Black walnut Log Value?

DBS

Can anyone assess the value of a Black walnut log approx. 8-10 feet long and approx. 3 feet in diameter?

i will try to snag a pic of it today.

-Daryl

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Eric Frei

Around here, hmmm, about $300 to dump it for ya.

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DBS

That answered my question. I was wondering what the situation was here down the road. I had been watching a tree come down and happened to notice that the trunk remained on site and customer had attached a for sale sign to it.

I didn?t think that it was anything extravagant; i wondered why it would be left on site. Perhaps the contractor assured him he had "gold" and suggested he sell it. It then becomes less work for the same money for the contractor.


-Daryl

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Eric Frei

It could be milled and the timber used I suppose.

Often on large trees with a decent trunk people ask if it's it worth anything, but in most cases even if it were milled it's only worth something after the processing which is time intensive.

So most logs are taken for free, milled for free providing the "miller" keeps it.

Commercial mills may pay a small sum for it but they fear nails and other foreign objects in urban timber could do more damage than it's worth to their saws.

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redstree

The really big money comes from the companies that turn logs into vaneer. Ekka is correct. Urban logs are highly suspect for some sort of foreign matter in the wood.

Iron nails will discolor the wood and decrease the value of Walnut, which is prized for it's beautiful grain and color. In urban settings you can find nails, steel fencing, clothsline pulleys, horse shoes, etc. Many of the progressive mills now utilise metal detectors to protect their blades, but that does not prevent discoloration of the wood.

If the tree was in decline for any length of time before it was cut down then there is a very high probability that it was being attacked by insects that seek out stressed trees. This would decrease the potential value as saw wood or vaneer.

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Sean Freeman

Some really wise points there redstree ...on a side line I like your tag but you know you can drive a MINI without pants too.

Eric Frei

Sean, up your way what sort of timber might be worth milling?

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Sean Freeman

Stephen's business used to have a close relationship with a miller but he's out of that now so we don't have any outlet for big sticks, but when we were handing them over....oddly enough mango Mangofera indica was cited as having the very best grain for really high value slabs. Both the Albizia's that grow up here saman and lebbeck have good timber, of course Castanospermum blackbean, when its old enough.

I have seen Camphor turned into beautiful bowls, though I'm told the timber is not healthy to mill..allergy problems from the dust.

clementine

What about selling it to one of those wood sculptor/sculptress/carver/artist types. Maybe they could wang a full size Dolphin out of that piece!
There are a few shops here selling this type of work and it's not cheap even in light timber.

Failing all else, at that size, it has to be good for a few logs or is it a bugger to cut up?

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DBS

It wasn?t my job. It was just down the street from where I live. I wondered if the black walnut had significant value.

But as many had suggested... logs from residential areas are prone to having metallic objects imbedded into them making it not worth the risk for a mill or even a conscious chainsaw carver to do anything with.


-Daryl

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Eric Frei

DBS can you get it for yourself and try slab it for nicks? Some 2" thick table/bench tops varnished would be cool.

I see some of the rough timber stuff for sale at markets and extreme prices, aint even made that good. If it's cut pretty parallel you can usually find a place to sand it even on a large machine ... or have a go yourself.

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DBS

I'll go and knock on the door and see what they asking... its been sitting there for over a month now... and no more 4 sale sign.

standby.. lol

-D

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Steve Tipton

For big slabs, you can hire a floor sanding machine to tidy them up. It works ok.

sbunnell07

dude check out the doyle scale online...it shows you how to figure out the board feet in a log. if the log is veneer quailty it may be worth 5 to 6 times of what its worth if its a saw log.

Eric Frei

Here you go, Doyle's is table 4 down the list but I found this site had the most info about all sort of timber questions.

