Cutting Black Walnut

[Thistle]

I have a stack of huge boards from that monster walnut we cut in the spring stacked in the garage drying right now. Garage smells like a fine furniture workshop. I kinda like the smell of it when it's drying, I also like the smell of it when it's burning. I got lots of it in my stacks, it's a great wood to have.

Smells great when sawing,splitting,shaping or burning.Not quite as pleasant as Black Cherry,but still nice.White Oak is vanilla-ish,reminds me of inside a whisky barrel. Red Oak when green is sour & nasty IMO,especially on hot afternoon.Like a combination of mouldy Provolone & my feet after wearing boots on a 12hr day.

 

[basod]

For the sake of your back I hope that splitter goes verticle.
Those big crotches are gonna be "fun"

 

[Thistle]

Here's what I was able to bring home. Gonna need the tractor to pull off those trunk pieces. Wife thinks I'm nucking futs for messing with this stuff!

Oh WOW. I could mill one helluva 3" thick slab out of the one in the pic on the left....

 

[Locust Post]

Those are some nice chunks Bob. I like those monster rounds like that.....makes a pile of firewood in a hurry.

 

[muncybob]

This is some great looking wood and I wish I had the equipment to mill. I had to leave behind a 8' section of the trunk that had all sorts of metal into it. I was fortunate that I only caught the side of a washer with my saw...when I saw the sparks I told the homeowner that's as close as I'm getting. He related to me that people use to put metal into walnut trees to stress them and this was supposed to produce larger nuts?
The base of the trunk was starting to rot and had a lot of ants in it but farther up there was some nice wood.
I'll need my tractor and some ropes to pull those buggers off...then some noodling will take place and then some vertical splitting. I'll be glad when it's all stacked. I'm assuming this will be good for next winter(13-14)?

 

[ScotO]

I'm sure she likes that wood just fine when it is burning in the woodstove, Bob! And she's right, we're ALL nucking futs!

 

[ScotO]

I'm assuming this will be good for next winter(13-14)?

You get it split and stacked, it will be ready for next burning season easily.

 

[certified106]

Your not nuts....That's some great wood in your truck! That was a monster tree!

 

[bogydave]

The effort many of us go to to bring home wood, well it is nuts.
But that's one of the fun challenges, to go & do, where & what no one else would.
Some high quality fire wood there!

"I'll need my tractor and some ropes to pull those buggers off...then some noodling will take place and then some vertical splitting."

Might be "nucking futs", but you'll be warm

 

[Ashful]

Nuts? It's no different than any other extreme sport.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Hey Bob, no tractor needed. Just a little brute strength will do just fine. Remember, you don't have to pick them up; just roll them.

 

[muncybob]

These things were HEAVY! Not all were on their sides and there was no way I was lifting them up to roll. Got the largest one out with a rope and several others rolled out just fine but I almost took down a stack of oak! 2 were gradually wiggled to the end of the bed(took off the tailgate) and plopped them onto the ground and then used the bucket to get them into rolling position. Time to noodle them now to a size I can handle to split the Savage Way. Should wind up with about a cord and hope it's all stacked by the end of the weekend. Next up is a large oak on my neoghbors property that he took down when extending/paving his driveway but I think it will stay there until temps drop a bit.

 

[dannynelson77]

Black Walnut smells great! I might like it better than Black Cherry!!

 

[muncybob]

Looks like this "free" wood may have cost me a chain. I was noodling the large trunk pieces when I felt the chain grab when it was well into one of the larger rounds. The noticed more fine dust coming out instead of noodles and I knew what had happened. Sure enough, I had hit some metal well into the center of the trunk. Taking the chain to local dealer tonight to see if it can be salvaged. The old chains I had laying around will be used to cut the rest of the trunk.