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Large amount of spalted beech - worth much?

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  • 23-12-2009 2:28am
    #1
    midacr
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6 ✭


    Hi everyone. A friend of mine has a patch of land with some old woods on it. I learned today that he has the remains of a beech which came down (i think) a year ago. It's cylindrical, ~5m long, ~85cm across and very straight. It also has quite nice spalting on it.

    He was wondering about the saleability of such a thing, since despite his desire to make some furniture out of it, it may never happen. So, does anyone know how much this would be worth and how difficult it would be to sell?


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    #2
    kadman
    Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators Posts: 5,098 Mod ✭✭✭✭kadman


    Where abouts is it. Is he looking to sell it, or is he just interested in its value.

    kadman


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    #3
    midacr
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6 ✭midacr


    It's in Dalkey. He's looking to sell it if it's worth a decent amount - otherwise it'll go on the "someday I'll do that" pile for a few years, or be used as firewood.


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    #4
    kadman
    Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators Posts: 5,098 Mod ✭✭✭✭kadman


    If its in logform, its impossible to know if its spalted all the way through. It would have to have a breaking cut through the centreline of the tree to see for certain. Is there any chance of that happening. Is it red, white or copper beech do you know.

    kadman


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    #5
    midacr
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6 ✭midacr


    I don't know what type it is - I'll ask next time I see him. As for the cut, does the entire log need to be cut down the centre?


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    #6
    kadman
    Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators Posts: 5,098 Mod ✭✭✭✭kadman


    Probably not. How do you know its spalted, any chance of a pic.

    It may be that only the end of the trunk shows signs of staining. I dont think that a tree would be completely spalted in only a year.Any local sawmill is only going to saw it into stakes . He would have to contact a specific timber suppliers to sell it on for furniture quality timber.

    He could pay some one to log it for him with a mobile chainsaw mill, if he wants to keep it for re sale. I,d imagine log sawn spalted , airdried beech is somewhere between 15-30 euros a cubic foot if you were buying it. So a sawmill wont be paying large amounts for it in the begining.

    He could plank it himself with a chainsaw, with a ripping blade, and store it for further use, or sell it on.Selling it in plankform would be easier than a log.

    kadman


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    #7
    peternelson
    Registered Users Posts: 1 ✭peternelson


    Hi I have a very large Beach tree with some spalted marks on it in Bray, Im trying to find out is it worth any thing before I cut it up, Thank you from Peter


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    #8
    Miname
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,984 ✭✭✭Miname


    peternelson wrote: »
    Hi I have a very large Beach tree with some spalted marks on it in Bray, Im trying to find out is it worth any thing before I cut it up, Thank you from Peter
    throw out sizes and even at that its hard to estimate. dont get over excited either, people seem to think that trees are worth a mint for furniture but the reality is a lot of the time its been felled incorrectly and when planked theres nothing but cracks right through the boards. spalted beech is like a big steak dinner to woodworm too. i reckon its down to the way it softens over time.


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    #9
    woodturner
    Registered Users Posts: 879 ✭✭✭woodturner


    Pity you're too far away. I love spalted beech.


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