G5050 How to Measure Trees and Logs | University of Missouri Extension

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askmeall

WARNING , ANOTHER LONG AND BORING POST . We have a few very large walnut trees in northeast Oklahoma [ some up to 60 inches] and I have cut down a few very large specimens . I bought my saw mill after I had gathered a few decent sized walnut logs and several types of oak logs . None were of verneer quality , but still, around here there are log brokers that will pay very good money for walnut logs, and extreemely good money for verneer logs but only after metal detection .A few years back a friend of mine, Bob, had cut down an enormous walnut that was over 5 foot dia. 36 feet to the first limb with no tapering what so ever [same size at both ends] all the way . Bob knew the log was rare and was verneer [ correct spelling ?] quality . He cut two 12 foot 6 inch lengths and one 10 foot 6 inch length and proceeded to lift logs onto a flatbed truck , but his crane didnt have the capacity to lift even the smaller log . I brought my crane over and lifted the logs for him onto my crane and took them to his firewood lot , He said he would meet me there and show me where to put them . when I got there Bob wasn't there so I called him, asked him where he wanted to put the logs, telling him I had things to do [], and Bob said , he wanted to keep them separate from his other logs, and to set them at the edge of the log pile, so I drove to the back of the property and dropped them off at the only place I could set up the crane and not overload it by trying to set them too far from the crane. . These logs were huge! Bob knew, as did I, that he had "hit a lick" , and both of us had figured the logs were worth at least $ 1,000 each . Bob said he knew of a broker in Arkansas, but hadn't ever dealt with one, as he had always dealt with Diamond P Sawyers, a few miles east of Tulsa . They had always told Bob they would buy as big a walnut log as he could bring them, but price would only be by the boardfoot , But that the drive out there with walnut was never that good of a deal and he always felt like he was being screwed. and he would never sell walnut again , and as far as he was concerned walnut was the same as oak, maple, ash, pecan, and hickory .... firewood , but these logs were different, So, Bob called the broker in Arkansas who quickly said that the logs could be valueable, but wouldnt speculate how much until he could inspect them, and check them for flaws. He said most logs of that size have hidden flaws that greatly reduce the value. RED FLAG! , both Bob and I thought, yeah right... These logs are perfect , no flaws ! But the guy insisted the log of the size Bob is describing , rarely meets the standard needed for top price.The broker says he would at least give the boardfoot price. We can see him coming before he's even started on his way. Bob said if the guy tried to screw him he would know, but would sell him the smaller log anyway, for no less than $500. Bob called me a few days later and asked me to come over and lift the log onto the broker's trailer ... log? I asked. He repeated ... log. He wasnt happy and with a rough tone, asked , " Was I f---ing coming or not ?!" Only time in 25 years my friend had cussed me . I said I would be there shortly , but asked him , " hey whats the deal ? " He said , " you will know when you get here " . When I pulled into the back of his lot I immediatly knew what happened . Next to the 10 foot walnut log was the remnents of the 12 footers [9 pieces were left, cut, and ready to split], and next to that was the large homemade splitter on skids that Bob had previously built , and next to that, was a large pile of beautiful walnut firewood . The day I dropped the logs off , my friend's 15 year old son Billy , had told his dad he was going to take the loader and move the splitter closer to some logs, and split some wood for some extra money . Billy had been sick all week and had not worked . Billy saw the nice straight logs I had placed next to the splitter , and saw no need to move the splitter as there was an ample wood supply right there . Billy knew his dad didn't want to mess with taking the wood to the mill anymore so he took the 272 husky hot saw [ Bob is an ex sprint car racer and engine builder ] , that his dad had ported , polished , and added high flow carb and breather [greek to me], and proceeded to cut the value of the logs down to $45 a rick .

There they stood, Bob, Billy, and the broker , next to the remaining log . I didn't know what to say. I got out of the truck and walked up to the "killing Site" and hung my head , but Bob said everything was OK . He said he had sold the remaining log. I asked him if he got the $500 he wanted, and he said no .... He showed me the check from the broker ... $3,300 . [ Bob and Billy are not thier real names ] w.k.b.Tulsa

BarryC

Usually a single log isn't worth enough to put forth the effort to load up on a trailer. Now, if you have a few acres with some nice trees...

Garry Brockley

a very well off customer of mine in the uk had the second largest walnut in the uk it blew over in the storms, root plate failure. he contacted a veneer co on the continent he got £15000 for it, they came and dismantled it, transported it away and cleaned up. money goes to money.

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