Usable wood?

[John Neel]

Here in Atlanta my neighbor is having a large shag bark hickory tree taken down. The tree has been standing dead for at least 8 months, maybe a year. The tree removal company is just grinding it all up. I am sad that my schedule means I cannot even use it for firewood, let alone for some projects.

So, the questions are:

Is a tree which has died and stood dead for that long usable for woodworking?

Is the wood from such a tree already dried adequately or would it dry sooner than wood from a tree cut while green or cut while dormant but alive?

Are there any other problems I don't know about for such urban wood? [I am aware of the greater probability of metal in the wood.]

Thank you for your thoughts.

[Chuck Saunders]

The longer it stands, the longer the fungus has to start the decay process.

[Scott T Smith]

Here in Atlanta my neighbor is having a large shag bark hickory tree taken down. The tree has been standing dead for at least 8 months, maybe a year. The tree removal company is just grinding it all up. I am sad that my schedule means I cannot even use it for firewood, let alone for some projects.

So, the questions are:

Is a tree which has died and stood dead for that long usable for woodworking?

Is the wood from such a tree already dried adequately or would it dry sooner than wood from a tree cut while green or cut while dormant but alive?

Are there any other problems I don't know about for such urban wood? [I am aware of the greater probability of metal in the wood.]

Thank you for your thoughts.

Re:
Is a tree which has died and stood dead for that long usable for woodworking?

Absolutely. You can yield some nicely spalted lumber from a 1 year old standing dead hickory. By all means mill it into boards.

RE:
Is the wood from such a tree already dried adequately or would it dry sooner than wood from a tree cut while green or cut while dormant but alive?

NO. Wood does not dry well in "log" form. Most likely the wood from the center of the tree has a MC% of 50% or more. If you do allow it to dry completely in log form it will usually be too damaged to use.

You need to mill the logs into boards and then dry them, either via air drying or in a kiln, or combination of the two.

RE:
Are there any other problems I don't know about for such urban wood? [I am aware of the greater probability of metal in the wood.]

Spalted wood often contains fungi that can cause skin or lung irritation. Be sure to wear long sleeved shirts, a face mask and gloves when milling. Once you have dried the wood, it usually is not a problem.

[dan petroski]

i just milled a cherry tree that had been dead for a couple of years. it had some ant activity but otherwise drop dead beautiful. it is worth the risk. rent a metal detector. i hit two deck screws and demolished a blade. still worth it

[Richard M. Wolfe]

Is the wood still good? That depends on the species, the location and climate. Some trees in dry climates can be milled years after dying without losing much wood. With the high humidity Georgia climate and knowing the tree is a hickory makes it likely that the wood has degraed to some extent. I am not familiar with hickory but have used a good bit of pecan, a member of the hickory family, and it degrades pretty fast. Catch it at the right stage and you have spalted wood - I just finished two small spalted pecan projects this afternoon.

The wood will have to be dried after it has been milled. One of the first things I remember being told from an experienced sawyer about milling wood was that anything left four to five inches and thicker would take many years to dry and has a good chance of never completely drying.

Other than the possibility of degrade of the wood (having the bark 'shelling', which is turning loose is a good indicator) and a good chance of metal from being a town tree the tree should handle OK.

[David Eastin]

I recently cut down a very old oak tree that had died about 2 years ago. I'm wondering if it's worth milling or if it is too far gone? There is quite a bit of cracking around the exterior as you can see from the photos. I really appreciate anyone's feedback.

IMG_4216.jpgIMG_4217.jpg

[Jim Andrew]

The best looking wood is near the outside of the log. If you have to cut a lot off the outside to get rid of the cracks, you got rid of the best boards. It may just be firewood.

[Scott T Smith]

I recently cut down a very old oak tree that had died about 2 years ago. I'm wondering if it's worth milling or if it is too far gone? There is quite a bit of cracking around the exterior as you can see from the photos. I really appreciate anyone's feedback.

IMG_4216.jpgIMG_4217.jpg

From the photo's I would certainly mill it. You probably will lose a couple of inches on the outside due to spalt, but 75% of the wood appears to be fine.

[jeffrey bailey]

I have a 16 foot cherry log that fell 3-4 years ago. It fell across a ditch so only one end is touching the ground. The other end is still attached to the stump. Do you think this log is worth saving as lumber?

[Scott T Smith]

Take a chainsaw and cut all of the way through the log a few inches from one end, and then use a pocketknife to poke into the fresh cut log end. If the wood is solid, then it might be worth milling. Quite possibly the outer few inches may be soft. If more than 25% of the wood is punky, then you may yield some nicely spalted cherry.