Tree Question

[chad nov]

I have a butternut tree that fell .i was going to cut it up for firewood but a friend told me wood carvers like to use it .

[Claude]

Chad:
If you tell us roughly where you are located, some one close by might talk to you about the wood.

Claude

[chad nov]

i live in zaneville ohio

[CarverFromNoWhere]

It's not a good idea to even try burning butternut properly known as White Walnut at all, it is full of oils and cause major creosote build ups. As carving wood it is used widely and it shouldn't be hard to locate someone in your area who carves.
Carl

[chad nov]

thanks for that info! the tree is lying in my feild how do you suggest i cut it.a gentlemen up the road has a sawmill . should i see if he will saw it or just leave it in logs.the tree is 154 inches at the base then spits into three branches that are 70 inces around and straight

[chad nov]

where should i look to sell

[susieq]

Hi there,
Northern Butternut is great carving wood and very desirable. Most carvers buy already dried wood for their carving needs. We like large blocks of Butternut too, not boards.... Now, if you want to have a minimum of 4x6" 4ft long, say for example only..... it has to be cut larger than that if it's not dried because it's going to shrink. So, your log needs to be milled into pieces that will be good sized blocks of wood when they are dry. Drying time is not long in a wood kiln. If it's air dried, it takes YEARS to dry..... If you plan to air dry it, coat the ends of the pieces with melted wax or some other thick, air tight coating so that it dries properly without cracking and spliting. Then stack it with little pegs of wood between the pieces of Butternut, allowing air to circulate around the wood. It should be out of the sun and elements, in a shed or some protected area. Some folks put a fan blowing on the wood to help circulate air. Or find a wood kiln and pay to have it dried there.

You ask about selling the wood...... if it was already dry, it would sell like hotcakes. If it's needing to dry, some folks will still buy it but won't pay the same $$ that good dried wood will bring. So I think you have some research to do....find a commercial wood dryer and find out how much they will charge you to dry your wood for you. Or, price the wood in it's as is condition.... contact local carving groups to let them know you have the wood and some will buy....
Good luck.

[chad nov]

thanks susieq what would be a fair price to ask for green wood.I measured it in cu. ft. and came up with 110cu. on the big peices. do carvers like the smaller peices like 4-6" branches.

[susieq]

Hi Chad,
I used the 4x6 inch size because I used to use a lot of that. 4x4 is good to but really, all the people in my circle who use Butternut regularly, try to buy the largest size they can find. I have seen some 6x8 inches by about 18 or 24 inches long.....for larger sculptures, these are nice sizes. It has such a pretty grain that you don't paint it, therefor laminating it is not as desirable as finding a single large chunk to work with.

I have confess I haven't had to buy any as a friend of mine in Ill. used to give me nice pieces of it. You will have to visit some online wood sites to price it and then price your undried wood cheaper...by how much I can't say for sure.

I know that some other's will probably post on this thread who know more about pricing than I do. But if that was a healthy tree and the wood is good, by all means, be cutting it into more convenient sizes for ease of handling, and coat those ends. Get the wood up off the ground too. It would be a shame for termites to get into it. Best of luck to you.

[chad nov]

susie thanks again, if i wanted to get something carved out of the stump.it is about 150" around and 5' tall.I was thinking like an eagle with its wings spread and maybe ahorse head below it. what would that cost?I been looking at alot of carvings the last couple days and really find it interesting.that old trees been there a long time.