Are Small Logs Worth Sawing into Lumber? 

Thanks Again I am know the family will be grateful to make use of wood that came their family homestead we will let you know what we are able to make from this wood. Thank you 😊

As a wood turner, I would give my eye teeth for bowl blanks especially the crotch sections. Don’t underestimate the value of those ‘little’ logs. You could make a pile of dough by providing blanks.

Matt, I applaud your generosity and kindness toward the family that asked you to preserve the wood from their tree. The tree, although small, must have given them much pleasure over the years, and I can appreciate the sentiment attached to such a treasured backyard companion. The wood will no doubt be transformed into something just as beautiful and treasured as the tree itself, and be in the family for generations. Well done Matt. Well done.

Small logs vs crooked logs. Then there are small crooked logs. Someone with a small sawmill who just wants small pieces to work with may very well find value in small logs, even firewood pieces. Matt, you are a blast to watch. I'm 3 years late on this video, but it was still worth my time. You really cause a person to think in a good positive way. Thank you.

Matt’s looking for a piece of scrap wood for an auxiliary fence. Grabs 8/4 cherry. Yeah this will do. Me. I wish I had a nice board for a project. Hey I could use what Matt throws away. 🥺

well, considering that at the moment I have to do my milling on a 10" table saw, Man, those are BIG LOGS!

I'm glad you used the term 'sentimental wood.' That's exactly what makes it worth the effort. Small cutting boards or jewelry boxes for my kids that they climbed when they were little....that they'll take to their own homes when they grow up.

Late to the party, my apologies but been binge watching your videos - these are my favorites to cut. Not only because I don't have a mill as large as yours, but they're just so easy to handle and such character.

Small "logs" can still produce timber that, while being "goofy," still is usable for amazing projects /furniture

Hi Matt as a old Sawyer as a commercial prospect your right small stuff is just firewood. But as you partially pointed out it's what it's worth to the individual. I on occasion although didn't enjoy doing it. (In some ways). I did custom sawing on my free time for people but I didn't charge by board foot as you demonstrate not many board feet for time it takes. I charged by hour for custom sawing that covered my time for labor and the mill. Just as I would charge for dozer work. But the customer had to choose if it was worth it to them for what they got and I never got any complaints. But often the customers were tickled to get something out of their what we considered junk. For me that was a easy way to make extra money on the side and a satisfaction of making someone happy.

Glad to see you finally used the jointer, because that's how I've done small logs and it worked out alright. Still have those 3" pieces of maple.

You should have used a solo cup to toss water on the small logs.

I lost it at, "let's bump up the sketch factor"! LOL You need some merch with this on it!

Hi Matthew, thanks for sharing the video and your creativeness in sawing small logs. Take care

Best video on descriptions of what to do with small funky shaped bits of trees. Thanks so much learned heaps.

Nice of you to do this Matt. I'm sure the family is grateful! :)

I was waiting for the splish splash! At least a dunk in the bucket. All kidding aside I learn something new every time I watch one of your videos. Thanks for putting out good content Matt!

looking at this wood brought some interesting memories back. I had two complete mills set up for trees no bigger than eighteen inches in diameter.. lots of quarter in thick in it and the colors are wow

Mathew, you have a combination of qualities that are rare on RU-vid: you are a skilled craftsman, competent video producer and an affable narrator. Good work, as usual. Taking the time to save wood from a small tree that has sentimental value to someone is a good deed.

Thanks Matt for sharing this video. Fred 👍👍

Oh my gosh! This question was right up my alley! Thank you soooooo much for taking the time for this video. I am, obviously, in the learning phase of wood working and I appreciate all the little pieces of wood! They can be something too! : )

Great way to collect different woods for parquetry. GOOD FOR YOU!👍

Thank you for making this video, I learned some things that will be helpful in getting useful lumber from some small, more rare pieces that I run across from time to time.

I've cut small stuff like this on my bandsaw a few times and it works out quite well for me. The small material is nice for cutting boards or aggravation boards.

Wow,. Matthew, I have never heard so much growling out of you since I started watching you. I was very amused, thank you. I love all of your videos. Keep up the great work Matthew.

I make a lot of small stuff and I get a kick out of having picture frames and the like made from "firewood". Plus sometimes the figuring is unexpectedly quite lovely! The insights I'm getting from your channel are super useful, thanks!

Thanks for showing this. Even if somewhat counterproductive, im sure your friend was happy

You’re a good man for cutting up that small stuff. Even if you’re getting a good rate for the work, a lot of guys might pass up on the work.

wooden folk artists and model hobbyists would love small pieces like that ,as a timber mill boss told me once there's no such thing as an offcut ! ha great vid many thanks

Thanks for your willingness to teach how to mill small pieces of wood. I have done this and you sure do not get much. My favorite thing is Christmas trees. The wonderful smell is well worth it.

