Thread: Supply of Hoop Pine

Do you have any plans for drying the timber, what price figure are you thinking of and sizes eg. section and length??

Originally Posted by Bob Whitworth

I might have to purchase a small European sawmill that specialises in sawing pine so that it is the sawn product that I transport and this would also give me a better return.. .

Any ideas appreciated. You can telephone me direct on 07 54 866 147. Bob

If you are going to buy a mill forget the european ones and get either a Lucas mill or a Petereson mill.

Either of these oz made mills will produce far more timber per days work than the typical european mills.

Bob, David Kirby runs a band saw mill (Sunshine coast I think). It may be worth talking to him. You could possibly sell directly to David or get him to mill it for you.

Look under David Kirby in the "members list".

Reply to Suggestions.

Firstly to Wood Butcher. If I had my own sawmill as I might decide to do, I would plan to cut trees up to about 50cm in diameter and I would cut the boards as wide as possible so that I would have some boards to this width. As wide as the sawmill was capable of cutting. I would also like to cut down to about a 6 inch top diameter and yes even smaller. I used to work in the Queensland forestry and in my day, they used to sell pine logs for sawing down to an incredible and frugal 4 inch top diameter. I would saw as small a diameter as I could sell the small sized wood for. I think that the maximum length of timber that can now be purchased is about 5 metres and I would like to think that I could saw longer logs into longer boards again limited by the sawmill which may be something like 8 metres long. This is another specialist market I intend to supply as well as the wider boards. If I did saw the logs, I would also have to dry the wood which is more processing and more investment in infrastructure but would also mean a greater return.

I do intend eventually to supply the wider board market but this can only happen when the trees are larger and this takes time and also needs the smaller trees to be thinned out. Even so, there is plenty of small diameter logs on top of the larger butt log.

To Echnidna, my neighbour has a Lucas mill and although quite inexpensive, it isn’t suitable for small diameter pine. The European mills work on a different principle. They are a variation of a conventional sawmill where the one saw does the breaking down and cutting to size. To do this they have a sliding table to hold the log for the initial breaking down and like a wheel called I think a hock which holds the flitches in place for cutting to size using only one man to operate the whole mill. There are three types that I know of, the Kara, the Laimet and the Tommi Lane and all from Finland.

To Knuckle Head, Dave Kirby may be interested in the larger diameter butt logs but I still need to find a market for the smaller diameter logs. Depending on whether I purchase a mill and its sawing characteristics, I might approach Dave about buying my largest diameter butt logs that my mill cannot handle.

Thanks to the suggestions. By the way, this computer and particularly this telephone line only just work, which probably means they don't really work.

Originally Posted by Bob Whitworth

Reply to Suggestions.


To Echnidna, my neighbour has a Lucas mill and although quite inexpensive, it isn’t suitable for small diameter pine. The European mills work on a different principle. They are a variation of a conventional sawmill where the one saw does the breaking down and cutting to size. To do this they have a sliding table to hold the log for the initial breaking down and like a wheel called I think a hock which holds the flitches in place for cutting to size using only one man to operate the whole mill. There are three types that I know of, the Kara, the Laimet and the Tommi Lane and all from Finland.

The Lucas isn't bad for small diameter stuff, with the main drawback being the width of the kerf. Having said that, I wouldn't generally waste my time with stuff that small, as the return for your effort is way too small. Leave the small diameter stuff for roundwood products is my advice. The Lucas will do a fine job on the larger stuff and you might like to look at Petersen, who are offering a thin-kerf blade, which should improve recovery in logs of the size you're talking about.

Hello Bob, I'd like some long planks for building a boat. How long can the log be and still cut a broad plank from it? thanks, jm

JM,

That is an interesting question. I've never cut any of my larger trees so I don't really know. The biggest tree is about 65inches in girth,[50cm ciameter] and has been pruned to 20 feet. I suppose that this means that there should be some 12X2 inch knot free boards of probably up to 25 feet. This is about the maximum length a convention sawmill can cut anyway.

There is though, a US mobile sawmill that can cut an incredible 70 feet length and one exists locally. You need the girder extentions though. My trees are very tall and mostly straight but this length of wood would contain a few knots.

I've recently sold a smaller tree to someone in NSW who makes wooded aeroplanes. Bob

Hi Bob,

I don't think that I can help you with the timber but, I would love to see those trees of yours (plantation), as I'm sure many other forumates would agree, pics are a good thing...!

Cheers
RBTCO

RBTCO,

Unfortunately I don't have a digital camera and I also only have dial up which works!!?? really badly and cannot handle photos. I am though working on it and in the not too distant future, I might have some sort of solution.

A few years ago, I cut down a Flooded Gum that I planted which was 124 feet tall. The Hoop Pine are not quite as tall though. Bob

Bob ,it might be worth your while to try the wooden boat forum,as good quality Douglas fir and Sitka spruce become harder to purchase quality Hoop pine becomes more attractive especially for masts/spars (long lengths)
Ps I'll be giving you a call soon about some mast timbers after the wooden boat festival.
Cheers, Brendan.

Mal at Boutique Timbers could be interested. Contact via member Greg Ward.

Bob, a fellow here in town was recently asked me about some hoop, I didn't have any at the time. I know it's not much in the way of establishing a market, but every bit helps hey? PM me if you think you'd be interested

This is an old photo, taken perhaps ten years ago of me and one of my pine trees. The biggest trees that I have now are in a better site and are older than this tree and are elsewhere. The photo gives at least a bit of an idea of the largest trees and plantations.

Bob, another idea if you can get clean boards 220mm wide must be quarter sawn its now in demand for soundboards for the front of guitars this is more work but better return and its more value adding. Cheers Bob.

Originally Posted by Bob Whitworth

This is an old photo, taken perhaps ten years ago of me and one of my pine trees. The biggest trees that I have now are in a better site and are older than this tree and are elsewhere. The photo gives at least a bit of an idea of the largest trees and plantations.