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I had a large maple tree taken down. The trunk is 28" diameter and 9 feet long. I'm thinking it is better used for furniture or a beam or something rather than just firewood.

What is something like this worth?

Whatever someone will pay for it, probably not much in my opinion. You will probably have to pay to get it hauled off.

I'd say make a totem pole out of it with a Stihl chainsaw.

It may be worth something.

It all depends on the condition of the wood. Does it have splits, worm bores, or rot areas?

I'm sure there's folks here that know more than me about that, but I know they have to grade the wood to evaluate it.

It's in good shape. It's been on the ground for 2 weeks and starting to dry out, but this section is solid. No splits, worm bores or rot in this section.

If I had more time on my hands I'd get it sawed into planks and make a nice table.

Put a good coat of paint on both ends to slow any cracking while you find a buyer.

Ed

Why not an Echo chainsaw?

while not likely, it'd be good to confirm there's no metal in it such as wire, nails, etc. running a metal detector over it would help if one is handy.

the kind of maple is a factor. and the width of the growth rings, etc. etc. it'd be a shame to see it waste, on the other hand demand might be iffy.

Not all maples are the same... probably as much range in the wood from different maples as there is from about any tree Genus in NA. It is unlikely to be Bigtooth because of the size... except it sounds like a yard tree so all bets are off. Another common maple in yards that could easily produce a log that size is box elder.

There are less than 500 board feet of lumber in the log and it will sell for less than a dollar a foot in the log. Being a yard tree with the possibility of metal in the trunk would drop that value significantly.

If it happened to be highly figured and white the price could rise significantly...

There is probably a local with a portable sawmill (like a Wood-Mizer) that would cut it for you. Many will cut it in trade for half the wood. It needs to be cut ASAP in your area or it will be worthless soon. I would water it daily if you are going to do anything with it. Box elder will have little value as lumber, but is often burly and beautiful stuff for woodturners.

There are a lot of different maples it could be...

Can only do a proper totem pole with a Stihl. I thought everyone knew that.

What Sitka said, variety of maple makes a big difference, and since it's just one log you also have to find a buyer willing to send a truck and loader for a single log. If you have a way to haul it to a local hardwood mill you might get some money out of it. Or find someone logging nearby that can add it to a load.

I've cut furniture and veneer quality black cherry logs into firewood when it was a single log that they wouldn't send a truck for (on timber company's land while I was working for them!)

Good news is that most maple makes very good firewood.

yeah, and it's easily split. a maul works, not necessarily a hi-power splitter is needed.

but still, shop it around to the various wood-working guilds. a fit might occur that benefits everyone.

it's always a question of how best to utilize the product under the existing circumstances. prices can & do vary.

Mills won’t want a tree that was cut out of someone’s yard. They’re typically full of nails, clothes line hooks, etc. It’s commercial value is as firewood.

Absolutely true under lots of circumstances, but I know of a maple spotted by a sawyer and he went up to the house and begged to buy a standing maple of modest size and offered very good money and a replacement tree of significant size in the same place.

He paid for it, cut it, replaced it, and giggled... Even saw to it the replaced tree prospered.

Not suggesting that case exists here, but a very good log is still a very good log even if it grows in a yard. That is what metal detectors are about. And I have significant scars from shrapnel tossed from a saw blade as it touched metal.

One of the beauties of a small band saw mill. If you hit metal, you at most lose a blade, which is not too expensive. Sometimes you will saw right through and only dull the blade. miles