Replies

1. 
   JeffHeath | Feb 25, 2008 03:03am | #1

   I wouldn't cut them any smaller until I knew what I was going to make with them.  They will be heavy, not unmanageable.  You should be able to carry them by yourself, or at least with 1 helper.

   Stability wise, store them in a dry place, with air circulation.  NOT IN A BASEMENT!  They were milled decades ago, and are as dry as they are ever going to get without a kiln. 

   Enjoy, enjoy.  The black walnut market is on the rise, so buy them if you can.

   Jeff

2. 
   blewcrowe | Mar 05, 2008 09:26pm | #2

   That's not completely inmanagable. If you have a large bandsaw, or access to one, you could set up aux infeed and outfeed tables and take them down to 4/4 and 8/4 or whatever you want. Yer a lucky man, regardless.

3. 
   Lataxe | Mar 05, 2008 10:08pm | #3

   Tom,

   When you do come to cut them boards, you may still find a nail here and there. Happily those old square nails are very soft metal and tungsten-carbide blades seem to cut them with no damage except maybe an increase in the rate of "blunting".  I've cut several old pitch pine beams from knocked-down Victorian mill buildings and the nails are often buried and/or hard to get out without damaging the timber - so they get cut.

   However, a bandsaw blade will not like them nails so when it comes to resawing for thinner planks, you may have to look for and dig the buggers out.  This is a tedious business and tends to create a nasty big rusty hole. A very small diameter holesaw that will go around the nail, followed by a plug in the hole after the nail is got out, seems to be the best fix (i.e. the least obvious, if you match the plug grain to that around the hole).  The central drill bit of a holesaw will also drill right through the soft nail, if you aim well.

   Quite frankly, if there's much risk of hitting a nail, I would resaw with a table saw, even if you have to find some enterprise with one having a motor and a TCT blade big enough to resaw 14 inch planks (in two passes, using a powerfeed).  I've done this with the worst examples (nail-wise) of them pitch pine beams, although they tend to be 10" X 10" or less.  The saw-owner I persuaded rather enjoyed the experience, although he neeed reassuring concerning the softness of the nails.

   If your benefactor has truly got most of the nails out, then you can feel relief.  :-)

   Enjoy that old wood!  The old stuff I use is often fine, fine quality when exposed by the resawing and planing. Old growth trees that had to compete with others in the forest, as well as the long-term environmental stresses of natural habitat (rather than that of a managed plantation) show all sorts of figure, as well as closer growth rings with a consequent increase in the density of the timber and often a darkening of the colour. 

   I envy your find.

   Lataxe

    

4. 
   BigK | Mar 06, 2008 04:26pm | #4

   If you know anyone who has a large bandsaw, then resawing is the way to break down your prize. Most commercial shops would do this for their hourly rate. You need to use a metal detector to check the wood for nails, etc. first. Broken bandsaw blades are not cheap, especially the carbide tooth blades that most larger shops would be using. ( I pay $175 for Lennox CT blades for my MiniMax.) Wood that is that size will need to be scanned probably after every saw pass. A small detector is only about $20, but the larger model is really worth it's $60 price tag. Wish that I could remember the products name. When you do find a nail, and you will, you can make a small hole saw-like device using steel brake line. It comes in three different sizes, you will probably want a foot of each. I use my Dremel with a disc cutter to cut teeth in one end and chuck that in a cordless drill to "chase" the nail. Once it is started it will follow the nail and leave only a small hole that you can plug, epoxy (mixed with sawdust for a close color match when finished), or whatever.
   I am so jealous; I should charge a small sample fee for this advice, say a few board feet? Just kidding. Good luck.

1. 
   ctsjr | Mar 06, 2008 04:50pm | #5

   Thanks to all for the replies. Unfortunately, my acquaintance has not seen fit to offer for sale or gift me with any of the walnut--yet! I'll report back if he does. It's outa my hands. Tom"Notice that at no time do my fingers leave my hand"

1. 
   md2453 | Mar 07, 2008 12:00am | #6

   I would recommend that you get to be really close to this guy!  Last fall we happend upon almost 5000 bf of black walnut that had been stored since before WWII in a barn in Michigan and then inherited and moved to CO about 20 years ago.  We found it in an estate auction in Greeley and bought the lot and oh my goodness what a treasure!  Big thick wide planks even dark color with some beautiful purple now and then!  Nails occasionally but pretty easy to find

   All I can tell you is if this guy is not a wood worker, tell him you want first right of refusal and then offer to build him something with his wood.  Don't let it out of your sight though because if you do I'll get there first and it will all disappear in the night on my stake truck headed back to Colorado!

   Madison