Poll
Question:
What to do with a lot of cherry tree wood?
Option 1: A tree house for the boys: G.R.O.S.S.!
votes: 8
Option 2: A ground cabin, no fear of heights
votes: 1
Option 3: an awful lot of CD/DVD racks
votes: 5
Option 4: Cut away some fingers: opposable thumbs FTL
votes: 3
Option 5: Other, please suggest
votes: 0
My father's been forced to cut down ten cherry trees, so now we're left with a nice quantity of good logs and noone has the faintest idea of what to do with it.
I'm toying with the idea of consuming what's left of my free time and start a carpentry project - of which I have zero previous experience, so it's extremely probable this will end in a lot of swearing, the asportation of at least a couple phalanges, and a spectacular failure.
Everything will be documented, for the amusement of other Languishites.
What to do, what to do?
L.
If you're going to try your hand at carpentry, wouldn't it be easier to buy lumber that is pre-cut? I wouldn't even know where to begin in turning raw logs into something (other than firewood that is...).
This option would leave a lot of good timber to rot in the fields...
L.
First thing first : Find a lumber mill and have the wood cut in useable pieces.
Quote from: Pedrito on April 26, 2010, 10:59:26 AM
This option would leave a lot of good timber to rot in the fields...
L.
Time to install a wood stove. :Canuck:
Quote from: Pedrito on April 26, 2010, 10:52:52 AM
My father's been forced to cut down ten cherry trees, so now we're left with a nice quantity of good logs and noone has the faintest idea of what to do with it.
I'm toying with the idea of consuming what's left of my free time and start a carpentry project - of which I have zero previous experience, so it's extremely probable this will end in a lot of swearing, the asportation of at least a couple phalanges, and a spectacular failure.
Everything will be documented, for the amusement of other Languishites.
What to do, what to do?
L.
cherry tree does not make really good furnitures...
Quote from: Barrister on April 26, 2010, 10:57:05 AM
If you're going to try your hand at carpentry, wouldn't it be easier to buy lumber that is pre-cut? I wouldn't even know where to begin in turning raw logs into something (other than firewood that is...).
you need to find a small lumber mill that will turn your raw logs into something other than firewood :)
Big mills won't do it for a few logs, but smallish ones will gladly take your business.
You need as right a log as you can get (hence why cherry trees aren't that good to start with), and the longer the better.
Quote from: viper37 on April 26, 2010, 12:17:47 PM
cherry tree does not make really good furnitures...
Why would you say that? :unsure:
Build a tree house so big it will be an affront to God himself.
Do you actually know anything about carpentry?
Quote from: Razgovory on April 26, 2010, 01:26:23 PM
Do you actually know anything about carpentry?
Jesus walks with us.
Quote from: viper37 on April 26, 2010, 12:20:34 PM
you need to find a small lumber mill that will turn your raw logs into something other than firewood :)
Big mills won't do it for a few logs, but smallish ones will gladly take your business.
You need as right a log as you can get (hence why cherry trees aren't that good to start with), and the longer the better.
These were trees grown to become furniture lumber, not fruit trees; we cut them down before the town council would, because they need the land to make a cycle path :rolleyes: ,
so the logs should be straight enough, if not big enough (we've been forced to cut them 8 years before the right time to make them marketable); about long, I don't know if the logs are long enough, I'd say the trees are cut in logs about 1,5 meters long.
Do I need to season the logs, or is it better to saw them in planks and then season the planks?
L.
Quote from: Razgovory on April 26, 2010, 01:26:23 PM
Do you actually know anything about carpentry?
I've bought a book about it :smarty:
L.
Probably season the cut lumber; commercial sawmills seem to cut the logs as soon as they can.
My father has actually done this - made cherry logs into boards (sent to a small sawmill), which he then used to make bookcases in the cottage.
The problem with seasoning is complex - the choice (air-dry or kiln-dry; season in the round or after sawing) depends on lots of factors. Air-drying whole logs is a very slow process.
I seem to recall that my dad seasoned logs in the round for many years before he got around to sawing them up - he painted a sort of wax over the cut ends to stop them drying too fast. Dunno if this is the preferred method or it just happened that way, though.
You may find this useful:
http://www.woodworkersjournal.com/Main/Articles/Milling_Cherry_Logs_4577.aspx
Useful info, thank you :thumbsup:
L.
You can make stuff out of logs, no need for saw mills or anything.
My cabin when I was a kid was made out of logs. Its just more rounded wood.
Looks like a year or two of seasoning is needed first.
After that, how about making a set of half-sized furniture for your children to play with? The little girl would be just the right age to host teddy bear tea-parties using the furniture once you got the work finished :cool:
Quote from: Richard Hakluyt on April 27, 2010, 07:06:41 AM
Looks like a year or two of seasoning is needed first.
