, it depends by a professional.

 

[zdorsch]

I used to think so, but I was told not always, it depends by a professional.

Berta’s right, it depends on the species.

Drying Wood at Home | The Wood Database

www.wood-database.com

There’s actually a fair amount of science to drying lumber.

 

[Rwe2156]

If stored properly you shouldn't get bugs. But, I agree, if there are bugs best to send it through the kiln to zap 'em. I have several hundred feet of walnut and cherry that was never in a kiln and no bugs.

If there are signs of insect damage it’s one of two scenarios - either they’ve already left, or there are still live larva. You won’t know for sure if the larva are alive until maybe 3-4 years later when you see sawdust where the adults emerge. I’ve had it happen to me.

If the wood is air dried outside you need to treat lumber very soon after it’s sawn with a borate type product. They are highly effective. I’m of the opinion powder post beetles will lays eggs within literally hours where I live.

In some areas air dried is at best 14%, which is not really suitable for furnituremaking. Further drying is needed.

Setting up for air drying is a lot of work, but can really pay off. Walnut is quite expensive now.