Some big oak anyone

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Farmall Guy

ArboristSite Operative
Joined
May 2, 2008
Messages
328
Reaction score
86
Location
New York
I had a guy stop in and look at this oak I've been working on, his advice was to cut the big log off the stump and see how it looked... well it looks pretty good :cheers: so tomorrow I'm going to take a few pics down to the local mill and see just how long they want these logs bucked to. The trunk is straight as an arrow for 18' so definatly could get 2 8's out of it but I'd rather see what they want before I do much more.

I was afraid this was going to be rotten all the way to the stump, to my supprise it's solid. when it rolled off the stump I spotted a bad spot about 10' up the trunk, I think thats where the rot I ran into started. If thats the case I should definatly get 1 8 footer thats clear, solid and 30" on the small end. Now I just have to figure out how to get this out.

StihlSaws039.jpg


I put the 41" bar on the 880 and let'er rip. I bored in leaving about 10" on the top then cut clear out the bottom. After that I worked my way up into that top strap until it was all cut up. I had to use a wedge to get it to roll off the stump once it was all cut up, nothing got broke, no one got hurt and the log looks good so I'm quite happy :)

StihlSaws046.jpg


Once I saw this stump was clean I decided to take advantage of the oppertunity and knock off a cookie for future use as a table top. Its got a crack in it already so I'm going to let it dry, then I'm going to cut a 90* wedge out of it and turn it into a corner table. I might also knock off a few more cookies and build a 2 or 3 shelf corner display case out of them. Time will tell I guess.

StihlSaws050.jpg


The 880 pulled the 41" bar with full comp RSC with no problems at all. Now I really see what the guys that own these big saws were talking about. With the bar burried it just kept on cutting, what a fealing :chainsawguy:

For the record this was cut today, my camera's battery needs a charge so I had to barrow moms and I don't know how to turn the date thing off :confused:
 
ig Oak

That fellow looks pretty nice. The color indicates there is still some moisture in it, so full comp worked nice. I cut mostly dead hard Oaks that have been blown down by high winds, lightning, etc on local ranches, so I use semi skip chain. Hope it goes well in getting it out and to the mill. Tom:cheers:
 
Nice log. I love oak.....
How are you gonna keep those cookies from checking?
 
It dose still have some moisture in it, its only been down about a year or so. Up until this winter I havnt been able to get near it due to the widdow makers and other trees that were hung up from then this went down. Finaly mother nature brought down the worst of the broken stuff allowing me to get to this safely.

I was a little nervous about the full comp (and it may prove to be an issue in dry wood, I've only had the saw for a few days) The only issue I had is keeping the chips moving as I pull the bar out of the cut. I had the chips wad into the 30" bar a couple times and had to pull the bar off the saw so I could pull it out with out reefing on the AV mounts. No pinching I just let the chain stop mid cut to reposition myself with out letting the chips clear out first. I'll get the hang of it, its an issue I've never ran into with my 066 but the 3/8 chain dosnt move the chips like this 404 dose either. (truth be known the problem is probably more with my technique than with the chain)
 
Nice log. I love oak.....
How are you gonna keep those cookies from checking?

I've been told that coating them in wax helps so I'm going to give that a try. I'm looking more toward rustic style furniture so a little checking isnt a huge issue to me as it adds to its charm, so long as I can smooth it out with several coats of urathane. I'll probably end up keeping the first few pieces until I get the process perfected thn start selling a few to fund my hobbys

If they crack beyond use I still had fun making them :cheers:
 
Nice! You don't understand the point of an 880 until you get the chance to use it with a big bar. Same with 090s. At 30" it is just like a heavy 660. Over 40" it comes into its own. I've run one at 48", and it is unstoppable. :)
 
I was impressed with the 30" bar, the 41 is just amazing. Being that I only have 2 tanks of fuel through it I didnt lean on it real hard but there would have been no need to. It just kept right on pulling itself through the wood. I dont get to cut stuff like this everyday but having the right saw for the job sure makes it a lot of fun.
 
I ran the 066 on a 42" white oak this summer. 42" bar with skip, chewed through it pretty fast, but wished I still had the 3120. I was ankle deep in chips in no time flat.

Nice tree though. Lots of wood there.

Mark
 
Now that you have a big saw, you need an Alaskan Mill to cut that where it fell.

I milled up a white oak that had been down for several years. My longest bar for my 066 was 36", so only gave me 30" cutting width on the mill. I had to cut knots and bark from the sides of the log just to get the mill to clear. 2" thick slabs almost 8' long took two guys to load into my trailer.

Realistically, the Alaskan has its place, but making 1xs isn't its forte. That is bandsaw work.
 
Nice bro

Since your right up the road from me and all... You'll have to let me know what that log goes for. I dropped about a 26" Red oak a couple weeks ago and put it to firewood, thought the mill prices were in the crapper so I didn't waste my time bringing it... That sure is a perty log. Count the rings when you get a chance eh? Cheers brutha!

:cheers: eh?
 
I'll be interested to see just what it brings also. The guy that I had look at it told me oak was running 60-70 cents a foot. Not great but being that this tree has been down for a while I want to get it out and sold before it starts to rot. When its all done I'll have 10-11 logs from this tree and the other big one that fell next to it.

I'll have to count the rings at some point, the table that I made up from an oak about this size has 180+ in it so I'm guessing this one is in the same area.

I do have an alaskan mill, I've got to extend it out as its only a 24" but thats no problem. I'll just replace the 3 bars that the rollers ride on with some 36" bars and put the rollers back on. If the rollers need to be wider I'll make some longer ones up, just another project to add to the list. Once I get the saw broken in I may give milling a go
 
Thanks for the comments guys.

I just got off the phone with the saw mill that most folks in this area deal with, they told me they dont even want oak at the moment :jawdrop: Guess the market isnt real good . Now I've got a call in to another mill that they told me might be interested, if they're not then I'm going to make some calls and see about getting this sawn up for myself. I just cant see letting this much nice oak go to fire wood :dizzy:

My original plan for this tree was to have it milled up into floor boards for my house, but with limited space I decided to try selling it to see what I could get first. Looks like flooring may win out yet, shure would make a nice looking floor so if I have to pay to have it milled and find a dry spot to keep it I will.
 
Back
Top