My question is does anyone have experience with making lumber/beams out of tree trunks that have been dead for a couple years or do you think this guy was just saying that to get extra firewood to sell for himself? I've got 10-30+ big trunks from 12 up to 30 inches in diameter and over 10 feet long each that could be made into lumber . Seems a shame to just make firewood when they could be beams, mantelpieces or lumber. --24.180.xx.xx

No, I do not have experience/knowledge - so I would ask a sawmill owner. --68.229.xxx.xxx

The problem with yard trees is they have metal in them or at least way too likely to have lead in them that sawmills dont want the risk.A guy with a portable sawmill may want them if you found the right guy but not likely. To save money if you want have a tree company put them on the ground then put them on facebook and craigslist as free and someone will come along and cut them up for firewood,when i have trees cut my guy loads them and hauls them to my firewood pile and dumps them and that is cheaper than if he hauls them away.I burn firewood and have been slow this spring with finding houses and have picked up quite a bit of firewood from facebook --74.77.xx.xx

does your county have a forester you can ask, or is there an extension service? you may need to confirm that your area is not part of a quarantine zone if they are trying to prevent the spread of vectors. --172.58.xxx.xx

You might be able to find a small time guy with a portable sawmill that will come take them down and turn into lumber for free but most will leave you with the limb pile to deal with if you can find one. --209.205.xxx.xx

It's a shame that good oak is gone. --98.237.xxx.xx

A tree starts to dry out when it dies. Wood dried in log form can make poor lumber because with drying comes shrinking, stressing, and cracking. Also, green wood just saws a lot easier than dry wood --107.141.xx.xxx

Nicole,I have blue streaks in trees where there was metal,usually when i am cutting along what was a fence line along my parents woods and it was all barb wire,i have never found anything interesting like a bullet --74.77.xx.xx

I cannot answer your question specifically, but I am a hobbyist woodworker and I can say that wood will move quite a bit as it dries. So most people that want quality wood such as wood workers will not buy wood unless it is kiln dried to a specific moisture content. The process of kiln drying may be more costly than you might anticipate….so consider that also. --99.92.xxx.xxx

Locally they are looking for hemlock tree for planks --24.101.xxx.xxx

I am a horse of a different color. I don't think people realize how useful some things can be. Since they have been dead, they may not be great fur furniture or lumber in the since that everyone thinks, but they may be fine for using as log post or even building a storage shed. Why not choose one that you can cut down, then cut it in half and see if you have any holes or bugs, like carpenter ants. If you do, then firewood is probably it, otherwise I think they could be useful for other things. Depends on whether you like rustic things or not. Some people want things with not imperfections and some like to see the knots and imperfections. I personally love the rustic look. People are paying a lot of money for the look of old barn wood as a foe wall. The last 2 houses I have bought have them on every wall and is the original structure of the home. Sometimes I see things differently than most. --73.120.xx.xxx

unless you have lots of trees the local sawyers have no interest but the firewood may be worth it so have the guys that fell them cut to firelog size and find someone with a splitter. --75.80.xx.xx

Ken, I forget where he took the bullet and I forget what the place told him but I know it was pre-civil war ... I actually think a lot of "pre". --98.237.xxx.xx