Salvaging old fallen timber

[Fuzzie]

Driving around a bit at the moment and seeing quite a lot of dead and fallen timber by the side of the road. I've been wondering if it is worth trying to rescue a few sticks of dead and fallen grevilleas or acacias?

I've saved a few pieces of garden grevillea before, but that was cut green and sliced and dried at home and has still split and twisted somewhat. Would a fallen dry timber limb/trunk likely be sound (assuming it hasn't been eaten by termites yet)? Unfortunately I don't have much room for storage and no tools, so it would quite literally be only a few small manageable lengths of timber.

[dai sensei]

Try and see.

[Fuzzie]

Yes Neil, the best answer!
Stomp on it to break it wasn't working to achieve handy sized blanks so I've invested in a $10 hardpoint saw to try a couple of selective cuts. I'm still limited on carry space though.

Cheers, Franklin

[Fuzzie]

Tally at the moment is 2 sticks of gidgee, 2 sticks of mature desert oak limb and 1 piece of immature desert oak trunk. All taken from fallen dead on the ground stuff.

They're just 'craft' size pieces and I have no idea what I'll do with them yet. It's also about the limit of my storage.

[rusel]

Fuzzie
There lots of things you can use those great finds that you are collecting.
Here what i did with some small branch trimming from my own backyard

https://www.woodworkforums.com/f40/garden-waste-desk-lamp-196587

[BobL]

I milled this branch (yes this a branch) from an old fallen log for some friends of mine.
We estimate The log (which is still there - around 1.8m diameter at the base and 11 m long) it was felled around the 1920's so it has been down for nearly 100 years.
Details here https://www.woodworkforums.com/showth...210#post886210


The friends used the slabs for the Pizza oven table the the benches around the sides of the gazebo - they came alright.

[dai sensei]

Tally at the moment is 2 sticks of gidgee, 2 sticks of mature desert oak limb and 1 piece of immature desert oak trunk. All taken from fallen dead on the ground stuff.

They're just 'craft' size pieces and I have no idea what I'll do with them yet. It's also about the limit of my storage.

Where are you, that sort of stuff isn't on the Gold Coast, well not on the side of the road anyway.

[Fuzzie]

Where are you, that sort of stuff isn't on the Gold Coast, well not on the side of the road anyway.

Well we thought we'd take a drive out to Winton while the weather was cool. Then we decided we've been through the tablelands before and down the coast road enough times, so we turned left and have headed back through the Alice.

[dai sensei]

Well now that makes more sense. I was starting to worry the side of the road had been expanded in Nerang

[pjt]

Dead on the ground is certainly still worth a kick to see if it's solid, some timber will readily turn to mush, others will survive a long time, just today I cut a Bloodwood log that has been laying on the ground for close to ten years, sapwood turned to powder and termites, cut it open and heartwood still as good as the day it fell there, it just depends.....




Pete

[Fuzzie]

I've been back home a week or so and going through some pictures, I'll add that I picked up a bit of dead bough lying under this 4-5m high grevillea. It was a tortuous old trunk, but laden with huge flowers. It will be interesting to see if I can get anything from between the twists and cracks.
P1060747.jpg