Great content! It demolished my dream of getting loads of beautiful board from my black cherry tree and helped me deciding to buy a bandsaw lol

With the use of resin these days, no wood scraps can go for waste. Glad you were able to save most of the tree for usable wood, which looks great for use in bench, table, or bar tops.

That was great info. I am gearing up to resaw 8 to 20 inch limbs and your video did a great job of explaining what to expect. Thank you

Thank you for sharing. Your video was very informative and what can be cut on the big saw and what needs to be cut in the shop.

Very helpful video. I cut down a black walnut tree from my yard here in St Louis Park last March and had it milled. It’s been in my garage since then. I gave away many of the limbs for firewood but I could not bear to throw the rest away. Wasn’t sure if they would be useful or not. Now I know. There are walnut cutting boards in my future. Thanks.

Super informative! Thanks

For an operation like yours where you only deal with large logs, it is humorous to see them on such a big mill. However, as a hobbyist, I would definitely resaw them on my band saw.

Kudos for the perseverance it took to generate that huge stack, Matt. I liked the comment regarding leaving wet wood shavings in the shop, and yes, we've all found that out the hard way! The comment about cutting cookies on the band saw was spot on, I found out about that the hard way many years ago. One of the scariest experiences I've had in the shop, by far.

Thanks for showing this aspect of sawing lumber, especially from small diameter limb wood. I didn't realize there could be so much inherent stress retained in the wood simply from what area of the tree it was growing from. I do believe that there is a lot that can be done with heirloom wood that could mean a lot to the family, such as jewelry boxes, valet boxes and as you mentioned, cutting boards. Thanks again for sharing your work, and I bet the family that grew this tree appreciated your help.

Very helpful. Thank you.

Very informative , I think this made my mind up to build a small sawmill .

Loved it!

Very useful video!

just a personal experience. a sawyer i have worked with many years back said he coud saw anything even if all he got was a line of saw dust and two slabs. great videos Dave

Loved the video, thanks so much Matt. Great camera work too. I liked the aerial shots you mixed in as well.

Great video!

Really helpful video thanks Matt!

I missed if you said the species you cut up in this video. Glad to see your technique for cutting a log on the band saw. Thanks.

It is all good in the hood, well put.

Great video! Def learned some from this one...but after u did the satirical measuring with the massive 8in diameter I expected more satire with a bucket of water being splashed on the boards lol

I've turned logs much like that one into butcher block counter tops for my kitchen. Red and white oaks that a tornado blew over into my back yard. Talk smack about them all you want, they've turned out beautiful.

You’re killin it man. Love the videos!

I'm not a turner, but my turner friends would be ecstatic to get this stuff!

Great video.

"Tools are made to be used"! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 Thats why my tools are baaaaanged up and not so clean. Including the Festool collection.

Are they worth it? If they mean something to someone, you are being compensated somehow for your effort and machine use then yes they are worth it. IMO

Great info for us beginners, thanks!

Some really great info, Matt. Always wondered why more people didn't use limb wood. Good stuff.

Great entertainment Matthew, I personally enjoy making sawdust out of perfectly good wood!This video was a riot!!! Thanks!

You know your logs are too small if you can throw them...or if they fall through the frame of your saw. Fun video to watch

I had the Amish saw a trailer load of free Black Walnut the utility company cut from limbs. A lot of small, short stuff like you were sawing here. Although I didn't see the process, they told me they used an auxiliary bed (plywwod) and toenailed each log to the bed. Cost me $250, but I did get alot of slabs for epoxy pours and stuff. No dimensional lumber though. I enjoyed the video.

Sweet! I'm bringing up a sentimental pine tree for you next! :P Great tips on the smaller bandsaw resawing though! I've got a Mulberry tree we're likely taking down and I might save some of the "bigger" pieces to cut up on my saw.

Really good one Matt. Lots of useful information. 🙏

10/10 for sharing your rusty apprentice mark story

Visitor: “Man! That’s a big saw. What are you cutting with it?” Matthew: “Toothpicks.”

well said. If you're having fun then its worth it. Just brought some Holly back from my parents house. wouldn't think of milling it if it wasn't holly and wasn't from my parents. thanks for sharing the video and enjoying the channel and looking forward to the next happy hour!

This video is very timely for me.

I took down a few tall Hickories on my property and considered getting them sawn into boards. The straight sections were about 30 feet and about 20 inches at the base, 14 at the tip. When I considered how much of that wood would be pith, I decided against calling the sawyer. Put it on CL though and it was gone in a day. One mans trash, is another's treasure

This video is the perfect allegory for experience over material gain. What's worth more, the scrap wood you will get out of that thing OR the memory of sitting around a campfire you and your family are warmed with by way of the burning of that log? Just saying it's a perfect allegory, or soliloquy, or whatever the hell it is. Cheers!

