is it worth while to mill/slab a 70mm+ hoop pine log?

[ramana2]

i have been offered a fairly large hoop pine for free. its a mile from my house/mill. i can easily get 3 X 5.3m logs out of it. knowing nothing of hoop pine beyond the fact it is used in furniture and ship building i had a look at some old posts and i now wonder if its worth it. bluestain and warping make me wonder especially if the chemicals for bluestain are $600 per bucket/drum?

the tree was healthy but blew over in a storm and still appears to be growing or alive, its roots still being in the ground these last 2 months.

would it be easy to find customers for the product?
i can slab it or mill it. altho i've never used my lucas slabbing attachment. i have a 6" mill.
i was considering cutting it into 6"X2" or 6"X3" X5.2m.
this would be done in my spare time away from other duties which are considerable. and that bothers me a bit coz of the time taken to protect the wood.
transport to my house is not a problem and i definitely would cut at home at my leisure.(or whatever the fungus dictates!):?

any ideas would be appreciated.

ps; re-reading this post you will notice this log is 700mm now that "sai sensei" has pointed out my error.

[BobL]

70 mm ? I think you might mean 700 mm as it would not be worth milling anything that was 70 mm in diam?

Also you said you have a 6" Lucas, is that the diam of the circular blade? as it clearly can't be the width of mill.

Sorry I know nothing about hoop pine.

[DJ’s Timber]

Also you said you have a 6" Lucas, is that the diam of the circular blade? as it clearly can't be the width of mill.



Bob, the 6" is for the depth of cut

[Sigidi]

Ramana2, I'd say go for it, but then you mention it would be a spare time thing, that means bluestain for sure:(

Do you have a specific need for the timber in those sizes? cutting and hadnling that length, will take a bit of time, although it might be good to chrsten your slabber :D :2tsup:

let us know how you go ;)

[BobL]

Bob, the 6" is for the depth of cut

Thanks

[ramana2]

just to clarify; yes, its a 700mm log lying on flat ground close to a highway.

my mill is capable of a 6" or 150mm cut.

so if i go ahead, does it mean i must paint the cut timber all over once i have milled a few pieces? if i did a days cutting, (most likely with no one pulling out for me,) can i then paint/oil/spray the cut pieces, even tho some of them have been their 6/7 hours? immediate under cover i guess would be essential.

no, i dont have a use for the timber; altho i would like to cut 6 door frames for my house. i have a "grinding head" i'm told its called, to smooth the slabbing marks. basically its a router with a 2" cutter which i've never set up but presume it rolls a;ong the rails and could rebate a 125mm X 38mm to accept a door closure.
a problem i forsee would be warping. it would be easy? to rebate it while its part of the log but then it may warp after. how about plywood factories?, do they use hoop pine and if so how do they avoid the blue stain.

[ramana2]

new to milling- treating hoop pine ? (http://www.woodworkforums.com/f132/new-milling-treating-hoop-pine-90510/)
i gather the whole log does not develop blue stain throughout its "logness"? but only on the surface, no?

and cut boards are ok for a while? if they are stored dry with ventilation/spacers.

they mentioned the log had been down 9 months. perhaps in a dryer climate than mine. i'm nth nsw.

i was thinking boat builders in brisbane (was it hemmant?) would be delighted to get some hoop pine of various sizes.

[ramana2]

after clearing enough away i was in a position to make an accurate measurement. drum roll, its 1 metre diameter, its humungous! i'll get 4 5.3m logs out of this one. and a guy up the road has one bigger that has to come down. i'll be busy, lucky i'm a workaholic.

i spent the day clearing the tangle of 3" vines away and off the log, enough to cut the base off and start cutting 5.3m back from that. there were vines everywhere, i dont like cutting them as there's a bit of the tarzan in me. (had a pet monkey as a kid). the base did not move very much, it opened only 5 degrees at the most but may drop more as time passes. its not quite cut thru and sits on the edge of the creek with its huge rootball. 2 other 8" trees grow out of the same rootball, so it was hairy and cramped getting under those to cut 50cm in from the far side. the weight of those trees may hold it there. i cut the other half from the safe side last. my new makita 50cm chainsaw performed flawlessly. next i'll have to calculate the weight of the 5.3m section, as the crane on the 7 ton truck i will hire has a 2 and half ton limit. the half day went pretty smooth, only lost 1/8 of a t spoon of blood.

and later, according to my calculations at 680kgs per green metre cubed, it will weigh about 2.4 tonnes at 5m.

[Bushmiller]

Ramana

That's a big tree. Very worthwhile.

Regards
Paul