What's it worth?

[Le Sanglier]

I'm no expert mate, just learning, but If I was close id mill it where it sits and it would fit quite neatly in me van. No lifting equipment needed.

 

Fair enough, but would you shell out for it?

[agg221]

The down side to this one is that the sapwood band looks to be pretty wide, which isn't that uncommon in open grown oak of this size. My estimate is that the heartwood is about 10" across.

 

People using oak for interior joinery can use sapwood if they don't mind the colour variation, or want to make a feature of it. It's not very durable though for exterior or construction use.

 

I wouldn't want to buy something like this as I use oak outdoors and need it to be durable (I sometimes deliberately let the sapwood rot off before milling - only takes a year or two which indicates how non-durable it would be if you used it). I would reckon on there being about 4cu.ft of heartwood there, at about £7/cu.ft - note this isn't Hoppus but true cubic feet calculations which is why there is a lot less material but a higher price per cu.ft. If someone offers you more that £30 for it I would take it.

 

I'm reasonably close and would be happy to mill it if someone needs it doing - could get the portable bandsaw through that which would minimise waste (only takes a 1mm kerf).

 

Alec

[muttley9050]

I would pay 40 if I was closer but Alec is more expert than me and his estimation of useable timber probably more accurate. Its 1.5 hours drive for me, and like you say the diesel would kill it.

[gensetsteve]

Another thing to consider is that you can't really mill this till October time so you May have to sit on it till then

 

Why would you not mill it till October. Interested as I have a woodmizer and some sticks of oak and vurtually no experience on the band saw when I get time will be having a play. What would you make first gate posts ?

[muttley9050]

I wouldn't mill till october because oak is one of the hardest woods to season, if you mill it now, the extra heat around would cause it to dry too quickly causing surface checking, shake and warping, I'm sure you can do it now if you can control drying conditions a little, but its recommended not to. You certainly don't want any raw sunlight on the boards for any amount of time.

I would mill first whatever you need or whatever you feel you can market the best. Depending how big your logs are, I May try to take some boards off the edges to leave a square can't for post or beams, but this is by no means an expert opinion and only a thought. I'm sure the easier way to start would be to saw a log into full width 2" boards.

James

Edited June 16, 2013 by muttley9050

[gensetsteve]

I have a couple of bits of oak and ash maybe 20" by 10ft long. A piece of oak 15" with all the sap wood rotted off. They were only bought for firewood so any mistakes I am no worse off. I have a couple of big bits of pitch pine which I may turn into kindling. If the timber has been dead and down years would you still wait till october.

[agg221]

I have a couple of bits of oak and ash maybe 20" by 10ft long. A piece of oak 15" with all the sap wood rotted off. They were only bought for firewood so any mistakes I am no worse off. I have a couple of big bits of pitch pine which I may turn into kindling. If the timber has been dead and down years would you still wait till october.

 

I'd say October was a little pessimistic, but it depends really on how the year goes. If we don't get an Indian summer then September would be OK.

 

James is right - you can mill earlier if you have a way to control drying, but you have to be very careful and it's a lot more work. There are two issues to avoid, the first being surface checking and the second case hardening. The latter is where the cells in the outer part of the wood dry completely, causing the little holes which interconnect them sideways (called lumens) to close up. This stops water from being able to get from the inside to the outside and it never dries properly.

 

If you want to do it, choose a stacking site in the shade, without too much wind exposure - the north side of a hedge is good. Either mill right next to it, or stack your boards straight onto a trailer, or in the shade, with no spacers, covering them quickly enough that the surface doesn't even go dry, then cover the lot with a tarpaulin or some plastic sheet. If you do the latter, when you build the stack, do it in the early morning or late evening so nothing dries too fast.

 

Stack with much thinner spacer sticks than normal - I would use 3/8". Have some ply or similar to hand and cover the exposed side(s) and put it over on hot days, taking it off at night and on cooler or wetter days, for the first month or two.

 

I have done the above when I had no choice as I was milling trees on a field with access only after harvest in early August which turned out to be a 30degree heatwave. I had complete success, but it's a lot of hassle compared with stack and forget as you can do in autumn/winter.

 

Oh, and the bit with the sapwood rotted off, will still be wringing wet inside.

 

Alec

[gensetsteve]

Wow I thought I was a bit green but never gave it a thought. I did plank a load of larch last autumn and then cut them to 6" but they were so tough on the kindlet and stringy they did not make great kindling not bothered since. Is there a saw mill guide for dummies . I will leave the oak till winter

[Vertigo Arb Ltd]

I'm based in Upminster Essex and will put a picture up as soon as I figure out how. The tree was felled approx 3 months ago if thats worth knowing.

 

£40 in October. Sold if I can