I have some Turkey Oak trees (in Southern Italy) that I would like to try to mill for restoring a timber frame roof truss (which would be sitting 3 foot thick stone walls and gables). I do not know if they are cross-bred with other oaks (will check next time I go there). The reason I would like to *try* using turkey oak is (1) I have lots of these trees on my property (most of them are likely 100-200 years old), and the small amounts of heartwood that I have seen dried out (among my firewood) are extremely hard and have a nice dark color, and (2) they are tied up with the local culture (the name of the nearest town actually derives from "cerris"), and I think it would be nice to have them integrated into my home.
I know that timber framers suggest assembling a timber frame fresh after milling but I would probably try to assemble the frame after it has dried (am willing to wait 10-15 years to assemble). My questions are:
* Are there precautions I should take when felling the tree to minimize the risk of shaking?
* How much oversize would you recommend milling to end up with an 8"x10" ridge beam that spans say 15 feet?
* If I am willing to mill say one beam only out of a trunk (since I have many to choose from and will just use waste wood as firewood), in order to maximize chances of it drying out well and not warping, where would be the best place to cut? Should the pith be directly centered?
* What are the ideal drying conditions for Turkey Oak? If I stack it up outdoors off of the ground in a shady area, with a corrugated tin cover to protect from rain and apply end grain sealer, would this be OK?
* Assuming that a piece of milled turkey oak dries without being ruined by shaking or splitting, at that point is the danger of shaking passed? Can I put a dried, shake-free timber up without worrying about it later coming apart?
Thanks for any comments!
