dead tree ??????????

[Woody912]

Cut about a 28" white oak today, has been dead on the stump for about 5 yrs. sapwood was rotten about 3" but the heartwood appeared to be extremely sound although with a number of small boreholes (worms I guess) Just out curiosity, what kind of lumber would this make if it was sawn into boards. I would think the holes etc would give it an antique, distressed look but would it be prone to excessive checking etc when it dried? It's destined to become firewood but always wonder if there would have been a higher and better use

 

[hamish]

I have milled many a dead and rotted good for nothing trees and have gotten some beautiful slabs and lumber from them.

One of the joys of milling is not knowing what your going to get till you open it up.

 

[Mac88]

Like hamish said, you'll never know utill you take a look inside.

 

[mnwoody]

Trees are like a box of chocolates, you never know what your gonna get. Come to think of it, it's kinda like gettin married.

 

[Dave Boyt]

I've cut white oak that old (and walnut even older). You've already determined that the heartwood is sound, so go for it. Sounds like you've got 22" of heartwood to play with, and that's plenty of log. The wood will probably be a little darker than what you're used to, and it will be harder, so your cuts will be slower. Let us know what you find inside!

 

[qbilder]

Yeah don't underestimate white oak. That stuff lasts a long time. If it's been five years then maybe it has dried quite a bit already & will not behave too badly while drying.

 

[autis]

we cut a big white oak like that a couple winters back. was around 28-30inches dia and had been standing dead for 3 years. had the boreholes in it like you describe. man i wish i had a mill at that time!!! i kick myself every time i think of it cause it would have made totally awesome lumber, in my opinion. we had to quarter some of the rounds just to load it and it looked great! had that slight pinkish tint that solid white oak gets.

if i were you, id mill that stuff!!!

 

[mikeb1079]

i had the same thing happen to a burr oak that i milled w/a friend of mine. had been laying on the ground dead for who knows how long. it was riddled with small black holes. at the time i was a bit disappointed that it wasnt perfectly clear lumber. boy was i wrong about that. i've used some since on some projects and with those small little worm holes and the darker color of the burr oak it is some really pretty stuff. i wish i had more of it. i find it much more interesting than the clear lumber i thought i wanted. definitely mill that oak!

 

[Woody912]

I've cut white oak that old (and walnut even older). You've already determined that the heartwood is sound, so go for it. Sounds like you've got 22" of heartwood to play with, and that's plenty of log. The wood will probably be a little darker than what you're used to, and it will be harder, so your cuts will be slower. Let us know what you find inside!

Don't have a mill or even the means to get this one out of the woods except in chunks but I'm always curious. Sometimes I'll rip a log with a saw just to see what the grain looks like. Not too many guys milling around here and can't hardly give away one log. Cut loose about a 30" cherry(uprooted) couple yrs ago so it could dry, think nieces boyfriend just took it to burn

 

[autis]

well its too bad your not milling it but atleast its getting burned for heat and not rottin away on the ground..

 

[excess650]

Don't have a mill or even the means to get this one out of the woods except in chunks but I'm always curious. Sometimes I'll rip a log with a saw just to see what the grain looks like. Not too many guys milling around here and can't hardly give away one log. Cut loose about a 30" cherry(uprooted) couple yrs ago so it could dry, think nieces boyfriend just took it to burn

An Alaskan mill is the answer to your problem. You take the mill to the log, make slabs, cants or lumber, and haul it out.

Cherry is very well behaved when drying, so its a shame that your 30" was wasted.

 

[Dave Boyt]

If you want to find a portable sawmill in your area, check the resources section of woodweb.com, and portablesawmill.info. Both have listings of portable sawmill business. Sorry I'm too far away to help. A chain saw mill would be a good step if you want to give milling a go. More toys, bigger saw, what's the downside? CAD, by the way, is a myth. I got a chain saw mill eight years ago, and I'm perfectly normal (well, normal for someone with a Husq 2100 with 42" bar, Norwood band saw mill, tractor winch, Lewis winch, log arch, and a couple thousand board feet of lumber drying behind the barn).

