Red Oak

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bear1998

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Hella all....I have few question about dead standing red oak. Any ideas how long it takes until it starts to be punky. I have some nice ones (18-22 in.) At the bottom...I find that on average the wood is very good for the first 15 feet or so from the base and then its hit or miss. What's funny is after that the next couple ft. might be 3/4s punk and it goes back to some without much.
I have some oaks that are 12-15 across at base and I have an average of 1 to 11/2 in of punk below the bark if any.
Its so time consuming to slit the junk off the sides however its to much work involved not to make use of it. I figured it was standing dead too long. By the way most of the trees are 30-40 ft tall....all the twigs n stuff are gone...thanks
 
Around here on dead oaks the roots will rot and the tree will tip over long before a trunk rots while standing. Must be a different subspecies if you are getting standing dead that are rotten.
Its not rotten.......there's just some areas where there a LOT more punk than others....
 
Pin or red oak will get punky pretty fast - in a couple years.
Bur oak will stand for years, but gets punky sapwood after about 2 yrs dead. Once the bark is off all sapwood will be punky then wear down to all heartwood and be great firewood.
Thanks....this makes senses to me.
 
Pin or red oak will get punky pretty fast - in a couple years.
Bur oak will stand for years, but gets punky sapwood after about 2 yrs dead. Once the bark is off all sapwood will be punky then wear down to all heartwood and be great firewood.
Bur oak is amazing to say the least. Even the aroma is second to none. Heartwood density is off the chart and may even rival live oak that grows in the South. Saw mills here complain that it wears out their blades too fast to process it. Splitting it is generally no fun on many chunks. Bark sometimes falls right off during the split, but only aftet lots of seasoning or cut from a dead branch. Perhaps the slowest burning wood I've seen, but several of my customers beg for it.
 
Ive been working a lot of dead and down red oak. As others said, Bark and Sapwood will go to hell quick, but heartwood seems to last quite a while. It burns amazing though. As far as the punk, let what falls off during processing fall off, then stack and keep the top covered out of the weather. It likes to absorb water, but it burns beautifully.
 
Ive been working a lot of dead and down red oak. As others said, Bark and Sapwood will go to hell quick, but heartwood seems to last quite a while. It burns amazing though. As far as the punk, let what falls off during processing fall off, then stack and keep the top covered out of the weather. It likes to absorb water, but it burns beautifully.
I must say that my largest customer needs to read exactly what you just said. All he complains about is the punky bark of bur oak and somehow he cannot see or feel the amazing density of the log, even when I ask him to hold one. So, I'm going to burn most of that bur oak that he rejects in my own stove. Does any one blame me?

Why are people so spoiled that they reject dry bur oak with heartwood as dense as nails? It's as if they would rather burn barkless poplar or willow.
 
Then sell them poplar lol.

I've sparred with folks in other topic groups when the subject of wood burning or firewood comes up because they start out with the same old crap about pine and creosote and so on. I've buried a few of them in minutiae on the subject when they've pushed too far lol. One guy was quite the self proclaimed sage on axes until I mentioned I have about 40 of them. Then he tried to tell me about the Leveraxe....
 
I work a lot of red oak. I'd have to say there are many factors that contribute to how the wood seasons out.
Standing dead wood does make for some nice wood once you get past the junk.
If any kind of fungus gets a hold of it, it's toast. But I have harvested some really nice standing dead oak.
I'd say it's a hit or miss ether way. But if you got'em use'em.
I try to burn off the punk wood in my evening yard fire as soon as possible, It absorbs moisture real bad so I don't hold onto it.
If the bark comes off fairly early, you stand a better chance of getting good wood out of it.
 
Guys....I didn't want to get a pissing match started...just had a couple of questions about what causes the punky so sporadic! I came to the conclution that I will css the way it is.....thanks so much for all the input!
 
Thanks much....I came to the conclution that if I have a decent amount of heartwood ill just css n not worry about gettin the punky off...THANKS again!
 
hi Brian. i see you out there.:laugh: some wood coming into auction now but nothing that i thought was dry enough. prices weren't to bad.
Thanks Steve....ill still need wood for next yearcause the stuff I have won't be ready for 2 to 3 years.....goin thru the ash pretty good.....still have a good bit of the white oak scraps....great heat...but a little pain constantly loading. Do you generally go to auction on certain days?? ....if so let me know n maybe ill trapes along. I went for a little adventure this evening n I found about a dozen standing red oaks.....it will be a little tricky getting the stuff out but itll be worth it!
 
i don't go to regular this time of the year but auction is tuesdays and saturdays at 10 am. like i said i saw some nice oak loads and a nice locust load yesterday. saturday might be a good day with the cold weather coming. i may go this coming tuesday and probably next saturday. i let you know about saturday.
 
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