It was cool to find some of my wood on a forum. As I read the remarks I had to make some corrections.
All of our wood is river and lake recovered from South Carolina. We recover our logs from 1700 - 1800's mill-sites. Some of our logs were recovered from depths of 50 feet or more. These logs were growing when Christopher Columbus got here. Yes, you buy modern cypress for a cheap price about anywhere in the southeast. Modern cypress lumber comes from trees less than 50 years old with little to no heart. The growth ring count of modern cypress is less than 10 rings per inch and, at most, only 4-6 ring per inch.
Our logs are all virgin old-growth and ax-cut. The growth ring count in our cypress is a minimum of 20-40 rings per inch. Our logs are 95-100% heart wood. The river normally removes the little sapwood there is. The log in the picture above was only 32" on the small end. We have logs that are up to 60". The 60" log we have has over 800 growth rings not counting the sapwood which is missing.
Pecky in cypress is not caused by bugs or worms. It is caused by a fungus (Stereum taxoii), which works its way into the heart of the tree from the top and works its way down to the roots. This entire process takes decades. Once the tree was cut down and put in the river, the water killed the fungus leaving a Swiss cheese look.
nate03031980 wrote:It was cool to find some of my wood on a forum. As I read the remarks I had to make some corrections.
All of our wood is river and lake recovered from South Carolina. We recover our logs from 17 and 1800's mill-site's. Some of our logs were recovered from depths of feet or more. These logs were growing when Christopher Columbus got here. Yes, you buy modern cypress for a cheap price's about anywhere in the southeast. Modern cypress lumber come from tree's less then 50 years old with little to no heart. The growth ring count of modern cypress is less then rings per inch and in most only 4-6 ring per inch.
Our logs are all virgin old growth and ax-cut. The growth ring count in our cypress is a minimum of 20-40 rings per inch. Our logs are 95-100% heart wood. The river normally removes the little sapwood there is. The log in the picture above was only 32" on the small end. We have logs that are up to 60". The 60" log we have has over 800 growth rings not counting the sapwood which is missing.
Pecky in cypress in not caused by bugs or worms. It is caused by a fungus(Stereum taxodii) which works it's way into the heart of the tree from the top and works it's way down to the roots. This took decades. Once the tree was cut down and put in the river, the water killed the fungus leaving a Swiss cheese look.
This is one of the reasons I wish I was younger and more financially capable. I would be in your area, in a heart beat, to load up a trailer full of that lumber (maybe more than once).
You guys who are still young and able should really give this some serious thought.
"Making Sawdust Safely" Dusty
Sent from my Dell XPS using Firefox.
Welcome Nate. Can ya explain why the logs were sunken and how ya find em?
SS 500(09/1980), DC3300, jointer, bandsaw, belt sander, Strip Sander, drum sanders,molder, dado, biscuit joiner, universal lathe tool rest, Oneway talon chuck, router bits & chucks and a De Walt 735 planer,a #5,#6, block planes. ALL in a 100 square foot shop. .
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Bob
In the 1800's, logs were rafted together and floated down the river to the mills. On the trip down the river a unknown percentage of these logs sank.
We us a side scam sonar high-definition tow fish along with diving to locate the sites. Diving in these black water rivers is not for the faint of heart. There are high currents, little to no visibility, falling trees under water, and gators. In South Carolina the law requires an Archaeological Survey to receive a licence to recover logs along with a couple other permits. Once all licence's and permit's are in hand the recovery begins. We use a custom built barge and 15 ton hydraulic winches to pull them up along with diving. It sounds easy on paper. Any way getting them to the surface is easier then getting them out of the water. Some logs weigh over 20,000 lbs.
In the 1800's, logs were rafted together and floated down the river to the mills. On the trip down the river a unknown percentage of these logs sank.
We us a side scam sonar high-definition tow fish along with diving to locate the sites. Diving in these black water rivers is not for the faint of heart. There are high currents, little to no visibility, falling trees under water, and gators. In South Carolina the law requires an Archaeological Survey to receive a licence to recover logs along with a couple other permits. Once all licence's and permit's are in hand the recovery begins. We use a custom built barge and 15 ton hydraulic winches to pull them up along with diving. It sounds easy on paper. Any way getting them to the surface is easier then getting them out of the water. Some logs weigh over 20,000 lbs.
beeg wrote:Welcome Nate. Can ya explain why the logs were sunken and how ya find em?
They became 'water logged' and sank?:rolleyes:
Am anxiously awaiting a response to the second ?:)
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Goldie(Bought New SN 377425)/4" jointer/6" beltsander/12" planer/stripsander/bandsaw/powerstation /Scroll saw/Jig saw /Craftsman 10" ras/Craftsman 6" thicknessplaner/ Dayton10"tablesaw(restoredfromneighborstrashpile)/ Mark VII restoration in 'progress'/ 10E[/size](SN E3779) restoration in progress, a 510 on the back burner and a growing pile of items to be eventually returned to useful life. - aka Red Grange
It was cool to find some of my wood on a forum. As I read the remarks I had to make some corrections.
All of our wood is river and lake recovered from South Carolina. We recover our logs from 1700 - 1800's mill-sites. Some of our logs were recovered from depths of 50 feet or more. These logs were growing when Christopher Columbus got here. Yes, you buy modern cypress for a cheap price about anywhere in the southeast. Modern cypress lumber comes from trees less than 50 years old with little to no heart. The growth ring count of modern cypress is less than 10 rings per inch and, at most, only 4-6 ring per inch.
Our logs are all virgin old-growth and ax-cut. The growth ring count in our cypress is a minimum of 20-40 rings per inch. Our logs are 95-100% heart wood. The river normally removes the little sapwood there is. The log in the picture above was only 32" on the small end. We have logs that are up to 60". The 60" log we have has over 800 growth rings not counting the sapwood which is missing.
Pecky in cypress is not caused by bugs or worms. It is caused by a fungus (Stereum taxoii), which works its way into the heart of the tree from the top and works its way down to the roots. This entire process takes decades. Once the tree was cut down and put in the river, the water killed the fungus leaving a Swiss cheese look.
Interesting I always thought bugs caused the pecky. I have found a lot of bug carcasses in the pecky. Of course they could have crawled in and died after the wood was cut.
All I know for sure is pecky cypress draws the termite guys like flies to a picnic, they just have to probe it with their ice pick termite finder.
nate03031980 wrote:In the 1800's, logs were rafted together and floated down the river to the mills. On the trip down the river a unknown percentage of these logs sank.
We us a side scam sonar high-definition tow fish along with diving to locate the sites. Diving in these black water rivers is not for the faint of heart. There are high currents, little to no visibility, falling trees under water, and gators. In South Carolina the law requires an Archaeological Survey to receive a licence to recover logs along with a couple other permits. Once all licence's and permit's are in hand the recovery begins. We use a custom built barge and 15 ton hydraulic winches to pull them up along with diving. It sounds easy on paper. Any way getting them to the surface is easier then getting them out of the water. Some logs weigh over 20,000 lbs.
I forgot to welcome you to the forum. I was too busy feeling sorry for myself because I can not come there to help you harvest lumber from the river bottoms.
Do your divers need special certification or is any qualified diver allowed to do this sort of "salvage dive".
"Making Sawdust Safely" Dusty
Sent from my Dell XPS using Firefox.
