Alaskan chainsaw 5 foot ash tree?

[Kaizen]

Clearing a few trees to start my garage slab. Took down a forty foot ash that was dropping branches for years. Surprisingly the tree was solid and several branches two feet in diameter. Lots of burls all over. I had planned to call in a bandsaw sawyer to slab up the trunk which I think will have awesome grain. Problem is the ones I found only go 36 inches. While the main trunk is 32ish I really want the slabs to get this crotch which is five feet. Are there portables that big? Fall back plan was to use my 18 inch with my Alaskan mill and do the trunk from both sides all the way up and then stick a three foot bar on to get the remaining foot in the middle. Crazy?

Burls!!

 

[Bottlecapdigger]

That don't look like an ash tree. Hard to tell by the pictures but that is what is known here in Ontario as a Manitoba maple, by the bark the soft coloured wood inside and the leaves. Not much good for anything, not even fire wood. They grow like weeds. But I might be wrong. BCD

 

[brianh]

I have milled some big stuff with my alaskan small log mill, the open throat model with a 36" bar do one side then the other, I am running a stihl 660, ripping chain ground at 5 degrees.

As posted are you sure its ash? or box elder with the leaf pattern

 

[UpstateNY]

Google images of Ash tree cross sections, they don't look like that IMO. Box elder cross sections do resemble it though.

 

[Kaizen]

Hmm I looked through my tree guide and felt confident the leaf arrangement was an ash. Thought red ash due to that color. Here is the leaf. Always five. sure looks like this from arbor website https://www.arborday.org/trees/whattree/WhatTree.cfm?ItemID=E24e

I do agree though the cross section red looks like google images.

Original tree minus the first couple branches

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[brianh]

Whatever it is I would mill it, I got piles of milled wood I make furniture from after I kiln dry it. Great for live edge furniture.

Some of my nicest boards have come from trees destined for firewood.

 

[Orionrising]

I am guessing hickory

 

[Kaizen]

I have milled some big stuff with my alaskan small log mill, the open throat model with a 36" bar do one side then the other, I am running a stihl 660, ripping chain ground at 5 degrees.

As posted are you sure its ash? or box elder with the leaf pattern

my husky is 60cc's. originally 18inch bar. you think a 36inch bar would choke resawing? the teeth on my current resaw chain doesn't throw very big chips so thinking I could at least use my current setup and then use the 36" at the crotch?

 

[Gerald O]

I am guessing hickory

Yep. Or could be ash. Need to see more leaf samples and or seeds. Hickory will have pecan like nut seeds but rounder. Ash will have thin propeller blade seeds.

 

[buddyboy]

ash shouldn't have heartwood, when it does it means the tree was sick/stressed

leaves look like ash, log looks like hickory

i'd say it's a green ash that has been sick/dying for awhile

that being said hopefully the darker wood is stable and you get some nice stuff for projects

kiln dry it to kill all the bugs/fungus

 

[Kaizen]

Yep.

never any nuts of any kind on it. if I remember right the spring flowers looked like what i'm seeing as a box elder. So i'm going with flame box elder.

 

[Kaizen]

ash shouldn't have heartwood, when it does it means the tree was sick/stressed

leaves look like ash, log looks like hickory

i'd say it's a green ash that has been sick/dying for awhile

that being said hopefully the darker wood is stable and you get some nice stuff for projects

kiln dry it to kill all the bugs/fungus

one of the reasons I thought it was ash and that ash disease. see in the picture of the tree the ends of the branches are dead?
hell who'd have thought figuring out a tree would be so hard. ran across the "save the ash" tree people's website. don't think they'd be much help lol
The wood is solid. I don't think it will fall apart when sawed.

 

[Gerald O]

Could be manitoba maple as suggested. Seeds will tell the truth.

 

[Orionrising]

The ash killer is a bug. You would see tons of d shaped exit holes from emerald ash borer.

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[Gerald O]

never any nuts of any kind on it. if I remember right the spring flowers looked like what i'm seeing as a box elder. So i'm going with flame box elder.

