Oak branch questions

[stuckinthemud]

Ok, so having hauled out all the small and medium timber from a very large oak branch it struck me much of the wood is single coloured, so all sapwood?  Its very dense but pretty pale in colour.  The smallest stock is 3 inch diameter, largest pieces are 8 to 10 inches across and do have 2 or 3 inches of heartwood. What are the implications for storage and for carving?  Hopefully I will be able to harvest the largest timber soon but its a good way wider than the bar on my saw

[se7enthdevil]

what species of oak it it?

[stuckinthemud]

Not at all sure.

Very very old tree, its a boundary marker, girth is maybe 8 feet across at the base, can't estimate the height but the lowest limb was about 12 feet up, height is maybe 60 to 80 feet, spread is about the same. Acorns on stalks, Maybe q. Robur, Common oak??

Edited September 7, 2020 by stuckinthemud

[stuckinthemud]

Sorry to be vague 

Edited September 7, 2020 by stuckinthemud

[Khriss]

Not a Holme  ( evergreen )  Oak  ? K

[ESS]

16 hours ago, stuckinthemud said:

Ok, so having hauled out all the small and medium timber from a very large oak branch it struck me much of the wood is single coloured, so all sapwood?  Its very dense but pretty pale in colour.  The smallest stock is 3 inch diameter, largest pieces are 8 to 10 inches across and do have 2 or 3 inches of heartwood. What are the implications for storage and for carving?  Hopefully I will be able to harvest the largest timber soon but its a good way wider than the bar on my saw

Sounds like it could be Turkey oak with the lack of heartwood.

[stuckinthemud]

The piece end-up is 5 inches by 4.

[openspaceman]

19 minutes ago, stuckinthemud said:

The piece end-up is 5 inches by 4.

Looks like sessile oak and 2" of sapwood at the narrow bit would not be at all unusual. The thicker sapwood is reaction wood because it is a branch

[stuckinthemud]

1 hour ago, openspaceman said:

Looks like sessile oak and 2" of sapwood at the narrow bit would not be at all unusual. The thicker sapwood is reaction wood because it is a branch

Ok, wasn't expecting reaction wood to have such thick sapwood but how might that impact on it as a carving timber? I guess its more dense,  maybe more prone to splitting? More likely to rot? Better in one way as there's less grain to interfere with carved details I suppose.

[openspaceman]

1 hour ago, stuckinthemud said:

Ok, wasn't expecting reaction wood to have such thick sapwood but how might that impact on it as a carving timber? I guess its more dense,  maybe more prone to splitting? More likely to rot? Better in one way as there's less grain to interfere with carved details I suppose.

I don't know how it will affect carving, you'd need a wood scientist for that but look at the way the heartwood does not coincide with the annual rings. Generally reaction wood is denser than normal as the growth is affected by the extra strain, so the tree expends a bit more energy laying down wood to counter the stress.

 

Oak sapwood is very perishable.