Picking Up and Slabbing a Walnut Tree

Trailer Build Playlist: • My Trailer with Log Lo...
I recently built a log lift for my trailer and had the opportunity to try it out by picking up a walnut log. This log wasn't very big at 18" in diameter (approx 1000lbs) but was a good first test of the lift's abilities and showed me it's weak point.
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[@BuckinBillyRaySmith]

Every piece is like opening a present on Christmas morning, I recently cut up 38 '' Arbutus [madrone] ..the crotch is my favorite , I love that we can make lumber with power saws eh. I want to thank you so much for subscribing to my humble little channel . I am slowly growing bit by bit, so thx again. any questions about anything just fire away. just watched you and yer dad cuttin' away. great QT ..thx

[@BigFatTonys]

I was thinking on that repair idea we discussed last week. Instead of welding those square tubes into the trailer frame, have them removable with a clevis or a pin. This way you can remove the lifting frame for transporting a bobcat or something tall that needs most of the trailer bed.

[@robertpearson8546]

It's amazing to see the improvements from this video to the present.

[@JPinFuerteventura]

I can't wait to see what beautiful piece you make with the 3-way slabs

[@mcremona]

I can't wait to figure it out :)

[@christopherjude]

Nothing like the homeowner supervision!.

[@rickl.orchids]

......give ya credit, thats some seriously hard work, loved watching your slabbing....like hidden treasure in each log....beautiful wood, so well worth it.......now go sell a slab of that walnut and buy ya some boots.....

[@matthewbrown7111]

It looks like you have some beautiful slabs. You can definitely tell how much work you put into it though when you work into the night. Great job as always

[@mcremona]

Thank you Matthew! It's a little deceiving since night comes so early this time of year. I think that was around 5:30-6:00 or so.

[@salp8762]

Watching you guys work is embarrassing, Miracle no one got hurt.

[@Blackford86]

You don't even have a page so shut the fuck up!! This guy is doing good things

[@woodstoney]

I just can't help but smile at your new supply of walnut lumber compared to what that would cost you at a conventional lumber yard or box store! Nice work!

[@chemcody5119]

It is interesting to watch the process Matt. Looking forward to seeing what you make with these.

[@mcremona]

Thank you!

[@PrimalWoods]

I just put together a Granberg 48" MkIII and Husqvarna 3120XP yesterday. I'll be testing it within a week, on some large sugar maple and beech I have down on the property. Thanks for sharing, Matt!

[@mcremona]

+Primal Woods nice!!!

[@justwondering5540]

Matt when you split a log or a walnut nut it is to me like opening a gift .That crouch was a Bute .

[@TrailsTrailsTrails]

Thanks for a another great video. I love this type of autumn work and you capture the atmosphere wonderfully. Also love that you honestly tell where things didn't work out.

[@protect.your.digits.creations]

Dema you are a true friend . Matt good work and great slabs.

[@mcremona]

He's awesome! Thank you :)

[@dananelson3534]

Good video Matt. Loved seeing your dad help you. Got to love that heartwood, outstanding. Thanks for sharing.

[@mcremona]

thanks Dana!

[@bobrenner1624]

Great job Matt 🙂

[@Cactusworkshopchannel]

Cool! Nice to see the full process, guest stars, and your winch working!

[@mcremona]

:) Thank you!

[@DavidBoeff]

Nice job Matt, I see you put your father to work on his visit. Just like my daughter when we visit.

[@mcremona]

Thanks David! He wouldn't have it any other way :)

[@blackswanprepping8827]

Man, that's really cool! That wood sure looks nice!

[@mcremona]

Thanks!!

[@thetruth9361]

Nice work Matt.

[@JeremyMcMahan]

That is going to have some amazing grain detail when it's cured, milled, built into a project and finished!

[@NickFerry]

the log arch on it's inaugural run - always a fun time Matt

[@mcremona]

+Nick Ferry Thanks for coming along for the ride :)

[@kingcowie]

great stuff matt love watching you turning a discarded tree into something great for the future..

[@MartyD4u]

Apply a couple pullies to reduce the load in your winch. One at the top of the arch and another on the log. Downside is requires more cable. logs will move slower but you will have a happier winch. " Wow! that wood looks awesome!

[@BillHantzopoulos]

I always enjoy these slabbing videos Matt. I look forward to seeing these again in a couple of years.

[@mcremona]

Thanks Bill! They shall return :)

[@4460cows]

Wow! Impressive looking prospect. Nice grains laid in tight and very rich dark color. Way to urban forest. Can't wait to see what you end up doing with it all. Keep the videos a coming. Thanks.

[@nordyfamily]

Keep up the great work!!

[@harrynewell912]

Good job Matt!

[@mcremona]

Thanks Harry!

