Jay Clayton

Hay Jeremy,

Thanks for the info.  I will be posting pics of the crane, the transforming/articulated log hauler, and the multi-headed sawmill sometime later this month.

Cheers!

Jay

Hey all,
Post # 5

Looks like value add to the trees is going to be the best way to go for us to get to the 200 acres homestead.  Over the past couple of weeks, I've:

Limbed all of the large trunks in order to fell the first tree that must come down.  It is a nearly dead walnut tree that was over 80 feet tall at its highest point, and the limbs branched out over the neighbor's fence and out buildings.

Managed to limb about 8) 10-12 foot long pieces averaging 6-12 inches.  

Been pretty ecological in the limbing:  so far, I have not used a gas powered chainsaw at all.  Been felling everything with my 18V 12" inch chainsaw.

Planned out the milling of the timber.  In an effort to use every part of the donor trees, I will be producing Live Edge Slabs up to the length and width of the timber, large crosscut rounds suitable for furniture, small cookies for crafting, hardwood mulch from the limbs and hardwood sawdust from milling and cutting operations.

Finished the portable gantry crane.  I'll post some pics of it and the other custom built tools I've created for this project soon.

Worked on the vertical and horizontal mill designs.  I've examined several of the designs available on the internet, and that brings up today's question:

For the horizontal mill, I am considering making the cutting mechanism stationary and moving the timber along a conveyor system.  Most industrial processes follow that pattern.  I see that most hobbyist / prosumer / products move the cutting mechanism instead.  Assuming my design can handle the weight and allow for smooth movement of the timber through the sawing station, can any of you think of other reasons why I should keep the timber stationary and move the saw?

Have a great day, everyone.

Jay

Hi Jay,

Thank you for the advice.  I'm currently reading Shepard and will start on Krawczyk shortly.

I agree that multiple income streams are the way to go.  Since right before the pandemic, the corporate world has gotten so topsy turvy, I keep chastising myself for not going there sooner.  

Value add on the current inventory has already begun.  Today I'm designing and building a portable gantry crane to lift these heavy logs to move them out of the way of the rest of the felling that needs to be done.

Have a great day.

Jay

Jack,

Wow!  Lots of relevant and useful information.  Thank you so much for sharing.

Jay

Post #4

It's raining today in East Texas, so working on timber housekeeping.  Made a couple of edits to the website, looking at how to price the different material I've got building up as I fell, limb and mill the trees that must come down. So far, I've got enough material to make some pretty decent sized slabs, some dimensional lumber, a-boat load of small and large cookies, enough small limbs to start a decent-sized piles of wood chips, and a bunch of hardwood sawdust I'm collecting.

I'm planting at least 3 seedlings in the locations where the trees must come down.

Just found out early last week that my contract software gig unexpectedly ended, so I'm looking for a new one.  Gives me plenty of time to continue prepping the existing homestead and continuing to make plans for the expansion.

Questions for the group: (two for this post)

1. Does anyone out there have a formula for pricing live edge slabs at various widths?  It seems to me that the wider (older) the slab is, the rare and more expensive it should be, and my research on other commercial ventures price older and wider slabs higher on a per board foot level, but my research hasn't gotten yielded any hard and fast numbers.

2. Looking for some help on the types of seedlings to replace the trees that must come down.  Think I want to go for high carbon sequestration to replace everything, but I'm open to other purposes as well.  Any thoughts on maximizing the ecological benefits of reforestation?

Thanks,

Jay

Post #3

What did I mean with the title of this thread?

Hey All.

I've marked the trees on the donor homestead that must be cut down in order to protect the family, the house, and the neighbor's property.  Using the small electric chainsaw to limb, fell and move the timber into sorted piles or logs.

Spent a bit of time on the website and started work on a campaign to Adopt a Tree for the 4 acres of forest at the rear of the property.  I really like the idea of saving the old growth forest.

So why did I title this thread the way I did?

Probably 20 years ago, I remember reading a story about a guy who used craigslist to barter his way from owning a giant paper clip into owning a house.  It took him about a year or two, but he finally accomplished his goal.  To me, it was an inspirational story of using what you have in order to create something more.  The very nature of Paul's forums, teachings, and this community.

Question for the group:

Does anyone know of a URL or a place on this forum where I can see some pictures of homebuilt logging tools?  I'd like to build my own cranes, log lifts and carriers.  I Know how I'd design them, But I'd like to base my builds on what's been done in the past.

Hi Maieshe Ljin,

Creating an "Adopt a Tree" Campaign is one of the options I listed in my first post. :)

By any chance do you have a list of some of the US or worldwide conservation organizations that might be interested in partnering with me to accomplish such a thing?

Cheers!

Jay

Hi Vanessa,

Thanks for taking the time to respond to my post.

For starting your chainsaw, I found the following youtube that might help:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgEUV3Oib2Y

This gentleman is in the same boat as I am and built a kick-start rig for his chainsaw.  

Cheers!

Jay

Hey Everyone!

Post #2

Dipping my toe in the waters for one of the paths I mentioned in the previous post.  Looking at selling the timber and resulting products directly to the consumer.  Thanks to Eric for suggesting going slow.  

All other options mentioned above are still on the table, but ya gotta start somewhere.  :)

Last night, I registered a domain and created a website.  Check it out if you have a moment.

slablumber.com

It's a work in progress, (I've not yet wired up the email) and a lot of the content is not yet relative to what I'm thinking, but you'll get an idea about one of the possibilities on our plate.

In the spirit of permies, sustainable forestry, and generally being good stewards of the planet, I am looking to use as much of the tree as I can.

Starting with my harvesting selections.  I have 8 or so trees at the front of the property that must be removed as they pose potential hazards to the house and the neighboring properties.  I started limbing and felling those last weekend.

I've sorted the results into several piles.  Trunks and limbs large enough to mill into lumber or slabs; limbs and branches large enough for crafting cookies, and everything else.  I'm collecting the sawdust from the chainsaws, chopping the everything else pile into mulch, and prepping the larger pieces for milling by sorting and sealing the ends.

Today's question for the community:

Any tips for working with Alaskan style chainsaw mills?

Cheers to you all and have a great day!

Jay

Eric,

The existing homestead came complete with about a 50% canopy.  Plenty of space for the livestock as well as moving the timber up to the main road for milling.  I'm considering designing and building an articulated caddy for the larger specimems I will be harvesting.

It sounds like you have some knowledge on Silvo pasturing.  Do you have any suggestions for feedstock compatible with pine trees?

Thanks,

Jay