# Large horse chestnut tree being felled



## CraigyBoy (9 Apr 2010)

I was talking to a friend last night, and he told me that his brother has had a covenant on a large horse chestnut tree removed and is going to have it chopped down. He wanted to know if I wanted some firewood!!

It's a big tree and my initial reaction was "wow that'll be worth quite a lot" he shouldn't just let the timer company take it away, and he shouldn't chop it up for firewood. However, I can't think how we could practically turn this into usable timber. The tree is in his garden, so it can't be chopped at the bottom and allowed to fall over like in a forest so it might not be possible to get decent sized pieces.

Has anybody done this before? Any ideas? 

Craig


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## wizer (9 Apr 2010)

I'd say it's only real use would be with turners. Who are used to getting timber for free for very little.


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## Joints (9 Apr 2010)

Haha is that a touch of bitterness wizer?


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## wizer (9 Apr 2010)

huh?


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## miles_hot (9 Apr 2010)

Joints":1hfo732c said:


> Haha is that a touch of bitterness wizer?


I suspect not - just a statement of fact; once you get into the turning it seems to be normal to get to know tree surgeons and the like who are happy to dispose of timber rather than have to burn / dump it. After all if the OP was to plank the tree (mobile saw mill / woodminizer etc) it would have to be stored from some time before it is useful to furniture makers. Whist this is a low cost option it does require quite a lot of space. Contrast with the wood turner who will be able to use the wood on day 1 (or store for some time as well)...

I have to say that when I have managed to lay hands on significant lumps of wood for very little it is a great feeling - I have a lot of yew sitting around for the day when I get my dust extraction sorted and will be able to turn it into hundreds of bowls / forms etc  

Besides - if you have a look at Wizer's previous posts you might get a hint that he is to wood what Emelda Marcos is to shoes! lucky devil 

Miles


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## wizer (9 Apr 2010)

My main point was that Horse Chestnut is not a timber I see used for furniture very often, if ever.


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## RogerS (9 Apr 2010)

Local farmer? Local wood auction a la Pugh's? Cut it up..air dry it for a few years in an old barn. Sell it at auction. If you look at Pughs results that should give you some idea of what chestnut might fetch at auction (regional variations notwithstanding)


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## miles_hot (9 Apr 2010)

CraigyBoy":1io202w0 said:


> I was talking to a friend last night, and he told me that his brother has had a covenant on a large horse chestnut tree removed and is going to have it chopped down. He wanted to know if I wanted some firewood!!
> 
> It's a big tree and my initial reaction was "wow that'll be worth quite a lot" he shouldn't just let the timer company take it away, and he shouldn't chop it up for firewood. However, I can't think how we could practically turn this into usable timber. The tree is in his garden, so it can't be chopped at the bottom and allowed to fall over like in a forest so it might not be possible to get decent sized pieces.
> 
> ...



Where is it in the country - people may be able to help out with either the act or the disposal...

It would be a shame to see it all turned into firewood - if it has significance to you and you want to make it into something in a few years you can look up local mobile saw mills who will be able to plank it. The fact that it will be sections (to assist in the felling) will ultimately not impact you as how many times do you need a 30' plank? 

If you can't cope with the cost of the mobile mill local turners may still be able to help out with some disposal, especially crotch and burl elements however the rest of the trunk will still be useful as I think that chestnut can take a nice stain and is a nice wood to use anyway (I could be corrected on that mind you as I'm not massively experienced!).

HTH

Miles


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## tulsk (9 Apr 2010)

I'm with your friend on this one; unless you've got loads of room to store converted timber, Conker would be extremely low down on my list of timbers to take up precious storage space. As has already been stated, turners may get something out of the figured lumps. 
Cheers John


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## jeffinfrance (9 Apr 2010)

hi craig,

chestnut is a beautiful wood with a very intersting figure. it was/is used here for all types of joinery and carpentry and was especially popular for peasant farmers (couldn't afford oak) for kitchen furniture. fantastic for any "rustic" projects.

have you spoken to your nearest sawmill? maybe they could do the business and charge for sawing and drying till its ready for use.

shame to burn it

jeff


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## Dan-K (9 Apr 2010)

As far as I know the usual 'chestnut' wood which is used in furniture is in fact sweet chestnut. Horse chestnut is considered a much inferior wood.


> The timber from horse chestnut is light in weight and not very strong and, other than pulp wood, has very few uses commercially although it was once used to make artificial limbs.


http://www.arkive.org/horse-chestnut/aesculus-hippocastanum/info.html

Sweet chestnut:


> The tannin renders the young growing wood durable and resistant to outdoor use, thus suitable for posts, fencing or stakes. The timber of the species is marketed as chestnut. The wood is of light colour, hard and strong. It is also used to make furniture, barrels (sometimes used to age balsamic vinegar), and roof beams notably in southern Europe (for example in houses of the Alpujarra, Spain, in southern France and elsewhere).