Great work as usual, from a local subscriber from Blaine. Keep it up! Can't wait for those chairs to go up for sale.

It's not the kind of work you would pay someone for, but if you have fun milling, and nothing pressing to do, it works. I don't yet have a bandsaw of any sort, so starting with interesting looking logs from the firewood pile, I can make some pretty stock on the tablesaw - with the use of appropriate sleds and holdowns - tablesaws and rocking wood do NOT mix well. It all ends up as suitable stock for boxes or inlays or other small stuff. Great Vid Matt - Thanks

You look like Paul Bunyan tossing those logs around. 🤓 I could certainly make plenty with all of that.

Great lesson how to save these valuable "useless" piece of wood. For the boards you created we are paying a fortune in our DIY markets. This means: it worth doing some extra work. Thanks and have a nicke Weekend . Stay safe you all. Rgds from Germany.

I used to cut little 3 inch limb sections on my table saw and as far as them twisting or cupping I never really noticed it since I was living in Texas at the time West Texas can pull the moisture out of a rock. Anyway I used them for picture frames mesquite native pecan live oak and I got my hands on a small limb of black cherry they were all nice wood but that cherry was my favorite. Safely I am no longer able to do any but the lightest of woodworking. I well I won't go into it here so instead I will just leave you with a thought. Never believe that you are invincible, never believe that something can't change your life forever and never take those you !ove and the people around you everyday for granted. You can be on top of the world one day and on the bottom looking up the next. Oh man I've gone on to long I hope you have a wonderful life.

Just imagine Matt making this massive saw and only cutting logs like this😅

Thanks, Matthew! Another fantastic and informative video. Really digging your channel.

So many tips in there, great video. I loved the lav mic clipped to your nose. :)

7:45 🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂 that is awesome, I've got tears in my eyes from laughing so much!!!! 👍

Dude, for a non commercial project there's a load of lumber there. If your rates reflect your time it can totally be worth it, and for the owner it certainly is! Really enjoyed this video.

im no sawyer but ive dropped big trees and had them milled.....a big silky oay i had in the yard took a lightning hit and so i dropped her and i dont have a mill or much money,i dove in with an 18 inch ryobi ,burned her at full rpm for probably 9 to ten tanks to learn ....then i took it back said it was crap and got the 20 inch 50cc......man i would cut all that freehand with a chalk line and tape....small stuff good for garden and craft.you can cut straight lumber with the chainsaw ,crotches work good for shelf pionts...and it looks cool pulling boards the entire limb length...love your tutorials dude .

What an outstanding video...thank you so much! We have a 30' black walnut that was just hit by lightning and I'm trying to figure out if it will yield enough material to make an 18"W x 48" coffee table. This video was extremely helpful

Good info there, Matt.

Perhaps the goodwill you generated makes it all worth it. I had an uncle in Eureka, CA. with a mill that gave me a few "leftovers" I was grateful for. Still making things from them.

It so much depends upon your needs ;) I'm throwing together a dozen or so timber frame sawhorses for laying out and cutting the frame for our house. This means I need lots of 3x3 to 4x4 stock no more than 30 inches long. I could waste good sized saw logs with potential for other lumber, or I can go after small logs that can give me what I need but would generally be worthless ;) Right now, I have a good reason to do some rough milling of small logs.

Lol, so sarcastic! "A massive 6 inches!"

These logs would work fairly well for turning!

As a scroll saw artist, this is a lot of wood for what I do so it would be worth it for me. Very cool.

You should see my collection of English boxwood logs. Small is an understatement!

I enjoyed this video a lot. It was very entertaining.

Good in the hood Matthew you are a mess man but I love it all. That was fun. Thanks for sharing God bless you all the Family.

That was a really good pile of wood you made! Better than letting it rot

Not a single bucket of water, I'm disappointed

Fun video.

Probably the best use for such logs are bowl blanks. I used a yard walnut to make cabriole legs for a pretty little desk. I left it 16/4 which I really can’t buy readily. I still have some of it in the lumber rack. I have had boards roll on the bandsaw- very frightening Frank

Yes Matthew tools made to be used very well don

I am about to purchase a bigger bandsaw and make a sled for it. I work with mesquite, from which I create kitchen utensils. I happen to have a pasture fill of mostly quite mature mesquite trees. I have found mesquite to be quite stable when cut green into thin pieces. Kind of a no brainer for me.

Enjoyed your comedy routine laughed most of the time

Lol... I did exactly this. I went to a local sawmill and asked them to saw some 100 cm long logs with 20-40 cm in diameter. You may know, why they were laughing :) But it takes some time and I got some beautiful wooden slaps out of plum, cherry and some old wood with some kind of fungi inside. Greetings from germany Sascha

In many places in Europe, such short pieces (oak and beech) are cut into small thin planks to make hardwood "parquet" floors that are very expensive.

I could use small stuff like that in my small hobby shop.