Converting felled trees to wood flooring

[raine]

Anyone done this? Is it worth the hassle? I don't know much about wood floors, and have only ventured as far as engineered in the past.

I found this youtube video and it's clearly a lot of work, but I found some local mobile sawmills who I could potentially approach.

I am getting a huge ash tree and a medium-sized walnut felled, and wondered if I should consider keeping the wood for this purpose. I have no open fire and live in a clear air zone, so can't burn any of the wood.

 

[Mike13]

It needs rough cutting soon after felling, then stored with laths to space the planks. It needs to be kept reasonably dry for 2-3 years. If you have the space to store it then it is feasible. I know I do not have space for that! If you look at the price of walnut it might be worth doing?

 

[raine]

Thanks Mike.

I just did a quick Google for solid walnut flooring, and it is very spenny!! Retail price looks like very roughly £150ish / sq m. So might be worth me doing.

I rang a local mobile sawmill guy and he says it's not worth him coming out for one tree (his day rate for the mobile sawmill is £450, I think he said), so he suggested that he could collect and deliver (£40 each way), plus maybe 2hrs on the sawmill at his yard @ £70/hr for initial planking. Then I guess I'd need to get it tongue & groove milled and planed to a useable finish at a later date.

He said you don't get a lot out of walnut though, as only the darker heartwood is good for flooring - the outer lightwood is too soft and sappy, and prone to woodworm.

So, £250ish to get me halfway towards hopefully a room's worth of solid walnut flooring. Maybe same again to get it finished??? So, as long as I get more than 5 sq m, I'm quids in. We shall see!