Metal stain in logs question

Re: Metal stain in logs question

Dick Coers

Metal can be above or below. The color changes intensity as you get further away. Cutting off a few inches more might tell a story. Sometimes you can read the bark for swirls or changes where it grew around the metal. Metal detector is better.

Re: Metal stain in logs question

Tom Dunlap

The sawyers concern is valid

My guess is you could find another sawyer though.

I’m sure you already did some detective work too. Was the tree growing anywhere near where afence might have been in the past? Look carefully at the patterns of the bark flakes. As trees grow over branch collars, defects or hardware the bark patterns change. Can you chunk off a shorter section for milling? Maybe chunk off 5 feet or higher from the ground

Almost all of my logs over the years have been urban. It seems like there might have been tramp metal in about one in ten logs. Dulling a bandsaw blade or two is factored into the job. It happens

my experience

John K Jordan

>>>So, if you cut a log and the end of it is stained, is the metal above the cut or below or can you tell?

I have found all kinds of metal in logs and cutting through things on my sawmill. I've found nails, screws, screwdrivers, fence wire, copper wire, fence hardware and insulators, 1/2" steel rods, and once a railroad spike. The biggest I've cut through was the 1/2" steel rod.

I agree that the stain can be in both directions. My experience with walnut was the stain from steel was black and primarily below the metal. I suspected it was mostly due to gravity, but if in the sap wood perhaps it could be associated with the movement of liquid during the seasons. The copper wire I found made no stain but also can't hurt the blade.

I use metal detectors now. Treasure-hunting metal detectors are good, maybe a little too good if the log is on the sawmill since it might pick up the sawmill itself. The lumber Wizard is good. The tiny Little Wizard may be good for checking for checking a 4/4 board before planing but not so much for thicker cuts or for a log, especially through bark, and worse, the scanning footprint is small.

I'll check the outside of the log, and don't usually check again after every board, but when sawing if I see any dark discoloration I stop and check for metal.

I have found metal, especially nails and barbed wire/staples within 5' of the ground. I have also found hooks and screweyes much higher (for a closeline or hammok?) and occasionally nails way up in a tree, probably from a treehouse.

JKJ

I have a bowl....

Barry Irby

I turned from a walnut tree that apparently someone had nailed a heavy piece of copper ground wire to, probably as a clothes line. I seems the tree had sort of pushed the wire as it grew and it was an arc inside the log. I turned it so as to preserve the arc, so I have about a 12" bowl with copper wire exposed in the surface and sticking out of the rim. It was nerve raking to turn, sort of like trying to turn a weed eater that might kill you while is was running.

I have found lots of other stuff in trees as well, but not quite as extensive a collection as yours though.

My plan for for this tree is to cut it off above the fence level and saw the logs above. Then I may try to salvage the butt cut and see if I can get some leg stock. My understanding is blades are less than fifty bucks so if I have to eat one it wouldn't kill me. (Well maybe it would if I actually ate one.)

Re: I have a bowl....

Mike in Zuni VA

Barry,

What size leg stock are you trying to get? If your walnut is fairly straight grained you might try to rive it out. Walnut generally splits good an you will get some exercise in the process.

Mike in Zuni VA

Re: I have a bowl....

Barry Irby

Good idea. Never split any wood on purpose but that might work. Now to get the guy moving on the rest. I am not getting any younger.

Re: I have a bowl....

Keith Newton

Barry, I think if he cuts it off at 5’, you will likely be able to see the metal stain if there was a fence below there. Now if it was close to an old house, there may be a dog chain down at the base.