Willow Oak

[ddcuning]

Has anyone ever sawn any Willow Oak, otherwise known as Water Oak? They are plentiful here in NC and I have been told that the wood is the same as Red Oak.

Dave C

[clww]

I'm slabbing one now with a chainsaw. It has nearly the same appearance as Red Oak and nearly the same weight, too. The trunk section I have left to work on is 12 feet long and 5 feet across.

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

Willow Oak and Water oak are two different oaks. Willow oak has a leaf about 4" long and slim. The Water Oak leaf is the shape of a duck's foot.
Booth are good wood to saw.

[kelLOGg]

I agree with Poston... I halved a large water oak, milled and dried it and made nice benches from it. Willow oak should process as well or better.
Bob

[Dodgy Loner]

I have sawed both and they will both make great lumber. Technically water oak and willow oak are types of red oak. In general, willow oak is a taller, straighter tree with fewer branches, but I have seen a lot of very nice water oaks also. General rule of thumb: a good-looking tree is likely to produce good-looking lumber ;D

[WDH]

Like DL said, they are both in the red oak group.  Bad red oak is bad.  Good red oak is good.  Cut good red oak lumber and firewood the bad.  Log quality is the key.

[ddcuning]

These trees have the long slinder leaf which is what I always referred to as a willow oak. So the next question, is there anyone local to me that wants some of these logs? I have all of the wood I can handle at the moment but these trees are bound for the landfill if I don't collect them. I may take one or two logs but there looks to be around nine of them most in the 20" range or larger. They will be cut around the first week of April.

Logs are located in Greensboro, NC and will have to be checked for metal. I saw a metal tag nailed to each of the trees where they have been tagged for inventory.

[rbarshaw]

Is willow oak the same as pin oak?

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

No.

[WDH]

Willow oak is Quercus phellos.  Pin oak is Quercus palustris.

[kelLOGg]

Dave,
I will take what you don't want. Hauling that amount from Greensboro is prohibitive for me. Can we work something out?

Bob

[Bandmill Bandit]

Is willow oak what we call Diamond willow up here?

[Dodgy Loner]

No, diamond willow is a group of at least six different willows (Salix spp.) that grow mostly in the boreal forests. Willow oak is a true oak (Quercus spp.) that owes its name to its long, slender leaves that resemble those of a willow.

[Slabs]

 

And like the old country gal, it dresses up pretty good too.





One young neighbor insists that the real name of Water Oak is "Laurel Oak".
Daddy said it was WATER OAK.

[WDH]

Water oak leaves are generally widest toward the tip, a term called spatulate, like a spatula.  Sometimes they are tree-lobed at the tip.  Not so with laurel oak.

[Bandmill Bandit]

We have a willow up here called Laurel Leaf  Willow. Never sawed any of it cause it is more of a bush type willow and i think it is a soft wood too.

That is some beautiful wood in those pictures.

[scsmith42]

These trees have the long slinder leaf which is what I always referred to as a willow oak. So the next question, is there anyone local to me that wants some of these logs? I have all of the wood I can handle at the moment but these trees are bound for the landfill if I don't collect them. I may take one or two logs but there looks to be around nine of them most in the 20" range or larger. They will be cut around the first week of April.

Logs are located in Greensboro, NC and will have to be checked for metal. I saw a metal tag nailed to each of the trees where they have been tagged for inventory.

Hi Neighbor!  I'm interested in any large oak logs that I can find, and have cut both willow and water oak before.  Matter of fact, I have some remnants of a 50" willow oak that came from the front of the Habitat for Humanity store in Pittsboro a few years back.  Also have some 16" wide QSRO veneer from that same log.

Typically I like to pick up oak logs between 30" - 60" in diameter, so if you end up with any extra's please give me a shout.

What part of Pittsboro are you in?  I'm located on the south side of Jordan Lake.  From your bio, I take it that you're familiar with the folks over at Piedmont Biofuels?  I went through one of their classes back in '08.

[ddcuning]

Bob and SCSmith42,
There should be plenty of oak for us. The max diameter are between 24" and 30" if you guys are still interested. I had planned to haul them to the mill I am using in Carrboro and figure it out from there.

SCSmith42,
Yes we are very close, I live about 7 miles up 87 from Pittsboro and my mill will be set up about a mile north of 64 when I ever get this mess with my property worked out. I do know the folks from Piedmont, I worked there for a while when the Coop was making fuel a few years back. Haven't talked with those folks in a while. I took the class at CCCC a few years back also.

[scsmith42]

Bob has first choice, but I'll be happy to take whatever he doesn't want - especially if it's the big ones!

DDC - I have some friends up your way.  You probably have seen Charles Lutterloh's farm on the east side of 87, and my airplane mechanic lives up off of Chicken Bridge Road.

Another friend lives over in Silk Hope.

I brought my welder over and did some volunteer work at the Coop in 08.  Remember those big metal tanks that they cut in two and stood up inside?  I welded the bungs on them one night.

GirlMark taught my class - it was originally scheduled for CCCC but then moved to the Coop instead.  I'm still storing some of her equipment for her here at my farm.

A good friend of mine ownes and operates a Frick on a daily basis not far from here.  I think that it's an OO but I'm not positive.  Let me know if you'd like to meet him - he's good people.

[kelLOGg]

Thanks, Scott, but I will opt for the smaller ones. 24+ inches is a good size for me to haul. Truck is limited to towing 5000 lbs so that limits me to about a 3000 log and probably one at a time, too. It all depends on the length - I assume 16'?

Dave,
let us know how and how much to settle up.

Bob

[ddcuning]

Scott and Bob,
After trying to saw yesterday, my sawing days on my friends mill are done. Not sawing anymore on it. I tried to cut a 2x6 on some fresh cut pine and it fliped the carriage off of the mill and onto the ground. To scary for me I am done with it. I went and pulled my mill that I bought in Dec out of the woods and got it to the house but it will be about Sept until I can get it going. How about this, if you guys can help me saw the pines I have, you can have all of the oaks split between you and I will deliver them so you guys don't have to worry about getting them? I need 2x6's out of the pine I have to let me build the sawmill shed but my friends mill is just not going to saw that pine for what ever reason. Let me know if we can work out a deal.

919-542-3110 home
919-949-5812 cell

Dave C

[beenthere]

Dave
Your dilema is a bit puzzling.

What would have caused the carriage to flip off the mill?

What type of mill was it and what type did you pull out of the woods?

[ddcuning]

The mill is a Frick OO and we were sawing fresh cut pine. The board started out at 2" on one end and 10' later it was 1/2". The blade bowed so bad that the force knocked the carriage off. The mill needs a new foundation, lead needs to be set, and the list goes on. Not being my mill, I can't put any money into it. The mill I bought is a Frick either O or OO not sure but it has a 16' carriage with 4 headblocks and 48" and 54" blades with it. I am going to clean it up and get it ready for work. It needs a new bearing, general cleaning, I am going to hammer the blades, etc. etc. so that when it gets set up, everything is right. I am tired of working on a mill for 3hrs then sawing for an hour. Plus the new mill I got is all steel compared to my friends mill which is all wood.

Dave C

[scsmith42]

Hi Dave.  I just left a voicemail on your home and cell numbers.  Give me a call when you get a moment.  Thx.  Scott