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Standing Spalted Red Oak ???

Started by TexasTimbers, December 17, 2006, 09:28:16 PM

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TexasTimbers

I don't have pics because I was moving so fast all day trying to beat dark I never even thought of it. But I'll describe as best I can. Will take pics later. I stumbled on an area with a bunch of Red Oak that looked dead, but still had many clusters of dead leaves still on the twigs. Maybe this is normal but I have never noticed what I'm about to describe, and why I say they are dead.
One side of the trees are fairly normal looking with semi-healthy looking bark. The other side looks like someone took a hopper and sprayed a thick film of creme-colored drywall compound on it, all the way up; then an artist came along and drew spalt lines on the outside of the drywall side of the trees. I mean, they ARE spalt lines, all over the outside. I haven't had one on the mill yet and won't be able to anytime soon - we have 3 days of rain staring tonight but when I felled and bucked a couple of them you can DanG sure see that they are spalted to at least some degree.
Some of the upper branches and tops are a little punky, but the main sawlogs are as hard as healthy oaks.
There are also plenty of dead ones lying around so these things are definately dying.
Is this wood usable as long as it's good and hard? Is this a blight, maybe that sudden oak death thing I have heard about?
I know it isn't a natural deatrh some of them are too small to be dying natural deaths.
The oil is all in Texas, but the dipsticks are in D.C.

rebocardo

I have some pictures of boards I made from the same type of stuff. It is basically in the top inch or so and will separate easily, being brownish, then underneath it is spalted white and black sort of like sweetgum.


Radar67

This one was standing for 12 years.



I got some good wood from it, but mostly turning stock.



Here is a finished product.



Stew
"A man's time is the most valuable gift he can give another." TOM

If he can cling to his Blackberry, I can cling to my guns... Me

This will kill you, that will kill you, heck...life will kill you, but you got to live it!

"The man who can comprehend the why, can create the how." SFC J

TexasTimbers

That's beautiful wood radar, I can only mine looks as good, but my trees don't look anythihng like that. These are not rotten or decayed.
The oil is all in Texas, but the dipsticks are in D.C.

Radar67

Looking forward to seeing pictures of your batch. Hope it has some deep spalting.   :)

Stew
"A man's time is the most valuable gift he can give another." TOM

If he can cling to his Blackberry, I can cling to my guns... Me

This will kill you, that will kill you, heck...life will kill you, but you got to live it!

"The man who can comprehend the why, can create the how." SFC J

jerry-m

Kevjay,

This year was so dry ( no rain) that a lot of red oaks have died... Red oak requires quite a bid more moisture than other oaks... I have lost quite a few red oak and some other blue jack oak here in East Texas... Don't really know how many yet but spring will tell... The tree my  deer stand is in is dead and I will have to find another one for next year :( :( :(

One very large red oak that towers over my log cabin has mostly died >:( Not sure what I will do about it just yet...

Good luck with your dead red oak, hope it is what you expect :)

Jerry
Jerry

TexasTimbers

Quote from: jerry-m on December 18, 2006, 08:58:44 PM
Good luck with your dead red oak, hope it is what you expect :)

Well Jerry, not exactly. I have to admit I have had more than my fair share of good fortune when it comes to finding beautiful wood, but this is some of the ugliest wood I have ever laid eyes on, and I think all wood is pretty wood. Well, not ALL wood. . . . . .






Thanks for solving the mystery for me though!
The oil is all in Texas, but the dipsticks are in D.C.

Raphael

That's some nice looking Oak guys... I guess I should have left my beaver killed RO tree to stand another summer before milling the newel post.
... he was middle aged,
and the truth hit him like a man with no parachute.
--Godley & Creme

Stihl 066, MS 362 C-M & 24+ feet of Logosol M7 mill

LeeB

Kevin, I hope your being a little sarcastis there. Unless its punky it has lots of caracter that hobby woodworkers like. I agree that it is not what is normally accepted as saleable stock, but it looks to m e to some of that "niche" material that you always here about. LeeB
'98 LT40HDD/Lombardini, Case 580L, Cat D4C, JD 3032 tractor, JD 5410 tractor, Husky 346, 372 and 562XP's. Stihl MS180 and MS361, 1998 and 2006 3/4 Ton 5.9 Cummins 4x4's, 1989 Dodge D100 w/ 318, and a 1966 Chevy C60 w/ dump bed.

