Logger Specializes In "Twisted" Trees

Logger Specializes In "Twisted" Trees WOODLOT EQUIPMENT Miscellaneous 30-1-11 With 10,000 acres of timber needing to be thinned out in publicly owned nearby forests, Gordon West saw an opportunity for himself and other woodworkers in his part of New Mexico. He and other loggers, woodworkers and environmentalists formed a coalition to thin the forest, reduce fire risk and help the local economy. "We got the environmentalists together with the Forest Service, and everyone could agree that there were a lot of trees that needed to be cut down," says West. The catch, of course, was that the logs to be removed had to fit specific guidelines and they had to be taken out with minimal damage to the forest floor. The problem was that such low return thinning wouldn't justify a half million-dollar piece of equipment. "I ran across a Komatsu articulated dump truck with 600 hours on it," says West. "It would have been $125,000 new, but I got it for only $18,000. I put a knuckle boom on it, took the sides off and turned the bed into a log trailer." Recently a Forest Service hydrologist told him his rig provided the least impact from logging she had ever seen. With the removal problem solved, West turned to utilization. One problem is that many of the logs being removed are twisted due to over crowding. So West found a way to make better use of the twisted and knotted logs by developing a machine that combines a lathe-type table with a laser line projector, band saw arm and a drill. He calls it the Center Line System and it will take a log up to 18 ft. long. The laser line projector helps find the center point so the operator can cut and drill as needed. It can bore, mortise, tenon, groove, notch and flatten sections of logs. West uses it to make truss parts as good as any made from milled logs. "Twisted logs are as strong or stronger than straight ones; they are just harder to work with," he says. "With this machine, you can cut repeatable joints in natural logs quickly. It can also be done by hand, but it's very time consuming." Six area businesses have formed a consortium to utilize and share the thinned logs. In addition to West's Santa Clara Woodworks, there is a furniture maker who also does architectural detail work and carving. Another fellow does log timber framing using rough round wood instead of squared logs. A blacksmith makes ironwork to fit the needs of the woodworkers. West and others are also looking at ways to use the wood chips. For example, West is fabricating building blocks from wood chips mixed with a binder material. "They're structural and yet they can be sawed, drilled, nailed and screwed into," says West. "It's better than adobe or concrete." West has prototype wood blocks, but needs to find a lower cost binder for the idea to be commercially viable. While he has no plans to build and sell the logging machine, West is selling the Centerline System machine. It's priced at $24,500. West also offers two-day instruction classes for buyers. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Gordon West, Santa Clara Woodworks, 4100 N Gold St, Silver City, New Mexico 88061 (ph 505 388-9217 or 505 537-3689; gorwest@zianet.com).

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