Which is another name for manitoba maple.

 

[Jon_E]

That is definitely a box elder, a/k/a Manitoba maple. The leaves, the bark, the dark heartwood with streaks of red, all give it away. That will make beautiful slabs and is also prized by turners. That is a pretty huge example of the species and is remarkably straight for its' size.

I would see if you can find someone local with a slabbing mill, either a Lucas mill or a Granberg/Alaskan mill with a 5' or 6' bar. They are around, just takes some effort to find. Alternately, depending on where you are in New England, Berkshire Products in Sheffield, MA might be interested in buying that monster. They produce custom slabs. I'd post on some of the other forums, like the Forestry Forum or Arboristsite, you might find someone right in your neighborhood. Also, check with the local saw shops in your area, the guys who sell to loggers and tree services, they may know of someone who has a mill suitable for the job.

Having done some chainsaw milling, I wouldn't want to tackle it with a 60cc saw, but I'm not saying it can't be done. If you want to do it yourself, just set it up carefully and take your time. Your plan sounds doable, at least for a one-time job.

 

[kmacht]

Even if you find a mill that can handle up to a 5' diameter log, how do you plan on getting it loaded off the ground and onto the mill? There has to be some serious weight in that piece there.

Keith

 

[Kaizen]

Yeah moving it is an issue. Had a sawyer get back to me but wanted me to forklift it on his saw. It sure is heavy. Dangerous even on the ground. Strange it's lost it's red color in about a week where cut. I had hoped it would stay red? Cross section now looks ash

Going to give it a go this weekend


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[PassnThru]

Maybe the red color was chain oil?

 

[Kaizen]

Maybe the red color was chain oil?

No it was in the tree. So guessing when I resaw it the color will be beautiful till it fades in a week


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[PassnThru]

Please report back - I'm not convinced since the red is much deeper on the trunk where you spent more time with the saw. More heartwood which could soak up more oil.

Either way - keep us updated on the new garage!

 

[bob15]

my husky is 60cc's. originally 18inch bar. you think a 36inch bar would choke resawing? the teeth on my current resaw chain doesn't throw very big chips so thinking I could at least use my current setup and then use the 36" at the crotch?

That size saw is good to 28" max. And your tree being a hardwood, I would say 24" should be max.

Also, if you have small wood chips, your chain is dull. What model saw is it?

Where in New England are you? I don't have a mill, but if you should decide to make firewood out of it or thick slabs (cross-cutting), I have long bar saw that would work.

 

[TractorJeff]

That's Box Elder for sure! The red color is the sap in the heartwood and dries out exactly like you photo'd! Cut lots of them out of peoples yards over the years and usually just haul them out back and dump them over the bank. Somebody starts pumping me about "Free" firewood, I tell them where I just dumped a bunch and let them go work for themselves!

 

[bob15]

I don't believe Box Elder grows in New England.

If it was hickory, there should be hickory nuts on it. Plus Hickory bark looks different.

The tree looks like every Ash tree I've seen, both the leaves and the bark.

 

[matt_i]

Looks exactly like the smaller Box Elder tree I cut down ~20 years ago. The damn benign bugs everywhere was the giveaway Every piece of Ash I've seen looks like oak when the side-grain is exposed.

 

[sberry]

I doubt its very valuable and if it was there would be people looking for it. Most of it isn't worth the work unless you are in the business or the sawyer getting paid. Storing wood is a pain in the rear and takes lotso space unless a guy is set up for it.

 

[2Big2Ride]

Since my artist wife has taken up wood turning in the last 12-months I have learned a lot about turner's habits and desires. That wood would be highly desirable by wood turners. If it is Box Elder, or a variant, the red makes a fantastic decorative bowls and other vessels. If there are any large wood turning clubs in your area you might give them a call. Not unusual for a club to assemble a crew of volunteers to come over and remove the mess in exchange for the turntable wood.
As a group, wood turners can never have enough unique wood or a new widget for their lathe. ...you might be able guess why I make that statement.

