milling oak

[mr kipling]

Im gonna have a go at milling an oak butt about 24" dia. when finished what is the best way to stack them and will they split also can you use them green and again will they split

 

cheers chris

[tommer9]

There is reams that could be written on this subject mate!!

 

When you have miled the wood into booards, you need to restack it very carefully, starting with a flat level base- concrete is ideal. Then put some bearers on the ground that are all the same height, and level. Then put your first board down. Then put a 1"x1" stick across the board at the same intervals as the bearers below- ideally ariund 18" apart. Then put your next board on that, and another layer of "stickers", repeating this until you have essentially 'rebuilt' the log.

 

As for splitting- oak does split easily, but to combat this, as with all wood, the endgrain needs to be painted. There are products out there for the job, but PVA glue, wax, paint, redoxide etc etc will do. This is to stop the wood from dryng out at the ends faster than the middle, releasing stresses at the end and leading to splitting. Good stacking also makes a difference.

 

As for using it green, yes certainly you can, but not for indoor use such as furnitue or flooring, as it shrinks and moves during the drying process. Outdoors, stacked up as described, the rule of thumb is that you allow a year per inch thickness of board, plus a 'yaer for luck' and half that for softwoods.

 

Dont cover it in plastic or shut it away at the back of the garage to dry. It wants to be somewhere draughty- out in the yard with the worst of the weather kept off, and in time- depending on board thickness- you will get it down to about 20% moisture content. It will then need further drying in a kiln before it can be used indoors.

 

Like i said, there is LOADS to say on this topic, and i have just scratched the surface.

 

Paint the end of the log when you get it back to the yard. Its easier and better than trying to paint the end of each log!!

[tommer9]

Some pics to give you an idea of stacking...They were just going for delivery hence the odd pic, but you get the idea of the rebuilding of the log etc.

 

[18 stoner]

Excellent post Tom:thumbup1:

[Cracker]

There is reams that could be written on this subject mate!!

 

When you have miled the wood into booards, you need to restack it very carefully, starting with a flat level base- concrete is ideal. Then put some bearers on the ground that are all the same height, and level. Then put your first board down. Then put a 1"x1" stick across the board at the same intervals as the bearers below- ideally ariund 18" apart. Then put your next board on that, and another layer of "stickers", repeating this until you have essentially 'rebuilt' the log.

 

As for splitting- oak does split easily, but to combat this, as with all wood, the endgrain needs to be painted. There are products out there for the job, but PVA glue, wax, paint, redoxide etc etc will do. This is to stop the wood from dryng out at the ends faster than the middle, releasing stresses at the end and leading to splitting. Good stacking also makes a difference.

 

As for using it green, yes certainly you can, but not for indoor use such as furnitue or flooring, as it shrinks and moves during the drying process. Outdoors, stacked up as described, the rule of thumb is that you allow a year per inch thickness of board, plus a 'yaer for luck' and half that for softwoods.

 

Dont cover it in plastic or shut it away at the back of the garage to dry. It wants to be somewhere draughty- out in the yard with the worst of the weather kept off, and in time- depending on board thickness- you will get it down to about 20% moisture content. It will then need further drying in a kiln before it can be used indoors.

 

Like i said, there is LOADS to say on this topic, and i have just scratched the surface.

 

Paint the end of the log when you get it back to the yard. Its easier and better than trying to paint the end of each log!!

 

Good post.

 

I've taken green oak indoors, benches, beams, etc. I find the splitting is quite harsh to start with but as it drys through the cracks shrink up again.

[tommer9]

Yeah me too. It only becomes an issue if you start making furniture and it all get svery wobbly and falls apart, or large cracks open up in the joints of floors. I didnt have the time or energy to go into minutiae, just outline general guidelines. I have a heap of waney edged shelves throughout my house, most of which were semi green.

[Rob D]

Drying wood can be a bit of a nightmare particularly with oak If you cut it during the summer it's almost impossible to keep it from developing various drying ailments....

[liamjordan]

an excuse to post some pics of stacked oak , well unfinshed stacking, ran out of strips

[tommer9]

Looking lovely there ace....Dont you mill your own sticks ? Whenever i mill softwood i always make a few for stock, that way you never/ rarely run out.

[mr kipling]

Hi thanks for the info and pics was thinking about a table and bench seat for outside best to season it first then sand it up and stain it rather than build it green cant do much about cutting them down in summer they are coming down in the next couple of weeks but like the idea of sealing up the ends

 

Cheers chris