This old gal was hit by lightning a few years ago and sadly needed to come down before it rotted. It's down at our river camp and has towered above many a good times down there. It was about 70'+ tall and I got 3- 12' logs and an 18' off of the top. The stump cut was 28" at the wide point and a solid 2' the short way. I don't have a mill, but these logs are going to get cut (somewhere) into 5/4 planks as wide as I can, hopefully for some nice flooring. A buddy is setting up a mill, what should I do to save these logs for maybe 6-8 months? The bark is loose/missing on the side it blew off in the strike, and there is up to 2" of "punk" in that area (up high) and no damage closer to the stump.
if you are only holding them 6 or 8 months, it's no problem to just stack the logs off the ground. pine stays for a good long time, bark on. i would not make my boards any wider than 12", as the shrinkage and cupping will be problematic on wider material. cut them and sticker them under cover for a year or more before use. that's a nice timber you have there.
I hear ya Dave, the mills water them around here. I just wonder because one side is "punky" in to about 2", and I am great at under estimating the time it takes me to get around to something.
That's a beautiful log! The rot can continue to get worse if its wet enough, so you definitely want it off the ground, and top covering could be a good idea too. If you can get it to dry out, the next thing to worry about is the ends checking. They sell a waxy paint made specifically for this task, but sealing the ends with any type of wax or paint would slow it down. But the sooner you can saw it up, the better.
Pine seem to last a long time if off the ground. If it takes very long or you change your mind "It can always become fire wood "
Set em on runners. Paint the ends with any old paint. If you want to cover them I would suggest a floating roof tarp. A rope acting as a ridge beam. Tied on one side, pulley on the other with a heavy weight hanging off. Bungee cords to keep the tarp taught. The floating rope will allow snow to load it down without tearing. Once things warm up a bit it will bounce right back up allowing air underneath. Tarps last much longer that way from my expierience. Stick and stack under the same tarp roof. Now if it's any way possible stick and stack em for another year or winter season inside the house. Preferably close to the woodstove. I realize most folks won't cotton to having a pile of lumber stacked in thier house. It would be worth it if you can though. I have a floor made with 12" pine boards I treated in such a fashion. They haven't seperated a noticeable amount. The 8" (kiln dried)pine boards bought from the lumber company that only acclimated inside the house three weeks shrink and expand like crazy. Mostly the original shrink. Two,different types of pine also may have something to do with it. Another tip I'll throw in that I'm very happy I did. There's a small 1/8" radius plane on the market for cheap. I ran that down the edge of all the boards before installation. Gives it a more rustic look. I did this because I saw a pine floor that had been fitted tight, sanded flat, and high gloss polyed. When those boards seperated it looked hideous, totally unnatural. With the slight radius if they seperate it looks more natural.
In the 2nd & 3rd pic, you can see at about 10:00 on the log the bark was blown off. The stump cut shows a little stain, and you can just see it in the 2nd log about as bad as it gets on into the 3rd log. I'll put them on some junk Basswood logs at least a foot off the ground with the punky side down and grab some lumber tarping off the job. Maybe set them where they'll be in the sun?