 

[Kaizen]

Since my artist wife has taken up wood turning in the last 12-months I have learned a lot about turner's habits and desires. That wood would be highly desirable by wood turners. If it is Box Elder, or a variant, the red makes a fantastic decorative bowls and other vessels. If there are any large wood turning clubs in your area you might give them a call. Not unusual for a club to assemble a crew of volunteers to come over and remove the mess in exchange for the turntable wood.
As a group, wood turners can never have enough unique wood or a new widget for their lathe. ...you might be able guess why I make that statement.

since you brought this conversation here can you tell me what I should be sealing the burls with for a turner? I cut up the large branches to maximize burls for turning. I don't want to deal with selling it now though. I have storage for it in my current garage. i'll be sealing and air drying the big slabs that I have to do now to get out of the way.
sberry I don't know......couple slabs I have seen for box elder are 5bills plus. i'm doing it for myself. going to make a kitchen table out of one of them next year after the garage is set up. picturing what they call a waterfall leg where the crotch is on the floor. maybe some steel and wood home made chairs as well. we'll see. just sharpened up my resaw blade. not sure if it will do the job. I had used it to resaw some 200 year old barn beams and those seem to have a never ending supply of nails no matter how many I take out.

 

[2Big2Ride]

since you brought this conversation here can you tell me what I should be sealing the burls with for a turner? I cut up the large branches to maximize burls for turning. I don't want to deal with selling it now though. I have storage for it in my current garage. i'll be sealing and air drying the big slabs that I have to do now to get out of the way...snip.

Anchorseal is what we are using. Some use wax on the end grain and there is at least one other commercial green wood sealer that is common.

Edit: the better half said some just use leftover paint. Anchorseal has some wax and easily turns off when you go to use the wood.

 

[chrispyny]

I don't believe Box Elder grows in New England.

If it was hickory, there should be hickory nuts on it. Plus Hickory bark looks different.

The tree looks like every Ash tree I've seen, both the leaves and the bark.

Box elders grow very well in the northeast. I cut down 2 in the last 3 years on my property. One was sick and was a hazard, the other was brought down by a big storm which blew easterly winds across my property.

The tree which fell was on a westerly embankment of a stream next to my house. Its roots were well rooted in the bank and it had prepared itself well for typical westerly trade winds but had no roots in a mud bed on its easterly side. One massive storm (which i think was a cat 1 tornado) and it came right down onto my lawn. It took me a solid day of hard work, sawing and chipping the tree to get it cleaned up. I was home when it happened. It missed my house by 12".

 

[Kaizen]

Well I love it when a plan actually works. My saw actually only had 16 inches of cut but I used it for the first three slabs. Bought a 22 inch bar which I will change to as the crotch area on the last slab didn't reach. Although the core feels solid it is cracking at the edge. Thinking some paduc Dutchmen will look good to stabilize. Took two at two inches thick and last at three. Drumroll please....

The money shot.

Thanks for all your help!!


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[2Big2Ride]

That looks awesome! Get some sealer on it soon to minimize the red fading to brown.

 

[Kaizen]

That looks awesome! Get some sealer on it soon to minimize the red fading to brown.

thanks. nothing like that feeling of flipping the first slab over! you think it would stop it? I see stuff like this for sale and the red doesn't appear to fade. do they seal it? I was contemplating this as I was cutting and wondered if I did that and then later took off the sealer if it then would vanish. I might spray on some sealer tomorrow. the grain pattern even without the red will be awesome stained.

 

[2Big2Ride]

thanks. nothing like that feeling of flipping the first slab over! you think it would stop it? I see stuff like this for sale and the red doesn't appear to fade. do they seal it? I was contemplating this as I was cutting and wondered if I did that and then later took off the sealer if it then would vanish. I might spray on some sealer tomorrow. the grain pattern even without the red will be awesome stained.

Went to a very abbreviated session about different woods used for wood turning a couple of weeks ago, one of the statements made was that the red of the Box Elder fades with exposure to air and UV. Sealer and finishes seal the wood from the air and many block UV. I don't have any experience with the wood so I'm going off the statement from the subject matter expert.