Milling 6 - 8" Oak rounds.

[Nathan Dekens]

Im new to wood working and I just got a couple 6 - 8" oak rounds from an old oak tree we had cut a limb out to keep from falling on the neighbors barn. They have been sitting outdoors for a about 5 months now. I just tried cutting a 5" wide slice off with my ridgid band saw...bogged it down towards the end. Anyways, after getting through the peace I found the inside is still pretty damp...doh!

So my question now is can I leave the rounds sit in my garage with the bark on them until they dry? or should I trim off the bark and let them sit? also about how long should they sit before they are considered dried? a year, six months?

[Greg Hines, MD]

Im new to wood working and I just got a couple 6 - 8" oak rounds from an old oak tree we had cut a limb out to keep from falling on the neighbors barn. They have been sitting outdoors for a about 5 months now. I just tried cutting a 5" wide slice off with my ridgid band saw...bogged it down towards the end. Anyways, after getting through the peace I found the inside is still pretty damp...doh!

So my question now is can I leave the rounds sit in my garage with the bark on them until they dry? or should I trim off the bark and let them sit? also about how long should they sit before they are considered dried? a year, six months?

What are you planning on doing with them? I am afraid I do not have much experience in milling logs into lumber, but from what I have read, the wood from tree limbs is almost never good for anything. I suppose they would make for decent blanks for bowl turning, but they would warp.

I would also suggest giving your band saw a good cleaning. The wet sawdust will invite rust inside.

Doc

[Nathan Dekens]

Im just going to be using it for small things like coasters and small cutting boards and basically messing around with.

[Jamie Buxton]

Tree limbs grow with the bottom side in compression and the upper side in tension. Those forces resist the weight of the limb. If you have just a section of the limb, much of the weight of the limb has been removed, but the forces grown into that limb section are still there. If you attempt to cross cut the limb by cutting into what was the upper side, the force in what was the bottom side will still be pushing, and will attempt to close the kerf you're making.

That's why your band saw bogged down while you were cutting. It is also why limbs are generally not used for much. They bend and twist and warp any time you cut into them. You might get away with using small pieces, but trunks are generally much more usable.

[Frank Drew]

Nathan,

What Jamie said.

However, if you just want some material to fool around with, you should know that wood almost never dries well if left in the round, so at least cut your logs down the middle, lengthwise. And, on the theory that it's better late than never, coating the logs' endgrain does a lot to prevent subsequent splitting and cracking; you can use a proprietary product like Anchorseal (or Green Wood Sealer from others), or even paint, parrafin, etc., anything that would slow down moisture loss through the endgrain.

And I'd remove the bark just to get rid of hiding places for insects.

[Nathan Dekens]

Thanks for the info guys!

[Norman Pyles]

Keep them for about a year, and you will have some dandy firewood.

[Paul Atkins]

Are these 6-8" thick or diameter?

[Myk Rian]

Are these 6-8" thick or diameter?

Isn't that the same thing?