TexasTimbers

Lee, I wasn't being sarcastic. When I cut that first slab off my heart sank. It's ugly to me, but if others like it who am I to say it isn't pretty to them. It seems like all I have run into lately is niche wood. That is quite fine with me though. A little story for you.
I was cutting walnut one day, and was assessing a rather large one with my saw in hand after having just cut one anout 20 feet away, and I backed into a little weedy looking tree I hadn't noticed. well, as I was circling, kind of crabwalking around this walnut deciding how to drop it, I hit another one of these nusciance trees and the low limb knocked my helmet off and nearly poked me in the ear. Not my fault the trees fault for not moving out of my way. So I yanked the cord on the saw and whached these nusciance trees down at the ground.
Wow I forgot these things were here! I had "discovered" them earlier in the year but forgot they were there. Red Box Elder. Everywhere! I have posted pics here about it but that "niche" market as you say would take all my time right now if I let it. Sells on ebay fast as I list it.
Now I don't know what kind of niche market you mean, but my wife told me not to list very much of this stuff because it's been taking most of my time packaging this turning wood up to mail out. What I am I going to tell her . . . "Honey Lee says we have found another niche market . . . " She is going to say "If you don't finish my house I am going to take a niche out of your . . . . [self-moderation in effect]"   :D
The oil is all in Texas, but the dipsticks are in D.C.

LeeB

Maybe it looks different up close and personal but I see some nice panels and drawer fronts, coffee table tops, boxes, and on and on. As for sicking your wife on me, thank you no. I have my own to contend with. :D :D :D
'98 LT40HDD/Lombardini, Case 580L, Cat D4C, JD 3032 tractor, JD 5410 tractor, Husky 346, 372 and 562XP's. Stihl MS180 and MS361, 1998 and 2006 3/4 Ton 5.9 Cummins 4x4's, 1989 Dodge D100 w/ 318, and a 1966 Chevy C60 w/ dump bed.

rebocardo

WOW! What a beautiful bowl, I am impressed  8)

Radar67

Thanks rebocardo. I've got some more of this wood to play with when I get a break.  ;D

Stew
"A man's time is the most valuable gift he can give another." TOM

If he can cling to his Blackberry, I can cling to my guns... Me

This will kill you, that will kill you, heck...life will kill you, but you got to live it!

"The man who can comprehend the why, can create the how." SFC J

TexasTimbers

Quote from: LeeB on December 19, 2006, 05:47:13 PM
As for sicking your wife on me, thank you no.

Uhhh. Better re-read it bro. I wasn't suggesting that. It would be me she would be helping see the light.  ;)
The oil is all in Texas, but the dipsticks are in D.C.

blaze83

Stew

That spaulted red oak bowel is really unique and beautiful,  did you mill any boards out of that stump or just turning stock.   I'm thinking it would be awesome if there was enough  wood to build a gun cabinet or china hutch  8)

Kevjay

seems like we all have different taste in wood, cars, fishing lures etc. I wish I lived closer to you so I could make a deal or trade for some of that "ugly" old oak :)

If I get back to Ohio and my dad and I get a mill, the condition set forth by my mom is that the first thing we build with the lumber we cut is her new kitchen cabinets.... ('cause the money for her kitchen is going to by the mill no_no)We have some red oak that have been dying out,  and it sounds real similar to the stuff you just milled and posted the pic's of.  I hope we get some color like you did, I think it would make a unique and beautiful set of kitchen cabinets...


blaze83
I'm always amazed that no matter how bad i screw up Jesus still loves me

LeeB

Oops. My bad. I never said I could read.
'98 LT40HDD/Lombardini, Case 580L, Cat D4C, JD 3032 tractor, JD 5410 tractor, Husky 346, 372 and 562XP's. Stihl MS180 and MS361, 1998 and 2006 3/4 Ton 5.9 Cummins 4x4's, 1989 Dodge D100 w/ 318, and a 1966 Chevy C60 w/ dump bed.

