oregon questions?

[charlsie]

i have a client wanting me to mill a douglas fir tree (oregon) i've never milled one. what i'm asking is , what sizes should i mill it to for her, to sell at a later date. the tree or totem pole now is 7.5 mtrs long. would you blokes slab it or mill it to 4x4 posts. just interested on feedback. i've never milled one or tried to sell the stuff. if it were pine i'd make sleepers out of it and know i could move it
regards charlsie

[echnidna]

I yend to think 8x2 10x2 & 12x2 would be more saleable, just an opinion

[weisyboy]

cut it into 2" slabs and you should be able to sell it when its dry latter. or it san be resawn very easily.

[artme]

Don't even think of sleepers from Oregon! The termites will hear you!!

[charlsie]

thanks guys, Bob, it might only be your opinion but that is what i asked for:doh: Weisy, the client is a 70 year old collingwood fan (AFL football) she wants to value add the tree she's cutting down :read (she doesn't have a lot of money to pay for the lopping) so hopes to make something back on getting the log milled and selling the timber.

Artme i was never going to send the timber to sleepers, if the termite population around here heard about that ,they'd be camped around here day and night with the brothers,sisters, cousins,aunts ,uncles,sister in laws,twice removed ugly 2nd cousins and any other termite population would move in .I seem to have them all in my back yard:~

[charlsie]

all fixed 72 4x4's 1/2 dozen 6x6's and 3 slabs plus a lot flitch 10 hrs all up (pick up included two trips to mount dandenong)

[Sigidi]

looks really pretty good on ya

[weisyboy]

nice job mate.:2tsup:

now just to stop it rom spliting:~

[artme]

Great job on the milling! Hope it proves to be worth the effort.

[charlsie]

weisy what about the splitting? my guess is it shouldn't. is there something i should know about the timber?

[weisyboy]

whoy would you think it wouldnt?

all timber will split if not treated properly.

in my experiance origan is prone to splitting and due to its atreight grainedness it splits a long way.

im happy to be proven rong thow.

[charlsie]

its a soft wood so it shouldn't split like the hardwoods i cut ,like i said i dont know much about the timber but i'd treat it like any soft wood ,bar cypress

[BUNTA]

I bet your mill would have flown through that stuff......
what size is your lucas ? & i still would end seal them all the same...

[Zed]

I like oregon but the problem is its very brittle and splinters I've found...

I quite like the orange stripes and if you get some old growth the close lines look great....

[charlsie]

bunta its the 8" model . blade did go pretty quick. and the end sealer will get a seeing to. the end in the sun is already starting to check

[Sigidi]

Any cut timber allowed to see full light of day will get cranky on you really fast, if your pile is staying there for some time, try and give it some cover from the sun. Maybe put some shets of tin over it and give it a good overhang. Also if teh cut timber is to be something you want to get a good return from, strap the stack with ratchet tie-down straps and keep the tight over time.

Just a few things I have found which help to keep the timber from going cranky.