# Question regarding walnut logs for a newbie



## TMH (Nov 6, 2012)

Hello all, I just joined this forum and recently got in to wood working. I just completed my first project, a rustic style hickory table with 2 inch x 41 inch x 96 inch table top (weighs a ton).

Any way my question is, this weekend I will be cutting down a walnut tree on my aunts property for her. I unfortunately do not have the extra scratch right now to afford to have the logs milled right away. I know I should anchorseal the ends of the logs, but will the logs be alright to wait to be milled till maybe february or march provided I have them raised off the ground and the ends sealed?

Will this cause problems with the wood when i go to sticker and stack it once milled? If I leave the logs sit for this time, should the bark be removed or left on?

Sorry for all the questions at once, and i'm sure this may have been discused before, but I haven'y found a definitive answer. Any and all help is appreciated.


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## TMH (Nov 6, 2012)

Also forgot to add that she has one or two Locust trees she wants down, because both her and her horses keep getting stabbed by the thorns coming of the trunk. I believe if the locust has the really big thorns all over the trunk (talking like 4 inch thorns) its a honey locust, is any one able to confirm or deny.


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

I don't see anything wrong with leaving the logs till then. Yea seal the ends and lift them off the ground. Is there a way for you to cover them? 
I wouldn't cover them with a tarp. It will still get damp and moist under there. Making a better place for bugs to hide. Build a temporary lean two. You should be good to go.
As far as the thorn tree, I'm not sure of species. 
Could be a buckthorn tree?


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## dognobbler (Sep 18, 2012)

Yes it defiantly sounds like locust tree, to me. I cut one down not to long ago.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Woodworking Talk


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## TMH (Nov 6, 2012)

She says it is a locust, she just wasn't sure if it was a honey locust or a black locust, and im not sure how to tell the difference. 
She does have a covered 3 walled shed that she keeps her firewood in that I should be able to store the wood in, that way it will be covered from rain, and still get airflow. Thats works out good, just read so many things stating that the wood will go to pot if you dont mill right away.


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## HomeBody (Nov 24, 2010)

If the thorns are forked it's a honey locust. If the thorns are small and in pairs it's a black locust. Honey locusts are nasty nasty trees. I killed every one in my woods with Tordon RTU but those thorns are harder than the hubs of hell and don't rot very quick. I had to replace the front tires on my mowers with solid rubber. The tires store was making a killing off of me fixing flats. Gary


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## gvwp (Jun 17, 2012)

HomeBody said:


> If the thorns are forked it's a honey locust. If the thorns are small and in pairs it's a black locust. Honey locusts are nasty nasty trees. I killed every one in my woods with Tordon RTU but those thorns are harder than the hubs of hell and don't rot very quick. I had to replace the front tires on my mowers with solid rubber. The tires store was making a killing off of me fixing flats. Gary


Amen on the tractor tires. They will do a number on tires long after the tree has been disposed of. Those suckers are like steel! Honey Locust produces BEAUTIFUL lumber though. Makes very nice turning stock as well. Its hard and dense and can yield very nice color and grain. Its similar to Kentucky Coffee Tree. Both trees have a similar seed pod that grows on the tree but just watch out for the thorns. I swear they have some kind of poison in them. Hurts for days if you get stuck by one.


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## TMH (Nov 6, 2012)

That is the exact reason she wants it down, her horses get them in their hooves, and she has had them scrape her a few times to. Ive never seen anything made with honey locust before, glad to hear it has really nice grain and looks.


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## TMH (Nov 6, 2012)

And these thorns are by no means small, every bit of three to four inches long


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## Tom the Sawyer (Sep 4, 2012)

TMH,

If your walnuts are end-coated and off the ground they should be fine until next year. Leave the bark on. I have sawn walnut that has been down for several years and had good results.

The locust I have sawn had a pinkish-gold heartwood with creamy sapwood. Be careful, I have scars from those thorns. It takes a while to snip them off but they are easier to keep track of and you're less likely to find them in your tires, or feet, later.


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## HomeBody (Nov 24, 2010)

That stuff is beautiful! I'm impressed. I'd never seen it milled either. Looks like I'm going to have to mill one of the trees I killed. I've got a half dozen big ones. They're so common around here, and with the thorns, you could probably get as many as you wanted for free just for asking. Extreme prejudice toward those. 

Another one that hurts for days if you get stuck by them are the Osage thorns. I thought the same thing about some kind of poison being in them. Gary


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## TMH (Nov 6, 2012)

Wow, I really like the look of those slabs, cool she hates the tree so it'll be coming down


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## Da Aardvark (Oct 11, 2012)

Pretty stuff.
Nice coloring.
How hard/soft is it?


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## TMH (Nov 6, 2012)

It looks like you removed the bark from the live edge on those slabs, how did you go about doing that? I'm looking to do that on a walnut slab I got a while back


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## gvwp (Jun 17, 2012)

Da Aardvark said:


> Pretty stuff.
> Nice coloring.
> How hard/soft is it?


Honey Locust is one of the harder woods. Its an excellent firewood as well. Sands well and finishes well.


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## PSDkevin (Dec 18, 2010)

I have a pile of HL. While it's not my favorite, it is worth your time to mill. Carefully minding the thorns. It's extremely hard and works a lot like oak with a similar grain pattern. Lots of variation in color. When it's streaked it's really beautiful. What I got was milled for flooring and I think it was over dried or perhaps not sawn properly. The boards really seem to like to crack along some of the heavier grain patterns. (Ring shake maybe?) Other than that issue I think HL is a great wood for woodworking and turning.


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## Tom the Sawyer (Sep 4, 2012)

This was a client's log and had been down for some time before we milled it. I don't know if the bark had already slipped or if he had removed it. 
Most, but not all, honey locust in the wild have thorns. There are a couple of varieties for landscaping that are thornless. All of the ones on my place seem to have thorns. :thumbdown:
We also have hedge (bois d'arc, osage orange) which have thorns but those are much smaller (1") and mostly on the younger branches so I don't deal with them when handling logs. Hedge yields beautiful wood but, in this area, seldom grows straight and large enough to mill. Straight trees are often cut early for fence posts.


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## SweetBJ (Dec 3, 2011)

The thornless ones people plant on purpose are var. inermis. The thorned ones should be eradicated, IMO.

The bark probably slipped on its own... most trees in that family lose their bark very quickly from dead branches and trunks.


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