# dead walnut tree useful?



## MidGAOutdoor (Apr 7, 2011)

got a line on a dead walnut in Byron, useful for anything other than fireplace? do these get powder post beetles, just trying to find COD. thanks


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## gus (Oct 31, 2010)

i think i heard that stuff can be highly valuable.


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## djg (Dec 24, 2009)

It all depends on how sound the tree is. Most walnuts that I've seen (not many) die from decay and are hollow inside. All I got from one I took down for a neighbor was a raccoon. But if it was a blow down, that's different. Doesn't hurt to take a look though.


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## pwoller (Dec 12, 2010)

I;ve been miling walnut that blew down a couple of years ago and have been very happy with how it dries, most of the slabs come back flat and straight. I usually mill them at 2 inches thick so that might help a bit.


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## MidGAOutdoor (Apr 7, 2011)

interesting.


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## Mills4thrills (May 5, 2011)

I mill all the walnut that I can find it is always pretty wood.
I normally cut it at 4/4 and it dries straight with out cupping.
Good luck with it, but if it has any size to it, it should be worth your time.


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## ETWW (Mar 27, 2011)

I recently had several dead Walnut trees milled...about 700 bft of 4/4 lumber. The sap wood on some of them had rotted off but the heartwood was still sound and made very nice lumber.


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## VaureyWWC (Feb 21, 2011)

I just milled a piece of walnut on Monday; the tree was dead for about 5 years and is pretty bleached. When I get the lumber back (hopefully on friday) I'll post some pictures on how it turned out.


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

This walnut came from logs that had laid in pasture grass for 5 years. The sap was rotten - even gone in most area. The heart wood was hard as a rock but it had opened up in a weird way but was still useable because of the striking patterns. 



















.


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## MidGAOutdoor (Apr 7, 2011)

wow. i may look that ladies number up again. they wanted to buy one of my tractors.


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## Booradly (May 14, 2011)

*pecan wood questions*

I've got a very large Pecan tree im going to have sawn into lumber.
My questions are as follows:

-any suggestions as to whether I should 1/4 saw or plain saw, I'm planning on using for furniture
-how long should I air dry before using - I've been told 4-6 months (Alabama and in a garage)
-I like to use tung oil as a finish but have never worked with pecan - other suggestions for finishes

thanks


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## VaureyWWC (Feb 21, 2011)

TexasTimbers said:


> This walnut came from logs that had laid in pasture grass for 5 years. The sap was rotten - even gone in most area. The heart wood was hard as a rock but it had opened up in a weird way but was still useable because of the striking patterns.
> 
> .



I'm going to be honest. Those are stunning pieces of lumber. Hopefully I'll post mine soon, haven't gotten it back yet was busy Friday, and this weekend we've had awful weather in North-Eastern Oregon.


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## ETWW (Mar 27, 2011)

Booradly2 said:


> I've got a very large Pecan tree im going to have sawn into lumber.
> My questions are as follows:
> 
> -any suggestions as to whether I should 1/4 saw or plain saw, I'm planning on using for furniture
> ...


I would flat saw it for the greater yield. If you cut the center at something like 10/4 thickness, you can rip it on either side of the pith (discard the pith) and have some good leg stock.

You should not use the lumber for furniture after only 4-6 months of air drying. In Alabama, it will not air dry below somewhere around 12% moisture content and that is too high for furniture building. You will need to either put it in a kiln or bring it into a climate-controlled environment to get the MC down to around 8% before building with it. Anything thicker than 4/4 lumber will almost have to be kiln dried if you want to use it in the next two years. 

Tung Oil is an acceptable finish for Pecan, depending on it's use. If you are building a dining table, you probably need to use Lacquer or Poly...something that will stand up to heavy use. For less-used pieces that don't require as much protection, an oil finish is a great look.

BTW, your question (and my answer) are what's called a thread hijack and it's considered bad form. You should really have posed your question in a separate thread.


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## MidGAOutdoor (Apr 7, 2011)

ETWW said:


> BTW, your question (and my answer) are what's called a thread hijack and it's considered bad form. You should really have posed your question in a separate thread.


true but its all good. no harm done.


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## Booradly (May 14, 2011)

Thank you greatly for the info and I am new at this game so I can only apologize for the improper intro. I have enjoy scrolling through and picking up the additional info.
thanks again


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