 

[Woody912]

Really don't have end use for it or a place to put it. I also suffer from a very serious golf, mushrooming, syrup making, fishing, ball w/ grandson and hunting disorder so my sawing is a January and February addiction

 

[qbilder]

Really don't have end use for it or a place to put it. I also suffer from a very serious golf, mushrooming, syrup making, fishing, ball w/ grandson and hunting disorder so my sawing is a January and February addiction

I can relieve you of some of those shrooms & syrup to free you up some time for sawing. I'm a really helpful, nice guy like that :hmm3grin2orange:

 

[excess650]

cherry

This is why someone should have a chainsaw mill.

It has crotch figure and curl. The white wood on the lower edge was rotten and the top edge was working on it, but I've stabilized and hardened it by allowing it to absorb as much Minwax Tung Oil finish as it would take.

 

[qbilder]

That's what I hope I find every time I open a cherry log......but to no avail. Even the big cherry I cut never seems to have the good figure like that. What type of terrain did that tree grow? Was it in a field, or in the deep woods, on flat or sloped ground?

 

[Woody912]

I can relieve you of some of those shrooms & syrup to free you up some time for sawing. I'm a really helpful, nice guy like that :hmm3grin2orange:

Fishing bud just passed thru Albuquerque enroute to see her daughter in LA, syrup I could have handled, mushrooms kinda tuff this time of yr! As far as the cherry, I think sometimes the mineral content of the ground has a lot to do with color. Read somewhere that the English actually do something to beech trees to achieve a certain effect( takes yrs) Otherwise I would expect a slow growing tree to have more character. I think the much of the best walnut comes out of the Circassian Mtns in Turkey

 

[excess650]

The color of cherry varies, but exposing it to ultraviolet light causes it to darken. Likewise, applying a lye mixture will cause it to darken by reacting with the tannic acid in the wood. Unlike stain, the grain is not muddied because nothing has been added. Its a chemical reaction within the wood that is triggered by the UV or lye. "Reagent" is the correct term. Nitric acid is what causes the grain to "pop" in curly maple.

I really don't know where this piece of cherry grew other than in WV. I have another, smaller slab from the same log already made into a live edge coffee table. Obviously you will find crotch figure if you mill the crotches, but finding curly wood is more difficult.

 

[qbilder]

Fishing bud just passed thru Albuquerque enroute to see her daughter in LA, syrup I could have handled, mushrooms kinda tuff this time of yr!

Yeah i'm still 3.5hrs south of Albuquerque. I grew up in south eastern Ohio and loaded up on Mushrooms every spring. In a month or two my brother or old man will be calling me on skype to show me the big bag of shrooms, or if they really want to tease me they eat a plate of mushroom/venison stir fry while talking to me. :msp_mad:

I think the much of the best walnut comes out of the Circassian Mtns in Turkey

I'd have to agree. The marbling & colors they get are tough to match with out domestic walnuts. The closest thing I have found is the Nogal, which lucky for me grows right here. It pretty much grows in the washes & stream banks near the continental divide, but not much west or east of it. Sometimes I find a small grove growing high up in the mountains but not normally & not big. They get huge near a creek bank, though. The wood often has the good marbling & streaks, and is generally dark chocolate with black. It's a world prettier than typical eastern black walnut. Grows lots of burls, too. I found a dried up creek bottom near Lincoln (billy the kid town) that is lined with them, but they've all been long time dead since the water quit flowing. A local rancher has been clearing some out, exposing the burl roots, and leaving lots of stumps & crotches. I'm going to harvest some big scraps tomorrow & will post pics when I mill.

 

[Woody912]

her ex worked at Alamagordo, she still has land at Rio Rancho, threatened to go for Balloonfest but nevr happened. Have another friend with a place at Cloudcroft, like to go shoot some of his elk if NM non-res license were not sucha hassle and $$$$$$$$$$