I’ve been contacted by someone in Seattle who is having a large (70’) Port Orford Cedar tree removed on November 13th. This species is apparently aromatic and fairly easy to work Port Orford Cedar Lumber – Hearne Hardwoods
The arborist is planning to remove the upper sections of the tree 20" at a time, but the owner of the property is going to see if they can remove the bottom 10-12’ in one piece. The tree is approximately 30" in diameter at the base, so it will be a lot of wood. I don’t have any pictures of the tree, but if the owner sends any I will add them.
The owner is checking with the tree service to see if they’d be able/willing to deliver the bottom section to my address for a fee, so I can put it on my saw mill. I’m happy to share the resulting lumber if anyone wants to come help me with milling.
Would anyone be interested in using the 20" rounds? That might be a good size for making boxes, if you have a way to turn them into boards. If we coordinate a time to pick them up, I could also bring my chainsaw and either slab or quarter them into more manageable pieces.
What a great find,I hope you are able to save it for lumber. It would be great if he could fall it in 8’ lengths for lumber instead of blocking it up into stove wood lengths. With the burning bans anymore I don’t know if it can be burned for fire wood.
It also makes excellent cedar chests,closet linings and patio furniture. Even row boats are another good use.
Herb
Ya, obviously 20" lengths aren’t ideal. The tree is near structures that need to be protected, which is why they’re planning to bring it down in small sections, but the owner said he would ask the arborist about bringing it down in larger segments, so we’ll see what it ends up looking like.
The tree is still being cut down next month. I haven’t heard any updates from the property owner about cutting it into larger lengths. I was planning to follow up with him once I got a sense of how many people are interested. The part of this that will probably need to be done soon after the tree comes down is to transport the pieces we want to keep.
For the milling, I think the timeline can be pretty flexible. My wife and I are expecting a baby in mid-December, so if we don’t get to it before then, we’ll probably need to wait a couple more months. Other than that though, I think we can just pick a weekend that works for whoever is interested in participating.
Sounds good @itsananderson ! Especially the new baby part!!
I don’t have a good hauling setup, but I do have a pickup and a positive attitude. I have a work trip 1st week of November but other than that can be available.
Port Orford Cedar is a great wood, every bit as aromatic as Eastern Red (although not as pleasant). We used to go through a lot when I worked at Timbercraft Homes. Very excited to see this.