Sawing Oak

[ruddyone]

Hey Everyone -

First, yes, I am a new member and I don't have much experience.  I looked but didn't see an FAQ or anything but if there is already somewhere that answers my questions, feel free to simply point me there and tell me to shut up!

Here's my first question.  I have a family member that has a wooded farm.  He has a large Oak tree on his property.  The trunk is easily 8-10 feet in diameter and that part is about 20 feet tall before it starts to spread out.

The tree lost its leaves two years ago in the late summer and they have never come back.  Assuming that the wood is all good (we are not aware of any disease) how should the wood be cut.  He was told it should be quarter sawn because that would be worth more.  But, the more I read I'm not so sure.

What do you guys think?

Thanks,

Nate

[beenthere]

ruddyone
Welcome to the forum.

Look forward to you pulling up an oak stump and joining in.

Where you located?

Big tree if that is diameter and not circumference. Either way, quarter sawing would be good way to go.

Give the pic loading a shot, as it is easy to do and just needs some routine clicking to accomplish. Setting up your own album/gallery in your profile is a start. Then click on the Java uploader for an easy trip. Can offer suggestions if you get hung up.

[paul case]

welcome,
wow that is a big tree if that is diameter. most bandsawmills max out about 36'' on width of cut. so 1/4 of your tree may not even fit a bandsawmill. swing mills are made to cut those giants and would probably be your best bet. what type of oak is it? have you got plans for the wood?  the end use can dictate how to saw. good luck .
pc

[Magicman]

Welcome ruddyone, to the Forestry Forum. 

[Ianab]

At 8ft+ dia, probably need to quarter it to fit under a standard swing blade mill !!!

There are still portable mills made that can handle that size log, but unless that size log is common in your area, the mills wont be.

Usually a lot of good quality timber in that size log, so it's worth the effort, but it's not going to be easy. Some pictures and a location would allow us to give you better advice and maybe contact with someone that could help you out.

Ian

[clww]

Yes, WE all want to see a picture of that tree (especially me).

[customsawyer]

Welcome to the forum and count me in on the pic request. If you are close enough I might ride the bike over to see this one. Would be best if it was with in a 1000 miles. ;D

[WDH]

There is a huge difference in a tree with a 10 circumference versus a 10 foot diameter.  A tree with a 10 foot circumference has a diameter of a little over 3 feet.

[Magicman]

I'm hoping for either a tape measure or a camera.   

[Meadows Miller]

Gday

And welcome to the forum Nate  ;) ;D 8) 8)

for a log that big like Ian said yo can push a std Lucas to do 6' dia but they have built a Special to do a 8' dia log but its in Australia  ;)

Regards Chris

[scsmith42]

Nate, I work with logs such as yours all the time.  Here is what I'd suggest.

First, see if you can take some photo's and post them here.  That will help us to determine what you have.  If you can find some old leaves, flatten them out and post a photo of them as well so that we can determine the actual species.

Also, take a take measure and measure the circumfrance (measure all of the wayt around the trunk) of the tree 5' above the ground, and let us know what it is. 

Is the tree located near a house or barn?  If so, there is a high liklihood that it has metal in it, which will reduce the yield.  Often times you can get around this by cutting the log about 5' above the ground. 

Many older oaks develop a rot inside the log, so until it is felled I would be hesitant to get too excited.  The fact that it's been standing dead for a couple of years means that you'll probably have some powderpost beetles or other bugs in the outer portions of the trunk, but this is not necessarily a deal breaker.

Quartersawning will yield the highest value lumber from that log - no two way's about it.  Your objective should be to yield the widest possible QS boards, as they command the highest price.  A 20" wide QS board would sell for 4x - 6X what a flat sawn board would sell for.

What part of the country are you in?

Scott

[sparky]

As Scott mentioned, the tree may not be sound. There is a 5 foot diameter white oak on my brother's farm. It looks beautiful. A few years ago, a strong wind broke branches near the top of this tree, My brother went up into the tree to cut off the damaged limbs. He looked into core of the tree and saw nothing but empty space. The heart of this oak was a big void. There was about 10 inches of wood at the perimeter and nothing more. Don't get excited until you have confirmed that the tree is sound, and not heavily rotted in the center.

Sparky

[ruddyone]

Everyone -

Thanks for the replies.  I'll go through and try to answer more specifically tonight. 

I am in the Chicago area and the farm is near Columbus.  I asked a family member to go out and measure the tree and he said at chest height it is a little over 18' around.  So, I believe that's about 6' in diameter.  Not quite as big as I remembered it but still pretty large.  (I think)

He says its white oak but he didn't take any pictures and as I said, the leaves have been off for about 2 years so I'm not sure there are any around. 

There are some very good points about really being sure of wood quality before we jump to any conclusions.  That said, it seems like quatersawing may be the best bet.  There is an Amish mill nearby where we take other tree that have been felled.  Is quatersawing something all mills would be familiar with or something special?

I'm actually pretty excited because many of the branches are quite large but not extremely straight.  We are assuming that they wouldn't make great boards so we are looking at ways to incorporate into some rustic cabins that we are planning.

Thanks much for your thoughts.  I'll try to get a picture...

Best Regards,

Nate

[Ianab]

6ft dia is more believable, and still a decent size log  ;)

Like the guys have said there is a chance it's hollow, you never really know for sure until you cut though it.

6ft become a lot more manageable to saw, although it will still need to be quartered with a chainsaw to fit on most mills. But that gets the quarters down to 3ft across, which is getting down to the sizes that most mills can handle.

You can quartersaw on most mills, it's just a question of how much work it's going to be. On a swing blade, it's no more work, but you are limited as to the max board width. Other mills you are moving the log, or sections of it a lot more, so it's more work, or at least takes longer, even with hydralics. But the increased value of the boards makes up for it.

First thing will be to get the tree on the ground. Take care doing this as dead trees don't behave the same as live ones, not to mention that it might be hollow, and dead bits are likely to fall on your from the tops. Automatically makes it a "hazard" tree, not to mention it's size. Once the tree is down you will have a better idea if it's trash or treasure.

Good luck

Ian

[WDH]

Be sure to wear a hard hat.  Trees that big are a real chore to fell safely.