Bad Beech
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It's a maple, that's the reason I went up on that hill, turns out we'll get two beech plus the maple for firewood. This is the other beech (the top) that I'll grab.
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Looks like the wind is blowing right to left.
The leaves are all pointing left .
Must be the predominate wind, the snag behind blew down that direction too.
A big wind from the other direction may take it down for you.
The leaves are all pointing left .
Must be the predominate wind, the snag behind blew down that direction too.
A big wind from the other direction may take it down for you.
Gasifier
Minister of Fire
Bogy has learned that by being able to smell the beer truck delivering to the local gin mill up there in the Alaskan out back. When he is down wind from it he get a head start to the establishment!
How the hell you doing Dave? How cold is it up there this week anyway. I was surprised a few weeks ago it was warmer where you are than it was here.?
![[Hearth.com] Bad Beech](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/93/93646-0fa982fbe3b9ee54bbc629373d8e25c0.jpg?hash=Jlst-YR3F6 "[Hearth.com] Bad Beech")
Locust Post
Minister of Fire
One of my favorites..beech. A lot of the big ones around here get hollow in the middle. I like it because it a good hardwood and the bark is about the least messy of anything I've cut.
Beech is nice firewood. Be careful there Zap that looks a little dangerous. Like Thistle said, take it now before it gets worse. Is it hollow or not yet? A C
TimJ
Minister of Fire
Ralphie Boy
Minister of Fire
I love that beech for burning, and also for making tomahawk and hammer handles. Makes great axe handles, too! Stuff is hard as a rock when it dries out.......and can be a son-of-a-"beech" to turn on the lathe....
I saved a couple of big rounds this past summer and ripped them into 1 1/2" slabs, then into 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" boards and let them dry real good. Gonna make some 'hawk and stone hammer handles out of them this summer. Beech has a really unique grain (kinda a cross between maple and chestnut) that I really like when sanded and stained......
I saved a couple of big rounds this past summer and ripped them into 1 1/2" slabs, then into 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" boards and let them dry real good. Gonna make some 'hawk and stone hammer handles out of them this summer. Beech has a really unique grain (kinda a cross between maple and chestnut) that I really like when sanded and stained......
I am glad you get some use out of it Scotty. It is great firewood but I guess no one in the lumber business really cares for the stuff. My understanding is the lumber companies just pass on beech. But of course Budweiser does beechwood aging.I love that beech for burning, and also for making tomahawk and hammer handles. Makes great axe handles, too! Stuff is hard as a rock when it dries out.......and can be a son-of-a-"beech" to turn on the lathe....
I saved a couple of big rounds this past summer and ripped them into 1 1/2" slabs, then into 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" boards and let them dry real good. Gonna make some 'hawk and stone hammer handles out of them this summer. Beech has a really unique grain (kinda a cross between maple and chestnut) that I really like when sanded and stained......
Not much value in domestic beech today unfortunately (been years since I seen any at a hardwood retailer around here) but I have seen a small amount of old tongue & groove flooring.Similar to hard maple in shock resistance,wearing qualities,but a tiny bit coarser & was cheaper even back then.One of the main uses for it in the past was bodies & handles,knobs for wooden moulding & bench planes of all sizes & shapes.European Beech has been prized for centuries (still used today) for mallets,wooden plane parts & especially workbenches.Here we preferred hard maple which was more widespread,plus occasionally yellow birch.
TimJ, I'll get a better look at the base, we have some that are just rotten so I'm not sure it can be repaired. Lots of small ones growing on that ridge so if it has to come down it will be replaced. The only ones I dropped on our property were hollow, like Sav said leave them up...great food for the deer.
jdp1152
Minister of Fire
I'm not sure yet but will be giving it a tap. I remember doing two in the winter a couple of years ago, both were hollow, both came down without a problem.
I hate to cut them but we have one that the base is rotten (the rest of the tree is great) so I won't touch it.Zap, take the beech! You know you want it. You know you won't sleep well until it's down. You know everyone around you will be happier after you take it down cause you'll be happy!
zap, that beech has PROBLEM written all over it. Be very careful with it. Notch it and cut it high if you have to. Don't take chances! If it is too bad, Mother Nature will help you in due time.
We'll see how the base is, if it's not that bad we'll grab it. Once I cut a path to the hill (more like clear the path) we can get the cable on it if needed.
I will grab the downed beech first on the side of gunner then take a look at the big maple on the other side of that same hill.
I had to change plans today from cutting to work then I watched my nephew play some hockey, looks like tomorrow will be cold here (-20 with the windchill) might try some outside work.
ake it down
Zap, is all your beech dying in your area? Up here there is some kind of fungus I believe that is killing all the beech. I see truckloads every day heading for the paper mills. Last I heard they were getting about $115/cord for it, so if you want it for firewood your going to pay at least that much....and no one will pay that much for it.
All the white ash is being killed from the EAB so there is going to be tons of that stuff available soon too.
Pat
Yes, we have the same fungus. The base seems to be hollow on the bigger ones but we still have some that are in nice shape.
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