After that, how about making a set of half-sized furniture for your children to play with? The little girl would be just the right age to host teddy bear tea-parties using the furniture once you got the work finished :cool:
I have yet to assess how much wood I can dispose of, maybe it's enough to complete at least a couple of the polled projects.
Building real furniture, albeit small, should be considered a side project: I'm afraid it would be way more difficult than building a tree house - making errors building toy furniture, on the other hand, would be more forgiving than a tree house: no broken arms falling from the tree because I forgot to build the floor, for example :P
L.
Are tree houses common in Europe? For some reason I think of them as particular to the US.
Quote from: garbon on April 26, 2010, 12:45:30 PM
Why would you say that? :unsure:
Like most fruit trees: because it's usually twisted and short. Because it does not tends to stay straight when cut, even when it's perfectly dryed.
Maple trees, as an example, tend to be tall and straight trees. Once dried, they can be of use.
Quote from: Pedrito on April 26, 2010, 04:08:11 PM
Do I need to season the logs, or is it better to saw them in planks and then season the planks?
L.
better to season the logs until fall at the very least (one year is better), especially if you cut them in spring. Then have them cut, and stay at least another year in a dry environment (you need little pieces of wood under each rank of planks to let the air flow). Alternatively, they can be put in a dryer, but it's gonna cost you to find a place where they can do that.
Also, better to tie your bundel of planks with metal straps. Expect some loss. It's hard to get the planks in a really controlled environment, so, some of them will twist.
Quote from: Admiral Yi on April 27, 2010, 07:30:54 AM
Are tree houses common in Europe? For some reason I think of them as particular to the US.
North America, mostly, I imagine.
In Europe, they needed to cut their forrests so they could better kill each another.
I'm with those who think you have firewood here and nothing more.
Quote from: Admiral Yi on April 27, 2010, 07:30:54 AM
Are tree houses common in Europe? For some reason I think of them as particular to the US.
I don't know what your definition of common is but they are certainly around in Sweden.
Quote from: grumbler on April 27, 2010, 12:01:55 PM
I'm with those who think you have firewood here and nothing more.
Did you do any contract work with Joseph back in the day?
Quote from: viper37 on April 27, 2010, 11:57:51 AM
Quote from: Admiral Yi on April 27, 2010, 07:30:54 AM
Are tree houses common in Europe? For some reason I think of them as particular to the US.
North America, mostly, I imagine.
In Europe, they needed to cut their forrests so they could better kill each another.
Certainly fairly common here, you don't need a wood for a tree house, just a large tree :D
V
Quote from: viper37 on April 27, 2010, 11:55:10 AM
better to season the logs until fall at the very least (one year is better), especially if you cut them in spring. Then have them cut, and stay at least another year in a dry environment (you need little pieces of wood under each rank of planks to let the air flow). Alternatively, they can be put in a dryer, but it's gonna cost you to find a place where they can do that.
Also, better to tie your bundel of planks with metal straps. Expect some loss. It's hard to get the planks in a really controlled environment, so, some of them will twist.
:hmm: This long seasoning delays my devious plans quite a bit.
I know a guy who does woodworking for a living, I'd better ask him if he knows of some community-owned kiln to accelerate the drying phase
:hmm: :hmm:
L.
Or, have a good old fashioned American style BBQ and use the wood that way. I think you have to mix cherry wood with others so the cherry wood smoke flavor doesn't overwhelm the meat.
:alberta:
Quote from: Admiral Yi on April 27, 2010, 07:30:54 AM
Are tree houses common in Europe? For some reason I think of them as particular to the US.
Not too common, most people don't have big enough gardens to have the size trees needed.
But they certainly exist. Damn rich kids. I always wanted one. They're the height of cool for a circa 10 year old boy.
Mostly we just have tree platforms, crappy bits of wood nailed up in the trees by the kids as a crude skilless, resourceless treehouse.
Cabins on the ground are pretty common though.
Quote from: Pedrito on April 28, 2010, 02:46:10 AM
:hmm: This long seasoning delays my devious plans quite a bit.
I know a guy who does woodworking for a living, I'd better ask him if he knows of some community-owned kiln to accelerate the drying phase
:hmm: :hmm:
L.
quite often, you'll see the wood planks stored for 4-5 years before they are used...
Next time you want to build a tree hours for your kids, start when your wife is still pregnant :P
Seriously, if it's only a tree house and you don't mind the wood twisting a little, you can skip a few months off the drying process. Say, have the logs sawed this fall, store the wood for winter and use it next spring.