Black spots in oak?

[muddstopper]

I was cutting up a 24in dia red oak last summer. I was about halfway thru one of the larger sections when the saw just suddenly stopped cutting. Since the tree was laying in a gravle road, I thought I had just hit a rock. I put on another sharp chain and tried to finish the cut, saw went instantly dull. Now I know I didnt hit a rock this time but couldnt see anything that should dull the chain. Grabbed my other saw and finished the cut, no problems finishing the cut. rolled the round over and looked at the end and there was a very blue spot about halfway thru the cut. Metal, old bullet, I dont know, but I must have sawed right thru it. Only cut in the whole tree that acted that way and I found the blue spot all the way to the last butt round.

I personally think whatever I hit was probably a old bullet. I grew up and hunted in those woods and used to shoot up the world with my 22 rifle. It very well could have been a bullet I fired as a kid 40-50 years ago. Mom always said I would pay for my raising sooner or later.

 

[svk]

I was cutting up a 24in dia red oak last summer. I was about halfway thru one of the larger sections when the saw just suddenly stopped cutting. Since the tree was laying in a gravle road, I thought I had just hit a rock. I put on another sharp chain and tried to finish the cut, saw went instantly dull. Now I know I didnt hit a rock this time but couldnt see anything that should dull the chain. Grabbed my other saw and finished the cut, no problems finishing the cut. rolled the round over and looked at the end and there was a very blue spot about halfway thru the cut. Metal, old bullet, I dont know, but I must have sawed right thru it. Only cut in the whole tree that acted that way and I found the blue spot all the way to the last butt round.

I personally think whatever I hit was probably a old bullet. I grew up and hunted in those woods and used to shoot up the world with my 22 rifle. It very well could have been a bullet I fired as a kid 40-50 years ago. Mom always said I would pay for my raising sooner or later.

I would think that it would have to be something harder than a bullet to wreck two chains? I have cut many bullets and even small nails with minimal chain damage.

 

[Ted Jenkins]

Something that has not been mentioned about Oak is that Oak is made up of many very small tubes. Take a green limb 20'' long or more and stick it in the fire and watch the cold end that is not near the fire start to spit out sap. It amazes me how far the passage ways travel in Oak. So many AS people have mentioned that you might have metal in a section of wood which will make a dark spot that can effect the color for a very long distance. When encountering a obstacle I try to move to a different angle. Thanks

 

[rarefish383]

Iron leaves blue. Just like looking at the veins in your arm, they are blue, that's the iron in your blood, till you cut yourself and then the blood turns red when it hits the oxygen. Some experiments that work quick are sticking an ax or wedge in a block of Oak over night. It will start to turn blue in a few hours. We used to put steel wool around the drip lines of our Blue Spruce and they were much more blue than others that weren't treated. Different metals produce different colors. Copper is green. Seeing blue doesn't tell you that there is metal in the tree. It tells you there is Iron in the tree. Some fungus and molds will leave blue and black marks, but not like the pictures posted, and they don't run in a straight line up and down the tree, Joe.

 

[muddstopper]

I would think that it would have to be something harder than a bullet to wreck two chains? I have cut many bullets and even small nails with minimal chain damage.

could be, I aint ruleing out hitting rocks, but it makes me feel better to think it was something else.

 

[Johnnybar]

Johnnybar, that is a gorgeous red oak!

I always hate finding blue spots in logs. My buddy called me last week to come out and cut up a white oak he had dropped in his yard. I was using the 390 with a 24" bar for the upper half of the trunk but decided to put the 36" bar on for the butt of the tree. One cut in and BAM...U bolt hidden in the bark. Brand new Stihl RSLF chain took a hit.

That was the widow maker in the front yard that had to come down. A shame really because it was once a beautiful tree and now my garage will be the lightening rod instead of the ol' Red Oak. Stressed, spalted, stained slabs are much more interesting to me for some reason..maybe I'm damaged a bit too! Lesson here is to never pass on a chance to at least take a test pass and see what's inside. I assumed this was a firewood log until I opened it up.