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Cherry wood available

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  • 09-07-2011 2:43pm
    #1
    Al Capwned
    Registered Users Posts: 5,721 ✭✭✭


    Hi,
    first of all, i wasn't sure whether to put this here or in the Forestry forum, if a mod decides here is wrong, please accept my apologies and kindly move it, thanks.

    Right, I have a cherry tree felled in my garden, and I want to find it a good home. It is approximately 5m long and averages approximately 400mm diameter.

    If anyone has any advice on who to approach, where to go, what to say, I would very much appreciate it. Thanks.

    Al....


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    #2
    slowburner
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 5,218 Mod ✭✭✭✭slowburner


    I was just wondering if you want to give it away to someone who would make something out of it or do you want to get it milled or sell it?


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    #3
    Al Capwned
    Registered Users Posts: 5,721 ✭✭✭Al Capwned


    To be honest, I'm looking to sell I have been told it's worth a few bob....


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    #4
    JoeB-
    Registered Users Posts: 689 ✭✭✭JoeB-


    How much is it worth?

    Each foot of tree at 400mm diameter would be about 1.5 cubic feet.
    (2/3 is the radius, so 4/9 is the radius squared, so approx 12/9 is the area of the trunk, which would be 1.333 cubic feet of wood per foot of trunk.

    You have approx 16 feet of trunk, ... so about 20 cubes of un-dried wood as a tree.

    Kiln drying the wood would take approx 2 to 3 years? Air drying would take longer, depends on the thickness.


    Dried and cut cherry would be worth approx 40 to 50 per cube? (a bit of a guess)


    So max value approx 1000 based on those back of the envelope calculations. But the heartwood needs to be cut out (does it?), as does damaged areas.. and it must be de-barked, milled, stacked and dried. You will waste more if quartering the tree, but the resulting boards will be better. (Grain nearly perpendicular to the face at all points). If cutting in other ways some boards will be very warpy.


    So I'm not sure of the current value, at all.


    Can anyone explain what the commercial value of the tree might be?, and how to get it from where it is, to into a cabinet.


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    #5
    earpiece
    Closed Accounts Posts: 550 ✭✭✭earpiece


    Kiln drying 2 to 3 years...... will presume you meant 'weeks'.
    Depending on thickness of milled boards, general rule is one year air drying per inch thickness.
    As a tree, it's probably only worth between €10 and €15 a cube depending on quality (ie. straightness, knots etc.) .


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    #6
    JoeB-
    Registered Users Posts: 689 ✭✭✭JoeB-


    Actually I had meant 2 to 3 years (for kiln drying). I have no experience doing it.
    Can it actually be done in a period of weeks?


    Air drying a 3 inch board could take 3 to 5 years... could it?, or would it be a shorter time?


    Are the branches worth anything?


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    #7
    slowburner
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 5,218 Mod ✭✭✭✭slowburner


    JoeBallantine wrote: »
    Actually I had meant 2 to 3 years (for kiln drying). I have no experience doing it.
    Can it actually be done in a period of weeks?


    Air drying a 3 inch board could take 3 to 5 years... could it?, or would it be a shorter time?


    Are the branches worth anything?

    Yes.
    No.
    Not really.
    :)

    Probably the best thing for the OP to do is to locate the nearest sawmill and ask if the log is of any value to them. It is unlikely that any of the large timber merchants would be interested because of the cost of transport - they tend to buy stands of trees rather than individual ones.
    Another possibility is to contact a mobile sawyer and get them to convert the tree into boards. The maximum board width would be about 170 mm and would yield a maximum of about 8 boards (50mm thickness) at that width with another 4 down to 80 mm width. This is being optimistic and is based on the log being sawn through and through - quarter sawing would yield even fewer boards.. The pith has to be discarded as do twists and shakes. It is a small enough quantity of timber to justify the cost of bringing in a mobile sawmill.
    Alternatively, you could offer the log for sale as it is - probably worth about €80-100 on a good day.


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    #8
    mattwoodturner
    Registered Users Posts: 21 ✭mattwoodturner


    You could try Neil Willis. Kiln Dried Hardwoods. He's in Wicklow. Also I'd say you could contact your local woodturning guild. A sawmill would have to collect and transport the log which would all cost money. An eager woodturner could process the log in situ. Cherry is great for turning and unusual to find in such quantity.


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