Lately there has been a plague of bark beetles infesting the spruce trees in my neighborhood. It’s sad to see these huge trees windbreaks start to die off. On the other hand, if you’re in the right place at the right time, people will give the logs to you. The question then becomes, is the wood I get out of the log worth the effort it takes to mill it?
Spruce, especially pampered spruce that has been irrigated, is a very soft wood. When compared to other conifers such as Douglas fir it is about half the weight, half the density, can break easily etc. Which is fine if you want to build light weight decorative items such as picture frames or crates, but not so great if what you want to build needs greater structural integrity.
Spruce trees are also very brutal on bandsaw blades…and since the wood is less valuable than oak, I have a hard time getting myself to change to a new blade when I should. In the picture below I had cut the cant with a dull blade thinking at the time, “It isn’t that bad, I can finish this log without changing the blade.” Um, think again.
Good thing it started raining and I had to come back to the project a day later. By then I had come to my senses and decided to change the blade, change my plans and finish cutting the wood into 1 x material instead of the 4×4’s I originally though I’d do.
Guess I’ll get lots of practice straightening up edges on this lot once it’s dried….it think of something creative you to make with it.
After that debacle on rather substantial log, I decided to re-evaluate whether or not it would be worth milling the last spruce log I had in the yard. At a 12” diameter on one end and 10” on the other, would there be enough good lumber to justify dulling a $25 blade?
I’ve started hiding off the dirt and mud from the bark before I cut into a log, but that only washes away the very worst of it. Cutting through the bark is something to be avoided if possible, but I also wanted to get the most out of this little log….so I shimmed the end to half get my first cut level, flipped it over so the flat side was on the rails, then cut the other two sides.
End result was 6 pretty straight 1x8x8 boards. If they dry ok then it just might have been worth the blade…not to mention all of the wavy 1x material I cut from the previous log.
Current price of a 1x6x8 spruce common board at Home Depot is $10.27. It’s probably a closer wash once you add up all of the real costs of milling the lumber. For me the limiting factor are the band was blades for the mill, they have to be ordered in advance and take 6-8 weeks to arrive and only come so many at a time.
Do I really want to dull one on a spruce tree when I’m hoping to have oak to mill later in the summer????? At the current price of lumber the answer today is: sometimes.
Girl with a Hand Plane 