[@GregsGarage]

Now comes the 2 year wait... Looks like it will yield some pretty nice stock!

[@mcremona]

Plenty of time to think of what to do with them! Thanks Greg!

[@MidGAOutdoor]

excited to see the trailer videos. I'm needing that same thing. I have tractor to unload, wood mizer for milling and ms661 for the big stuff

[@phil.pinsky]

I love this video Matt. Amazing to see your ingenuity. Phil

[@mcremona]

Thank you Phil!

[@mihumus]

Your work process is always very nice. Great work, Matt.

[@mcremona]

Thank you!

[@ninoliberatore1491]

Thanks Matt

[@MikeKapotsy]

It's like getting a preview of what I may have to choose from! 😀

[@mcremona]

better get up here :)

[@imperialguard13]

I always like when you make milling videos.

[@mcremona]

+David Rice Me too :)

[@marcclapton]

Sweet video, thanks Matt

[@mcremona]

Thanks Marc!

[@AndreaArzensek]

I can see some heirloom furniture coming out soon :) Great job guys!

[@pekesrepose7363]

hi Matt, old playlist but I've just watched your latest lift build with a friend and thought if you ever made another one you might want to try moving the arch over the back axel depending the trailer length. this will still allow plenty of lift but will put the load pressure where it's meant to be. I'm betting it might give you more control or "less" fall back once the arch has passed 90° as well. preventing the log slamming into the front of the trailer possibly damaging the wench. this might also negate the need for the jacks or stabilizers under the rear of the trailer. however if you still find the need for the stabilizers I'd try using a long tube stock that spans the width of the trailer. using a flip down hinged version with pins to lock it up under the trailer and to lock it in place when in use would be ideal. the purpose would be to keep the jacks from sinking in soft grounds like mud and sand. hope this helps. if you don't beat me to it, this will be my version when I'm ready. best of luck. always love seeing your creations. oddly more than seeing shop stuff. I'm a welder by trade so fabrication is always at the top. wood working is my hobby.

[@ExpatPhil]

Good job all round Matt :)

[@mcremona]

Thank you Phil!

[@matt_williams1015]

Nice job, Matt! It's always fun to watch someone else do manual labor, haha!

[@BrianMcCauleyDesign]

That homeowner was just standing there shaking her head while you guys were loading the logs, haha. Looks like that'll make some nice boards man.

[@mcremona]

The things we go through :) Thanks Brian!

[@elijahf111]

That like looks a fun job

[@billfromelma]

Hey Matt, that croch figure is really going to be something. The price was right for that tree. I don't want to sound like an dud, but you guys need to watch your backs. Be aware how you lift and push. Once you mess up your back (we humans are weak there) , it takes forever , if ever, to heal. Just sayin.

[@Sebastopolmark]

Nice video Matt - Really looking forward to the projects you will come up with to use the slabs. Keep vie vid's coming

[@mcremona]

Thank you!! :)

[@BraxtonWirthlin]

Great video, Matt! I always love seeing you mill up logs. Looks like that new mount should be plenty beefy.

[@mcremona]

Thanks Braxton! I'm looking forward to testing out the new mount. Need to find something big.

[@ConstructIcon]

Who wouldn't be excited to see a 3 way crouch?..Lol! Good Job!

[@mcremona]

haha! I know! :) Thank you!

[@LifeinFarmland]

Wow, just came across your channel. Great stuff. I have been playing around with a little milling and found a lot of these tips to be very helpful . Thank you for sharing!

[@mcremona]

Thank you!

[@samuelluria4744]

Keeping up the great work, I see? Good man!

[@mcremona]

Thanks Samuel!

[@IntoTheDirtshop]

great video matt!

[@mcremona]

Thank you!

[@IAmKyleBrown]

Very cool trailer, glad you were able to get the weak point fixed. After watching this a few times, I wondered if it would help to have a large strip of rollers at the end of the trailer to help with loading/unloading.

[@mcremona]

Thanks Kyle! It certainly wouldn't hurt. I'm looking to add a large center roller in the future

[@tompalmer334]

nice to be able to use the lumber you can cut almost wish i was younger you do so much with this lumber i know it will never go to waist

[@mcremona]

Thank you Tom!!!

[@leapinglemurcraftworks6426]

Nice job Matt - You can keep slabbing at an angle off the trailer or you need to build an inclined support specifically for slabbing - maybe a flat surface with a jack on an end to create an incline. Just a thought. I also second watching your backs - it's not fun having a disc go, ask me how I know.....Scott

[@daveken42]

enjoyed your video, showed it to my crew ma had a little bit of a laugh, no pun intended we are a heavy rigging group. I'm 35 year rigging & heavy crane operator, wished you could come out with us so we could show you how to move things easier.

