How long can an oak log lay around?

[rambo]

Last summer I contacted a local saw mill and asked them if he was interested in buying some nice oak and other hardwood trees I had on my 5 acres. He said yes, cut them to 8' 6" and he would come over and pick them up with his truck. I waited until late fall and felled the trees as he told me to. However, when I called him to come purchase the logs he said prices were down so bad to burn them for firewood. So they are still laying around on my property. So my question is how long can these logs lay around before they are not worth sawing up for lumber? I have red oak, white oak, black cherry, shagbark hickory and red maple.

[WDH]

The hickory and red maple are likely stained and probably have insect damage.  The heartwood of the oak and cherry will still be good, although the oak may have some insect holes, especially in the sapwood.  At least that would likely be the case here in the deep South.  You might have fared better in your more Northern clime.  Good luck. 

[rambo]

WDH,
what causes staining?

[WDH]

Fungal activity.

[Magicman]

In Mississippi, the wormholes will be through the heart also, but that just gives it "character".  The red oak will be the easiest to saw.
 


This red oak looked "rough" but produced some very nice lumber.  No commercial mill would have bought that log.

[rambo]

How soon should trees be milled into lumber from the time they are cut down?

Also I forgot to add that I borrowed a skid steer last summer and stacked some of the oak logs in the yard. And some of the other trees are not in connect with the ground. Some of the trees that i did not cut to length are being supported off the ground by their limbs. I don't know if that helps to delay the fungal action.

thanks for the photos magicman. That picture tells me something about this saw mill game. I hope to buy my first saw by the end of april.

[rambo]

Magicman,

I noticed you have a '98 Woodmizer LT40SuperHydraulic/Lombardini . I am going to an auction this weekend and they have the same saw, same year with 3300 hours on it. What is a fair price for that saw?

[medic1289]

I've sawn,(and had sawn for me before I got the mill), red oak that's laid for several years. As long as some air got around it, it was amazing how much usable lumber it made. Wish I could figure out puttin pics up, but I made a wine cellar door out of some wormy oak that was a tremendous hit with the customer.  Mind you, it's not all gonna be wormy, but it's not neccesarily a "bad" thing.

Just my findin's
sy

[rambo]

 Wish I could figure out puttin pics up,

I am also having trouble with the picture part of this site. thanks for the feedback. I don't mind some lumber with  character to it.

[Magicman]

Wish I could figure out puttin pics up 

Just click on the Java Uploader below "the posting box".

[woodmills1]

I just cut some oak that I got cleaning up the yard where I bought the 2005 LT70, I think they are 5 years old.  the color is a bit browner and some black spalt in the juvinile wood, but the majority is fine

I also cut some that I have had for over 3 years, they also were fine, given I was cutting horse fence and trailer deck

[rambo]

woodmills,

thanks for that feedback. That tells me alot. I guess if your not looking to get FAS out of it, then laying around for a time does not matter so much.

[woodmills1]

not at all for oak

I would make cabinets for my self but never expect a high grade customer unless it made it to the




do you have something different specialty range

[Magicman]

I sawed 2 red oak logs yesterday that were probably a year old.  All of the sapwood was soft, but the heartwood was solid and very nice.  Yes, it had worm holes throughout and completely to the center.  It will make some beautiful cabinets, etc.

Lumber that may not meet "grade" sometimes is the prettiest.

[woodmills1]

your red oak must be different, or because your warmer in general the bug are more active.  I never see worm holes in oak heartwood here.  Ants yes, but they were usually in the tree before it was cut

pine worms i can hear em munchin and see the frass pushin out of the hole as soon as it stays over 70 for 3 days ina row

[rambo]

Magicman,

That saw at the auction sold for $11,200.00.

sorry to say I was not the winning bidder

[Magicman]

I would have bought it at that price, and I don't need two!  As I said, I would not sell mine for twice that.

[ljmathias]

Wow, someone got a deal on that saw, at least if it was in reasonable working condition.

As to oak laying around- even here in the South things vary.  Several years ago, my son brought home two 3' diameter pieces of a red oak trunk that were only 4-5' long.  Didn't think I wanted them for anything but firewood, so they sat on the ground for over a year.  Was bored one weekend and decided to clean up the yard some so I through one of these on the old manual LT30 I used to have: made some beautiful flooring wood.  In fact, this reminds me that the lumber from those two chunks has been drying in my across-the-pond-and-rarely-visited small barn for almost three years now- should be ready for use in the house I'm about to start foundation on this month... course, that one will take a year to get to the point I need the wood for interior work.

White oak is even better: neighbor donated a 24" trunk from a Katrina fall that had been laying over dead for 3 years- made some beautiful, non-wormy boards.  Found some white oak that also had been down about the same length of time that was punky on the outside and spalted pretty bad on the inside, almost to the point of losing all structural strength, but I saved if for furniture work (when I get some "free time" some time   )

I'm about to cut up the red and white oak we found "hidden" at my daughters place- been on the ground for over four years but still seems pretty sound at heart although the exterior is pretty punky in some places: only way to know is to open it up and see what's inside.  What fun!  It's like finding a chest stored in your parents attic: what's in it?  Something valuable or just junk?  Curiosity mounts, excitement builds... but I have to wait till Sunday- too much to do till then.

Lj

[rambo]

The saw purrrrred and was fully functional. Thanks all for the stories. I learned alot from this post!!

[Jim Spencer]

I have got great lumber from red oak logs 5 year old and white oak 20 years old.
Of course these logs were sitting on skid logs.  sitting on about 15 inch dia. logs.

[ljmathias]

Just an update on my daughter's logs- about half or so was pretty punky but some of the red oak made great boards and I've got them stickered and drying now.  The white had spalted pretty good but had edges that were pretty far gone so I lost a lot trimming- no matter, they were gifts with no expected value and we got some great boards for future use.  I'd get some pictures but it's raining cats and dogs right now, and you know how that hurts when one hits you in the head... 

Lj

[flibob]

Here are a couple of pics of an oak that has been on the ground for at least 2 years.  I bucked it and drug it up to the mill last week.  About 16 inches short end with an inch or so of soft wood on the outside.  I will send some more 



pics when I get them sawed

[rambo]

Can't wait to see more pictures

[LorenB]

How soon should trees be milled into lumber from the time they are cut down?

Rambo,

Ideally you should cut the logs into lumber immediately after felling the tree, or at least right after applying end coat to the logs. 

– Loren