wood on the set
September 24, 2011 11:51 AM Subscribe
We took down a large cedar this summer that was listing ominously toward our house. Thinking we might use the wood, we've left a large amount of it here in our yard. Time passes, and the wood is still there. Am I creating a problem long term? What should I do with the wood with the rainy season coming on.
We took down this large cedar thinking perhaps we could have the trunk milled into planks, or use it for firewood. We don't have an insert, and getting the wood milled down is an involved project. I've got a large piece of 3' diameter trunk, lots of 10" rounds, and quite a bit of 2-4" branches stacked up in a corner of our yard. Rainy season is coming on, carpenter ants are on the prowl. At one point I laid a wet carpet on the trunk to dry out. Days later there were a milling throng of carpenter ants busily colonizing the trunk under the carpet. Am I creating a problem long term if this wood is still on the ground when it begins to rain here in the damp NW coastal region? I found this thread with some helpful tips. My picture is that I should get one seasons's wood off the ground and dry if I should choose to get an insert to burn it, and the rest should be gone before it rains or things start to decay. Perhaps milling at that point is out of the question. Just wondering what the most rational line of action would be. Thanks.
We took down this large cedar thinking perhaps we could have the trunk milled into planks, or use it for firewood. We don't have an insert, and getting the wood milled down is an involved project. I've got a large piece of 3' diameter trunk, lots of 10" rounds, and quite a bit of 2-4" branches stacked up in a corner of our yard. Rainy season is coming on, carpenter ants are on the prowl. At one point I laid a wet carpet on the trunk to dry out. Days later there were a milling throng of carpenter ants busily colonizing the trunk under the carpet. Am I creating a problem long term if this wood is still on the ground when it begins to rain here in the damp NW coastal region? I found this thread with some helpful tips. My picture is that I should get one seasons's wood off the ground and dry if I should choose to get an insert to burn it, and the rest should be gone before it rains or things start to decay. Perhaps milling at that point is out of the question. Just wondering what the most rational line of action would be. Thanks.
I would advise calling around to see if there is someone with a portable sawmill in your area that can handle a log that size, depending on length and shape you might be able to get some big slabs out of it that might be worth something. The usual setup is a small bandsaw mill on a trailer and they come to your house to do the milling, usually charging by machine time.
Failing that, I would just strip the bark off (keeps the insects down), consider sealing the ends with wax and stack it up somewhere out of the sun and propped off the ground by a couple pieces of scrap wood or rocks. Let it dry slowly so it doesn't check or crack, you can mill it when you get around to it.
posted by Pink Fuzzy Bunny at 12:15 PM on September 24, 2011
Failing that, I would just strip the bark off (keeps the insects down), consider sealing the ends with wax and stack it up somewhere out of the sun and propped off the ground by a couple pieces of scrap wood or rocks. Let it dry slowly so it doesn't check or crack, you can mill it when you get around to it.
posted by Pink Fuzzy Bunny at 12:15 PM on September 24, 2011
It might be a shame to squander to wood, but would creating this type of raised bed be an option?
posted by miorita at 12:42 PM on September 24, 2011
posted by miorita at 12:42 PM on September 24, 2011
I know nothing about milling. But for firewood, yeah, get it off the ground a bit or put the crappy logs on the bottom. Maybe throw a tarp over the top, like this. As far as I know, all you can do to deal with ants is not pile it next to your house or any other structures you're fond of.
posted by gueneverey at 12:49 PM on September 24, 2011
posted by gueneverey at 12:49 PM on September 24, 2011
3 foot diameter? Cedar? Make some beams — you will be surprised with the value. Do not let a log like that go up in smoke. (pink fuzzy bunny has this one.)
posted by mmdei at 1:29 PM on September 24, 2011
posted by mmdei at 1:29 PM on September 24, 2011
You mention that "getting the wood milled down is an involved project," which leads me to believe you've at least peeked down this road. But if you spoke to a sawmill, did they mention anything about buying the wood outright?
Cedar can fetch a pretty nice price on the open market, depending on your local microeconomy. They want lengths that are as long and straight as possible, and it doesn't sound like that's what you've got there. But before you give up and put it on Craigslist as "free wood, you haul" call around and see if anyone's interested in buying.
Regardless of what you decide to do, do it now, and don't just let it all sit there over winter. Best case scenario it will be ugly and depressing; worst case scenario it will rot and you'll waste the whole thing.
posted by ErikaB at 2:58 PM on September 24, 2011
Cedar can fetch a pretty nice price on the open market, depending on your local microeconomy. They want lengths that are as long and straight as possible, and it doesn't sound like that's what you've got there. But before you give up and put it on Craigslist as "free wood, you haul" call around and see if anyone's interested in buying.
Regardless of what you decide to do, do it now, and don't just let it all sit there over winter. Best case scenario it will be ugly and depressing; worst case scenario it will rot and you'll waste the whole thing.
posted by ErikaB at 2:58 PM on September 24, 2011
Response by poster: Okay, thanks for the tips. Rain's coming tomorrow, so guess I better get going with this.
posted by diode at 6:48 PM on September 24, 2011
posted by diode at 6:48 PM on September 24, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by bartonlong at 11:57 AM on September 24, 2011