[@mcremona]

+David Kenworthy hahaha! Glad I could provide you and your crew a good laugh. I'm sure you guys have all kinds of sweet tricks :)

[@handiman5001]

bet it was nice to have your dad's help

[@mcremona]

It was. Always nice to have something to do together. Reminds me of my childhood cutting firewood except back then my dad was the one running the saw.

[@camuki]

the more videos i watch the more invested in you as a person not just a video tutorial. thanks again matt. if you get a chance would u give a minute on how to recognize the specific trees ie: cherry, walnut, maple, etc. again, thanks so much for the videos

[@mcremona]

Thank you Aaron! I started that series but only managed to get one video out. My son was born shortly after and things got a little more frantic. I'm planning on continuing with other trees in the spring when the leaves are back: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qWrNe39_g56WiM0

[@daniel923e]

I love the walnut tree.

[@mcremona]

Me too

[@GuysShop]

The home owner was really watching you wasn't she? I always enjoy these vids. Thanks for sharing your experience with us Matt!

[@mcremona]

Oh yes. Made it a little stressfully awkward for me lol Thanks Guy!

[@andyandnancy]

Watching her stand there shaking her head as you were working had me hoping you'd mess up her yard a little more than was necessary.

[@nathanmaddock1703]

+GuysWoodshop She looked really helpful. I used to do high end remodels and we always told the owners we charged extra if they wanted to stand around and watch.

[@nonpareilvampirez]

Sarcasm? And you charged owners for standing around?

[@DavidBishopinc]

That looks like sooooo much work, but im sure its worth the yield. Cheers.

[@mcremona]

Thanks David! The hardest part was loading all that brush on to Alex's trailer

[@craigpereira6381]

Great video. scary stuff using chain saw though.

[@mcremona]

Thanks Craig!

[@adamquincey4371]

Excellent... Cheers...

[@mcremona]

Thanks Adam!

[@1crazynordlander]

I wish more people could experience the work it takes to cut a tree down and get it home where you either cut it up for firewood or do better like you and use it to build stuff. Fire hydrants are good for more than just a water source, eh?

[@rickbodick6812]

Soooooooo jealous!! That wood is just Gorgeous!!!!

[@mcremona]

Thanks Rick!

[@David-fv7zg]

Matt the wood Sheppard, moving his flock 0:42

[@civ8458]

Very awesome! So cool to see your dad so involved! What does he think about your passion? Curious to know. 👍 Really cool video!

[@1crazynordlander]

Your neighbors are fantastic. Do you ever get visits from the local police for working into the evening?

[@WoodworkingBarcelona]

It's always a pleasure to see your heavy work Matt. have you ever injured your back lifting those logs? Regards from Barcelona!

[@placidwoodworks3971]

great video Matt! i need to make friends with landscape gardeners and and get me some nice wood too nice job slabbing nice work:)

[@mcremona]

Thanks! It's who you know ;)

[@placidwoodworks3971]

lol so true :)

[@billpotter8714]

an old hood or trunk lid makes a perfect skid under the ground end of the log.

[@poeplay2008]

Awesome

[@mcremona]

Thanks!

[@1983mojo1]

Good stuff, that's some good looking walnut, want to share? I bought 1 stick today and it was $85( 8/4 about 7" wide by 8' long

[@driventowin]

You guys could've made good use of a "MorePower Puller, by Wyeth-Scott Co." This is the greatest little hand powered winch I've ever used, and I've seen a lot of them. I bought the AmSteel Blue (synthetic rope) model, and I don't think I'll ever go back to steel rope. I use mine to drop tall trees exactly where I need them to fall. With the MorePower Puller I can make the whole affair into a one man job.

[@mcremona]

Thanks for the tip. I'll check that out

[@willemkossen]

Darn. I need more walnut in my life...

[@mcremona]

We all do :)

[@Psychlist1972]

LOL at the lady (homeowner?) on the lawn stressing over you guys, and then shaking her head at you. You were totally being judged here. :D

[@mcremona]

One of the more awkward situations in my life

[@Psychlist1972]

@@mcremona lol. She was making *me* uncomfortable. I can only imagine.

[@802Leith]

old people don't need no stinkin' safety kit ; )

[@mcremona]

lol! My dad's never been one for safety stuff (not that that's a good thing)

[@twagner6155]

You should do a video on felling a tree. That's not a good or safe way to do it with ropes. I have cut down lots of trees using methods I learned from my father.

[@markclemmens2862]

I wonder how the neighbors feel about the chainsaw running for hours at night ;)

[@mcremona]

+Mark Clemmens night and evening are blurred this time of year. This was around 6pm

[@markclemmens2862]

I was more or less joking! I recently discovered your channel. I own a small custom woodworking/furniture business myself. Thanks for actually reading the comments, it's refreshing. Keep up the good work.

