Spent the last few days milling

[guero]

White Oak Drying

Hello aquanstor,

Enjoyed your pics of the WHITE OAK. I just posted a question on drying problems with WHITE OAK. If I cut my two short logs into say 6" slabs, will they crack/split/check very badly without a kiln. I'm on the Gulf Coast, very humid and hot. Would like to get four mantle pieces out of the logs, but have never had any expierence drying lumber. You seem to have cut yours into 1" boards looking at the pics. How are they doing?

Tks, Guero

 

[aquan8tor]

Hey there and welcome to the forum. I can't speak much about the gulf coast region for drying, but if its anything like virginia in the summer, its HOT and MUGGY!!!! The slabs I cut are actually a generous 8/4" cut, at 2 1/8". They're doing alright, a very little bit of surface checking because they sat in the sun unavoidably for several days. Oh well, it'll add to the rustic tables I plan to make with them.

As far as your 6" slabs are concerned, I'd make sure to carefully seal the ends with a wax emulsion sealer or several coats of latex paint, which you can remove later with a belt sander or scraper. This is very important. I'd also cover them from any sun, and leave them where they're likely to get a decent amount of airflow, but not right in the wind or even close. A 6" thick slab is going to dry slowly, and likely as not its going to get some surface checks, possibly pretty deep ones. I personally have a 7' slab of hickory that I cut at about 8" thick. HEAVY! Its going to have some checking over time, but I'm totally okay with that. I hoep this helps answer your questions....

 

[Rodney Sinclair]

aquan8tor, I own 80 acreas on the lower end of Sulphur River down in lower Arkansas. We have always had a big problem with what you call "firewood poachers" as well as dumpers, dope dealers, hunters and you name it. These are the "city folks" that put their dogs and cats out and leave them to starve. You may call them poachers but I call them what they are. And I've got to disagree with WoodShop. I think it's worth every effort to see they get what they got coming.

Rodney

 

[woodshop]

And I've got to disagree with WoodShop. I think it's worth every effort to see they get what they got coming.

Rodney

Yes they should get whats coming to them if they steal your firewood and dump trash on your land. My point was more practical. Depending on the severity of the crime, I'm not prepared on principle alone to spend thousands of dollars on lawyers just to catch some lowlife that could care less, and who will be right back out to your woods again after he's out of jail (if he/she is ever even put in one), only this time with a can of gas and a box of matches. I don't like it but that's reality. Unless I had some way of watching over the whole 80 acres 24/7, I'd choose my battles carefully. Just my opinion... that's all.

 

[Rodney Sinclair]

Yes they should get whats coming to them if they steal your firewood and dump trash on your land. My point was more practical. Depending on the severity of the crime, I'm not prepared on principle alone to spend thousands of dollars on lawyers just to catch some lowlife that could care less, and who will be right back out to your woods again after he's out of jail (if he/she is ever even put in one), only this time with a can of gas and a box of matches. I don't like it but that's reality. Unless I had some way of watching over the whole 80 acres 24/7, I'd choose my battles carefully. Just my opinion... that's all.

WoodShop, I didn't have trouble with them twice very often. I would go through their trash and try to find an address, or some neighbor would get a license No. and then I'd give it to the sheriff. Then they had a choice of pickin it up or go to jail. Did have one tell the sheriff that I had shot at him. I just told the sheriff if I had shot at him, he wouldn't have made a complant. But I did shoot over his head. Any way, I didn't have any more trouble from him. It took 8 years to get the road going in closed off, and that did the trick. By the way, this 80 acres is all timber. I live up the road about 3 miles on 20 acres. I've got a lot of stories about what "those people" will and can do. Want to talk about 4-wheelers? Even the sheriff was happy when I got the place closed off.
Rodney

 

[woodshop]

WoodShop, I didn't have trouble with them twice very often. I would go through their trash and try to find an address, or some neighbor would get a license No. and then I'd give it to the sheriff. Then they had a choice of pickin it up or go to jail. Did have one tell the sheriff that I had shot at him. I just told the sheriff if I had shot at him, he wouldn't have made a complant. But I did shoot over his head. Any way, I didn't have any more trouble from him. It took 8 years to get the road going in closed off, and that did the trick. By the way, this 80 acres is all timber. I live up the road about 3 miles on 20 acres. I've got a lot of stories about what "those people" will and can do. Want to talk about 4-wheelers? Even the sheriff was happy when I got the place closed off.
Rodney

I don't own a large tract of woods, but I think my experience as a logger gives me at least a little bit of an understanding on the subject. I've talked to and helped many a landowner with this type of problem in the past. Don't get me wrong Rodney... if I did own timbered land as you and others do, I would feel the same way you do, and would do everything I could to protect it, and keep the trash, tree thieves etc away. Just saying at least in my experience, there is unfortunately another side to the coin. When I was working for the paper company as a logger we ran into deliberate damage and even arson in a few cases to our company owned woods on a regular basis. It's just a fact of life, there are going to be bad guys out there that simply have zero scruples. I say again, within reason... I would pick my battles accordingly.

 

[Rodney Sinclair]

Oh yeah, the damn paper mill. Ended up in a lawsuit with them also over the crap they were putting the river. Can't get into that one much because of a so called "gag order."

Rodney