# log furniture



## Deedle (Feb 9, 2011)

Hey everyone. I've recently been inspired to try to make some log furniture. I think i have some of the basic techniques figured out but I still have one question. Where do most people get their logs. I have a lot of land that I could go log collecting but I'm not exactly sure what I'm looking for. Any help on the subject would be greatly appreciated. Thanks


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## saw4fun (Apr 4, 2009)

If you can find a sawmill in your area a lot of times the outer slabs off of the logs go for firewood prices.


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## Nomad62 (Apr 20, 2010)

You should collect logs from the bole, not the limbs; I did the same thing with some western red alder on my land, and the outcome was very nice. You can use small trees for the small pieces, larger trees for the larger pieces. I would look at a tree and see if I could get 2-3 different pieces without "wasting" too much, it worked well.


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## rance (Sep 30, 2009)

Bole? I had to Google that one. Imagine, at my age, and STILL learning. 

PS: For the rest of us who live under a rock, it means "Trunk"


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## swirt (Apr 6, 2010)

If you have cedars around, it is very common to find young ones that fall over after the other forest trees shaded them and crowded them out. The ones in this area (upstate NY) grow slower than the oaks so the oaks end up shading them so much they die and the roots give out and they fall over. Given the rot resistance of cedar they last for many many years just sitting on the forest floor.

Lots of times I find them and the main log is not even touching the ground because the branches are still suspending it.

The bark of the cedar is pretty easy to spot once you know what to look for. The smell when you cut it will confirm that you got the right wood.


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## Deedle (Feb 9, 2011)

Thanks for the help. I do know where I can find a lot of cedar so now all I have to do is wait for some snow to finally melt.


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## rustictone (Oct 15, 2010)

One thing to remember when working with rustic log stock is that you need to seal the ends of the logs after cutting or they will split and crack quite a bit. Some people paint the ends, I like to keep the bark on for a few months with a few coats of gloss polyurethane brushed on the ends. I Cut my pieces an inch longer than needed on each end so when it comes time to make something all I have to do is cut to my final length. It does waste a little bit of the wood but I have had good luck with it. That is what I do with stock that is dead and has been drying for a while, if the tree is green you really need to let the logs sit for a while, sometimes a year or two depending on the thickness and if your air drying. If the logs are small enough (3-4 inches in diameter) I paint the ends, load them into the back of my truck in the middle of the summer, close my tonneau cover on a hot day and let them sit in there to dry for the weekend…3-4 days does the trick normally and its cheep, hope that helps a little.


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## dougdeg (Jan 29, 2008)

The biggest thing to remeber is that all longs should be kiln dried to kill any bugs in the log, I find most of my logs is sites where they have logged an area and pick up what most loggers don't want the crooked and curvy stuff, And i do a lot of work with limbs and branches, its all wood, and most logs will check and crake no matter what you do to it.

Have fun


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