[@AdrianAmoroso]

I wish I were your neighbour and could scrounge some of your offcuts ;)

[@Hardwoodbuyer]

enjoy your videos..my question is about the panther mill you run..I like the construction of it vs other ones I have seen on the internet,,,but i have noticed that the Granberg offers a second oiling tank on the other end of the unit...but the unit does not look not as heavy duty.. Do you see any adverse heat effects of not have that additional oil feed on yours when running longer bars... look forward to your response on the matter...thanks

[@paulmurphy612]

When I saw those smaller limbs with the contrast between heart and sap I wondered, have you ever thought about oyster-cutting your stock?

[@StamosTee]

Candy !!! Dema helping again for the tough job ?

[@donfoster1832]

Great video. Was that a typical depth for the sapwood on that walnut?

[@bonevvv]

Very nice job. Beautiful walnut tree! I see that you are stacking it outside. How do you prevent woodworms from infesting into the tree or you don't have such bugs around your place?

[@BigFatTonys]

that is a nice one, hardly any sap wood

[@mcremona]

it turned out to be a really nice log. The main trunk was really clear

[@anthonyappleyard5688]

Idea: if it is possible, add to the text parts of this video, links to the videos of you making whatever you made from this tree, e.g. the sideboard.

[@tehamigo]

Good job Mathew !! I have the Panther also. I've been making pine and doug fir beams. I have a 8' X 24" diameter black walnut trunk in my back yard getting ready to rip. Question ... What thickness would you suggest I rip it ?? What was the deciding factor that you rip it @ 2 1/8 thickness ?? Thanks for the video .. awesome !!

[@Bergalicious38]

♥

[@lrschroeder1729]

i live in oakdale MN you have classes? would be amazing to see the process maybe even get a run down in the set up

[@rodney73991]

hey man how do keep rain off put tarp over border? or when use them do just expect planer take off any weathering? how long will wait before use them?

[@Elderos5]

Nice! The second piece of the small log looked amazing. How important is it to make sure of level while the wood cures?

[@mcremona]

It is. I'm really excited about that log! The base that the wood sits on needs to be flat if you want your boards to stay flat since they will conform to whatever they are laying on. Think of steam bending; it's somewhat similar to that.

[@thewoodpost]

You probably already had this question 100 times my question how long do you let your wood air dry before you use it thank you for your video

[@mcremona]

Only 8 times on this one :) these will probably take 10 months

[@casscagle6873]

Hey Matt. Awesome video like always. Quick question, do you have a video showing how you take these rough slabs and turning them to the demential limber? If not, do you use a band saw or table saw? Any feedback would be helpful. Thanks again for your awesome content.

[@patzwahl8341]

How do you plane the slabs after they dry? With a router sled or a big planer?

[@JimBeshears]

That's a lot of work, but that's a lot of walnut.

[@mcremona]

+Jim Beshears It is but made for a fun day

[@cabletie8896]

G'day Matt. Looks like you have things under control. I am wondering what sort of chain you are using. Skip I assume. Do you modify it at all? I have some big eucalyptus to slab and it is slow going. Thanks

[@kellydavis1776]

So how long do you have to let it dry?

[@kmake8321]

I'm very new to this scene, I'm slabbing some spalted beech and ash to 2.3 inches, how long before I can use them? Air drying outside, should I cover with tarp of not. Thank you.

[@robertevans6481]

nice slabs of walnut...

[@mcremona]

Thanks Robert!

[@robertevans6481]

+Matthew Cremona you up late Matt...

[@mcremona]

Busy night. Almost 5 am here. Bed time

[@sdmcustoms]

Very cool ,just curious but why mill it so thick ? could you mill it different thickness to get the most of it or is that just too time consuming? can't wait to see what you make with this. when you see a piece do you instantly see what it potentially could be ?

[@mcremona]

The main reason is that chainsaw milling is slow. So the thicker the slabs, the fewer cuts, the faster the log is cut up. 8/4 is a good thickness - it would be a good size for table tops for instance and of course, the slabs can always be cut thinner in the future. Yes, you could cut each slab to a different thickness, you'd just have to set the depth for each cut. No concrete ideas yet but the nice thing about the chainsaw mill being slow is you get a lot of time to think about future projects while you're cutting it.

[@sdmcustoms]

Awesome,thanks for the info

[@cristijndevin2900]

Matthew; What type of chain do you use? a 3/8 1,6 Full Skip ? Im starting up a mill with a 36" bar and a stihl MS660; but sawingspeed is quite low now!

[@july1000000]

The hand machine you were using to mill, did you make that, or can it be bought?

[@0818SEMPERFI]

Very cool thanks for the vid!!! You got some beautiful lumber out of that Matt. just to play devil's advocate for a second I noticed your dad didn't have any PPE on what's up with that???