Reclaimed oak??

[Jason Solodow]

Anyone ever worked with it? I've got an oppurtunity to reclaim some 200 year old oak from an old barn. The barn is 3 stories, and has a foot print of 200 feet by 150 feet. The beams are solid and about 6 inches wide and 8 inches thick. Is it worth getting? I'd have to rent a bandmill to mill it up.. Our thoughts are to turn it into tongue/groove flooring.

[Peter Quinn]

I worked in a flooring mill for a while and probably used reclaimed white oak 1/2 dozed times? Some was better than others. Some was dry and brittle to the point of being beyond use, other material was in excellent condition and very workable. All had mortise and tenons at the ends to be cut out!

I found that the waste factor was much higher than in more predictable KD new lumber, and even though we received the material 'clean', ie no ferrous metals included, there were nails in there and you had to be on constant look out for signs of those.

That being said, when the wood was good, it was very beautiful. The cathedrals in the grain pattern were thin, tight and elegant, often the lumber had small graceful knots as barn timbers were seldom FAS. The growth rings were very closely spaced, and the wood had a 'warmth' or glow I seldom see in new growth material. I can't say your barn in question is worth milling or not, but it sure is worth a closer look or some exploration if you are a fan of white oak. There can be some great beauty in there, and the conservationist in my thinks it may be worth trying in any event. You may need to have the material dried to achieve a moisture appropriate for flooring depending on conditions; don't assume it is dry just because it is old.

Good luck with that project.

[Brad Moser]

I worked with some reclaimed white oak from a 125 year old barn. The beams were quartersawn 4X6, 6X6 and 6X8's. I milled it down to 1X material with my table saw and a sawsall (not the most efficient way but my only option). I ended up making an entertainment center out of it. It was some beautiful wood. The downside of working with it was the fact that the outside of the beams was full of over 100 years worth of grit and dirt, thats hard on planer blades but worth it. Mine also had a lot of old square cut nails in it. I pulled what I could find before cutting it up with the table saw but I found that the old nails that I didnt find were soft enough that my carbide tip saw blade could handle them without any problems. Once they were cut, they were a lot easier to see and remove before going to the planer. Another tough part was that I didn't want to "waste" or throw any pieces of it away. All in all, it was worth the extra effort. I would definetly use it again if I ever get the opportunity.

I'll try and find a picture of the entertainment center so you can see how the wood came out.

[Jim Becker]

I've used some small pieces of it and the look can be incredible. "Old" timber can be such a joy! But as Peter points out, be aware that it's difficult to insure that the material will be metal free, even after scanning. That could impact your milling cost as the blades are about $25 or more each time you "nail" one, as it were...