Red oak for timber frame porch

[thinman56]

So, my carpentry skills are about average for a weekend builder, but I have time, a little more patience, and a lot of standing red oak on my land in Maine.  I'm thinking about sawing up enough for a 10' x 20' screen porch.  I've been doing my homework out of the TFG books, and have a design that should be pretty stout.  I plan to have it sawn by one of the locals, plane it and start building almost right away.  My question is, how will the red oak react to being put up green and drying in place exposed to the weather?  Should I leave it completely unfinished for a year, or should I at least oil it?  If I use just heartwood for posts, beams and girts, and the grain is pretty straight, is red oak pretty stable in the long run?

Thanks for any feedback.   

[Rooster]

Thinman,

It sounds like a fun project.  And I want to bring up some concerns.  As far as I know, Red Oak is not very rot resistant because of the large pores in the grain. This traps water and speeds the decaying process. White Oak is rot resistant, and could be a better choice.  If you were planning on using it inside an enclosed structure it would not be an issue. 
Planeing green oak, or as quickly as you seem to want to start, the beams would be wet and I don't know how the plane would handle it.  The beams that are sawn might have a nice surface right off the mill.  Others here might be able to advise on the drying options.

Rooster 

[fishpharmer]

Welcome to forestry forum Thinman. 8) 8)

[Magicman]

These porch post and flooring had dried for about 6 months.  A sealer was brushed on the flooring after installation.  It is now 4 years old with no objectionable cupping.  The posts are 6X6.



The siding under the porch is Red Oak.  The other siding is Poplar.

And, Welcome to The Forestry Forum.

[thinman56]

Thanks, men.  I'll try the planing on some scrap pieces, maybe I can skip it and just use a palm sander on it after it's dried a while.  I know there are pore fillers, but when to apply them?  I assume if I put it on right away, it'll slow down the drying process. 

Nice porch, Magicman, the posts still look straight and plumb.

[thecfarm]

thinman, welcome to the forum. Not much white oak in Maine. I think there is some down by the coast.

[laffs]

I think I'd take my posts out of the straitest logs. they tend not to warp, a tree that grows with a curve in it has stress, and will most likely warp over time. use the ones that have a curve, crown for roof boards floor boards or siding
brent