Had some time this evening to get to the large White Oak that has been down back by the creek since '03 or so. It's in the area where we planted Black Walnuts this spring. It's probably 28" or so DBH. Most of the sapwood is gone and pretty much just heartwood left. I took the splitter back there so I could check moisture on a few fresh splits. They were all between 17% and 22% so I'm thinking I'll cut and split it and bring it on up to the woodshed (that gets sun and has good air flow) and use it this coming heating season. I'll take sample moisture readings as I work on it to make sure it is all where it will be OK by the time it hits the stove. There are a few spots where it was in contact with the ground that are going bad or have ants, so those will just get left out here in the woods. I'm thinking this was dropped and left by the last loggers that were in this woods before we got it. There are a lot of young White Oak filling in and taking off that will make some nice saw logs for the next owner... Some of those will be destined for firewood in a few years when it's time to cull some out for crop tree release. The tree is pretty branchy, knotted, and crooked, but there are a few short saw logs I may be able to do something with on the sawmill. Looking towards the base where the stump is at the top of a 15' drop down to the creek. Looking back up the slope into the area that all the underbrush and non native species was cleared for the Walnut planting. The area in front of the tractor that looks fairly clear was nearly impassable without a machete last year. Multifloral Rose, Honeysuckle, Grapevine, Crabapple, and Hawthorne were nearly impenetrable. The larger trees were mostly Honey Locust and Cherry that were removed. Most of what remains are White & Pin Oak, Hickory, Beech, and Maple with a few others. Hopefully some Walnut soon.
Nice find! Will you retrieve all the wood? I have a few oak skeletons like that in my woods, nowhere near that size. Wonder why ive never cut and burned them??? Would have to wheelbarrow them out though!
Amazing how little undergrowth you have there at this time of year. No way I will be cutting in our timber soon. 5 feet of nasty prickly rash producing fun in our timber. Not to mention the happy tick population. Enjoy the Oak! Great stuff.
Back in the deeper woods where there is a nice canopy, there is very little undergrowth. The places that used to be pasture back in the '50s is where all the nasty invasive species stuff is. I'm sure what I'll use for firewood will burn good this winter. I brought a couple carry-all loads up to the woodshed with the tractor yesterday. I went back there today and cut some crotches out at the minimum length I can clamp into the sawmill and cut some slabs and put them in the basement to finish drying real slow. Some of the best grain patterns I've ever cut on the mill yet. And I started with some of the smaller nasty pieces. There are a ton of crotches in this tree and there are two more just like it 50 yards upstream. I see some live edge serving trays and other stuff in the future... The grain on almost every slab was pleasing to the eye so my next big task is to figure out how to best show it off... But I think I'm gonna be busy cuz these were from 2 small crotches and there are tons of them out there. I may have to sell some of them. I wouldn't have a clue how to price something like these, yet...
Living vicariously through you and your sawmill! Great discovery. Putting them in your basement, not worried about the moisture/humidity you are bringing into your house? Enough air movement to arrest mold growth? I understand the concern about drying slowly to reduce cracks/checking but painting the ends and placing in a dark shed with air movement might be a better solution. (think of an old corn crib or tobacco barn)
Our basement is part of the controlled envelope of our home. Air is cycling all the time and we have zero mold / mildew. It's part of the way we heat in the winter with the woodstove in the basement using the furnace blower to move the air through the entire house ( ducting has been modified to include the whole house including basement). In the summer the air is still cycled to aid the AC unit and we also have a de-humidifier in the basement to assist the AC unit in keeping the house dried out. I usually paint the ends, but I was in a hurry to get these two crotches opened up. These are just two of a ton of wood in this tree. I'm planning on bringing some saw logs and crotches over to the barn and painting the ends on those. Most of this wood is already pretty dry, measured 17 to 22% for the most part, I found a couple of spots in a couple pieces that were in the upper 20s, but it should be OK. Our outside sheds typically get wicked hot and dry stuff out too fast. I'll move it to one of them once it gets down under 15% or so. I just don't want the moisture to drop too fast or unevenly. A couple of pieces are already starting to check a little, but I cut them a little long anticipating that. JWinIndiana Small entry level / hobby Bandmills are not that expensive these days. I decided to go that route vs. an Alaska mill setup since large chainsaws are expensive and I have a way of getting logs that fit on our mill out of the woods. Bigger stuff is just too hard to deal with. Keep reading and thinking about it and you may just end up with a mill of your own. It has been fun and I've learned a lot. I still have a long way to go on learning but I'm enjoying it. I'm looking forward to retirement and I'm thinking that playing with my wood has many theraputic benefits. LOL White Oak... Awesome rays for sure. Thx, but nature has blessed us with this beauty. I'm just the lucky guy that gets to open them up...
For sure! It’s always great to flip that slab over and see what’s there. I had some a few months ago.
Nice. I was outside working all day till I got soaked from a passing storm. I did go back to the "tree" and cut a couple more pieces to run on the sawmill. I got the ends painted and temporarily put them in the woodshed till I get some time to slice them open. It's messy, but it's paint that is leftover from when we built the house 13 years ago. I slather it on with a stir stick so I don't have to clean a brush. The one on the right had a large limb coming out over on the right so I'm sure there will be some interesting grain there.
