ID my sawlog

[Robert Raven]

Hi all,

 

This was a long dead tree totally smothered in ivy, can any of you positively ID the species? I was thinking brown oak- can brown oak be used externally?

 

Thanks,

 

Rob

[tommer9]

When you say brown oak what do you mean exactly? IME any oak can be brown- it is the effect of either minerals of fungal attack which cause it, and provided there isnt actually any breakdown in the timber it is species dependant, the same as if it wasnt brown, if you get my meaning. TBH the pics are4nt or the best in order to ID the log. Could you clean the end up and then take another pic, which isnt quite so exposed maybe. From that pic I am leaning towards the likes of turkey oak- if it is oak at all.

[agg221]

I second tommer - the bark definitely looks like an oak, but which one I couldn't say. Yes you can use brown (fungally affected) oak outside, but it soaks up a lot more preservative/treatment than non-brown oak.

 

Alec

[Dean O]

at the far end of the log in the second picture the branch stubs visible look characteristic of the epicormic growth you often see on oak (sessile oak at a guess)

[twmarriott]

at the far end of the log in the second picture the branch stubs visible look characteristic of the epicormic growth you often see on oak (sessile oak at a guess)

 

+1

definately sessile oak.

the brown colour is down to decay / fungal attack, hence the beefstake in the center, it would not be as durable for out door work but fine for cabinet work. brown is often popular for cabinet makers but its easy to get some too far gone, it quickly goes soft in the center.

[Robert Raven]

It's half milled now, will take some clearer shots. It's really just turkey oak that's not durable, right?

 

By brown oak I meant Q. robur. More pics at lunch time.

[twmarriott]

no turkey oak and robur are similar in charactueristics, but turkey isn't so popular due to the wooly grain and it doesn't finish so nice, it'll still last as long as posts etc outside, its the brown stain, which is incipient fungal attack that makes it less durable, cos its already starting to go, if kept dry its fine.