Turkey Oak - Bad Firewood?!

[TimberCutterDartmoor]

The timber is pretty recognisable. The bark is very furrowed even from a fairly early age. When you cut the log you will notice a very large amount of pale sapwood- on a 3' diameter log you may easily have 8" of sapwood allround. There will be a very pronounced oak smell, more so than robur, and a very noticeable sign is the large star shaped crack on the end grain that opens up when the log starts drying, and fairly rapidly too. The timber is VERY heavy, which earned it the monicker 'iron oak' in times gone by.

If milled the medullary rays are very prominent and larger than onm other types of oak, and also seem more prominent right through the log, occurring on most boards not just the quater sawn ones.

It was also known as wainscote oak, as it was considered that it was only good for internal wall panelling or 'wainscoting'. If it can be succesfully dried without warping and splitting, for which it is prone, the timber is usable for interior furniture making and sometimes veneer, althoug it has such a bad press that not many people will use it. I have milled and sold it, and the guy who bought it was right up for it- he was 3rd generation cabinet maker, and said his father and grandfather had used it. Once kilned it is perfectly servicable for interior non structural use- ie furniture, but getting it dry and still useable is very hard.

 

That is the top post of the day!

[tommer9]

That is the top post of the day!

 

:001_cool:Well, you know, I try....

[TimberCutterDartmoor]

Well, good one. You can rest in the knowledge that as per that other thread, my particular mountain of the stuff will be in ashes as promised! Got to dry it first then. What about microwaving each log? Oh no - that's reminded me of some of the hilarious beahaviour of my great-grandmother before she passed; drying clothes in the micro; putting nail varnish on her teeth... Don't worry she thought it was pretty funny too!