Uses for downed oak

[Michael Press]

My house backs to woods owned by our Homeowner's Association. Several trees came down this winter, including an 85-year old tree with a diameter of 3' at the base. I'm guessing it's an oak because of the shape, color and grain but I haven't looked at it carefully.

The HOA cut it up because it was blocking a bike path. It now consists of 2' or so segments. The tree was uprooted, not rotting, so the wood is in great condition through the entire section. It's about

200 yards from my house along the bike path, so it's pretty accessible.

Assuming I can even move these huge segments, is there anything useful I can do with them? Can I mill them into 2' boards (I've only got a wimpy electric chainsaw) and air-dry them in my house?. Any benefit to quartering? (which I can do manually - I love splitting wood). If I cut a slice off a segment can I make a tabletop with endgrain? Other ideas, besides firewood?

Thanks, Michael

[Andy Dingley]

Firewood. Then when you've finished splitting that, take the axe to the idiot who chopped it into those useless 2' logs. Even _I_ wouldn't waste my time on 2' lengths (and my house is _full_ of odd bits of timber).

If you're a turner, then you might get something from it - but oak isn't a great turning wood.

Forget the end grain disk idea, or do it anyway as a learning exercise. Read Hoadley or search back in the group for why.

[Fred the Red Shirt]

If you love spliting wood get yourself a froe (not a hairstyle).

You can quarter those sections and then rive (split) the quarters into rough cut boards--unless it's live oak. Should be able to get a lot of quarter-sawn boards suitable for jewelry boxes etc.

At 2' length, resawing on a band saw, or even a table saw after jointing is doable.

See also the thread on frame saws. A manual resaw is just a frame saw with the blade in the middle and two stretchers.

[JMartin957]

If you can use 2' boards, go for it. Just remember you'll lose a bit at the ends to checking.

Good for turning. Otherwise, get a froe and make shakes.

John Martin

[Fred the Red Shirt]

I'll add that you can easily tell if it is oak by looking at the end grain. Oaks all have proiminent ray flecks perpendicular to the grain.

You should also get at these as soon as you can and seal the endgrain with parrafin or wood glue, old shellac or most anything but latex paint to minimize checking.

After quartering the sections you can take a froe and rive a board off each face of each quarter. That will give you eight boards and four quarter round pieces. You can rive off the faces of those four quarter round pieces again to get eight smaller boards.

Repea that process until the quarter round pieces are too small to bother with.

All of those boards will be quarter sawn.

With a bandsaw you can also make beaucoup quarter sawn veneer. Cutting 1/8" think venners with a bandsaw is not difficult.

Riving and resawing into boards and veneers is best done while the wood is still green for two reasons.

1) Green wood saws and splits much easier than cured.

and

2) Thin sections are much less prone to checking than thick.

This is all doable because you LOVE splitting wood. If you hated splitting wood it might not be worth it.

[Fred the Red Shirt]

Well he could get quarter sawn panels for raised panels up to about one foot quare at least. He sould also get a lot of quarter sawn veneer.

It can be done but the finished end grain disk will have some checks. Those can be filled with clear epoxy or even JB Weld or colored epoxy for an interesting effect. Or the slab can be split and jointed at the checks and then re-glued.

Whether or not the result is pleasing or ghastly is a matter of taste.