TexasTimbers

Quote from: blaze83 on December 20, 2006, 12:06:45 AM
. . . seems like we all have different taste in wood . . .

Well you are right. So far I am the only one who doesn't like it. When my wife saw it she said she wanted to use it for flooring in one of the rooms. I reminded her we already have more wood designated as flooring than we have floor space to accept it.  ::)
The oil is all in Texas, but the dipsticks are in D.C.

WDH

My experience with oak wood like that Kevjay is that it is prone to split and check real bad, especially in the knotty core.   It looks great, but dries poorly with a lot of defect.  I only air dry and with a kiln it might not be as muchof a problem.  What has been your experience with your kiln?
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

JimBuis

Kevjay,
I'd love to have a chunk of that ugly wood to turn pens out of.  Drop a chunk in the mail and I'd be happy to pay the postage and a little extra toward fixing your house up.

Jim
Jim Buis                             Peterson 10" WPF swingmill

TexasTimbers

Quote from: WDH on December 20, 2006, 07:26:34 AMWhat has been your experience with your kiln?

Thanks for the heads up on the drying, I figured with all that knottyness it would be a problem.

My experience with my kiln is that I have no experience with it yet; the chamber is built but after what, two years of trying to decide what route to take, I have finally decided, about 6 weeks ago actually, that I am going to go with a Condensation Kiln. A guy who has been using CKs solely for 15 years, after having run a DH kiln for 7 years prior to that, sold me on the idea.
In large part because my dad has given me a huge commercial cooling tower, which would have been the main expense. I will just have to meter the capacity down to what I need. No big.
The coils and fans needed for the chamber are chump change, and the other main expense, a wood fired furnace/boiler, can be used to heat my shop as well. House too if I want.
It will probably be summer before I get it all together though. Yep, I'll that boiler will be ready to fire off just in time for summer!
My unplanned path was the reason I suggested to WoodDean on the sawmill thread to build his solar kiln now. Had I done that like I had initially wanted I could have ran quite a few loads through already.
Live and learn.
The oil is all in Texas, but the dipsticks are in D.C.

TexasTimbers

Jim you posted while I was typing (and cooking sausage;). You don't have to include extra for the house brother. Or even the postage; just send me a few Japanese style school erasers sometime. The scented ones with caricatures if they still make them. I love those things. PM me your addy.
The oil is all in Texas, but the dipsticks are in D.C.

Radar67

Quote from: blaze83 on December 20, 2006, 12:06:45 AM
did you mill any boards out of that stump or just turning stock.   I'm thinking it would be awesome if there was enough  wood to build a gun cabinet or china hutch  8)

I've got a few pieces I could resaw, but nothing big enough for a gun cabinet...maybe a decorative box for a pistol though.

Stew
"A man's time is the most valuable gift he can give another." TOM

If he can cling to his Blackberry, I can cling to my guns... Me

This will kill you, that will kill you, heck...life will kill you, but you got to live it!

"The man who can comprehend the why, can create the how." SFC J

TexasTimbers

I guess I don't know ugly wood from "ugly" wood. Jim you were right . . . . . this stuff is u-g-l-y!  8)

This block will be heading East in a day or two . . . . . . .





The oil is all in Texas, but the dipsticks are in D.C.

Ron Wenrich

You would love our mineral streaked red oak.   :D
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

TexasTimbers

I love all wood now, even ugly wood is pretty wood. This stuff is just started cooking good. I am going to let the logs cook til next year.
lemme see some o' that ugly mineral streaked stuff ???
The oil is all in Texas, but the dipsticks are in D.C.

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