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castanea_sativa

HTH


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## Mattty (9 Apr 2010)

Dan-K":1gm4uzoj said:


> As far as I know the usual 'chestnut' wood which is used in furniture is in fact sweet chestnut. Horse chestnut is considered a much inferior wood.
> 
> 
> > The timber from horse chestnut is light in weight and not very strong and, other than pulp wood, has very few uses commercially although it was once used to make artificial limbs.
> ...


100% Don't confuse the 2. Horse chestnut is not a great furniture timber at all.


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## Doblo (9 Apr 2010)

It's definitely sweet chestnut in France,A beautiful wood and nice nuts too.Lots of barn doors and beams made of it as it's very resistant to insects and rot.


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## big soft moose (9 Apr 2010)

wizer":2gha6qfz said:


> My main point was that Horse Chestnut is not a timber I see used for furniture very often, if ever.



ive got a small plank in store , which the nice men at yandles gave me gratis with a bigger wood purchase.

acoording to them it is quite often used in furniture , but generally as a oak substitute and much of the furniture made from it may well be erroneously sold as oak.

however you are right that this kind of garden harvest is only going to be of interest to woodturners (and maybe carvers)


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## CraigyBoy (9 Apr 2010)

Thanks for the replies guys. I'd not realised that chestnut/sweet chestnut were different. Doesn't sound like it's worth the bother on that basis. I'd seen chestnut for sale and assumed it was horse chestnut. You learn something new everyday!

Cheers Craig


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## BradNaylor (10 Apr 2010)

I was fitting a kitchen a couple of years ago and the next door neighbours were having a huge beech tree cut down in their front garden. I got chatting to the tree surgeon and asked him what happens to the wood from all the trees he fells.

Firewood. All of it.

It seems that there is just no profit to be made from the laborious and expensive job of planking, drying, and storing timber on a small scale like this.

If done on an industrial basis like in mainland Europe or in America it makes sense, but such activity is uncommon in this country - hence the rarity of native hardwoods.

It's more profitable to ship timber in from abroad.


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## Richard T (10 Apr 2010)

S'right - Horse Chestnut is to Chestnut as Mountain Ash is to Ash; the "Chestnut" bit is a mere nickname.
It's a totally different species - Aesculus. 
It's very soft, prone to honey fungus, can hardly support its own weight as a tree, it stains ugly, dull green and blue streaks and even as firewood is very smoky and doesn't last long. 
Having said all that, about five years ago Habitat were selling foot square cubes of oak for £100 per pop. My Mother-out-law was drooling over them and asked if I could do her something like ... all I had at the time that big was conker. 
I made one for her and one for us from big bits of fork section and I have to say that with heavy oiling it's rather stunning. 
I've never tried using it for planking - could be an interestig experiment. Espescially as we are seeing more and more succome to the dreaded bleeding canker at the mo.


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## Mr Ed (11 Apr 2010)

I took down a massive horse chestnut on a project late last year and had to pay to get rid of it - firewood was the only option I could find at the time.

Everything I have read suggests it is not a good timber for furniture, but thats not to say you can't give it a go.

I got some turkey oak mixed in with some regular oak I bought from a tree surgeon, not realising at the time that turkey oak is more or less useless for furniture. I managed to dry one bit enough to make a small bench, but the rest ended up as firewood.

Ed


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## steve66 (11 Apr 2012)

picking up this old thread, as you can see I've felled this horse chestnut it would be a shame to turn it all into firewood as I've an ash tree to plank as well I thought I should try and do something with the chestnut but do you think it's a lost cause, the trunk is about 10 feet long


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## steve66 (11 Apr 2012)

this is the ash felled and ready for planking, I know it may not be the most economical way to source wood but it would be nice to have something made out of own timber from the garden


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## Jacob (11 Apr 2012)

Horse chestnut highly underrated according to my book. Can be straight grained, easy to work, not very figured but can be attractive, usable for furniture etc, polishes well. 
Probably overshadowed by sweet chestnut which is very different.
Definitely worth having - but then so is most wood but it's up to you to find out how best to use it! Superior to poplar for instance.


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## Blister (11 Apr 2012)

Steve

You have no location in your profile

Some people have mobile sawmills , very small that can be set up in a garden , the smallest type is a frame that fits on a chainsaw so very portable


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## Wildman (11 Apr 2012)

CraigyBoy":3akm3cl3 said:


> Thanks for the replies guys. I'd not realised that chestnut/sweet chestnut were different. Doesn't sound like it's worth the bother on that basis. I'd seen chestnut for sale and assumed it was horse chestnut. You learn something new everyday!
> 
> Cheers Craig


try eating conkers, you will soon see there is a differance, hee hee


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## paulm (11 Apr 2012)

Blister":12ak93a7 said:


> Steve
> 
> You have no location in your profile
> 
> Some people have mobile sawmills , very small that can be set up in a garden , the smallest type is a frame that fits on a chainsaw so very portable



Some do indeed, and may be able to help depending on location :lol: 

Cheers, Paul


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