I may have a chance to get part of a chestnut oak tree which fell during a storm. I am not familiar with “chestnut oak.” Any info?
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z3peru, I do not have first hand knowledge. A simple gooogle search turned up several hits. Here is one:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_prinus
Steve
Chestnut oak is in the white oak group, closely related to swamp chestnut oak. However, it is a little unusual since it does not contain as significant an amount of tyloses like is found in most other white oaks. These tyloses are crystalline structures that grow into the wood cells and essentially clog them up, thereby making the wood more impermeable to moisture transfer. That is why the white oak group is used for wine and whiskey barrels since the wood will hold the precious liquid without much evaporation. Thus, while a white oak, chestnut oak is not sought out as barrel stock.
The red oak group does not contain the these pore clogging tyloses, so red oaks are unsuitable for spirit barrels.
Chestnut oak is not considered one of the highest quality white oaks from a lumber industry standpoint, but who cares? It grows most commonly in the Mountains of the Eastern US where there is less harvest of the timber. If the logs are good quality, the lumber will be fine for use in wood working.
Thanks to both of you. I didn't realize I would get such practical info on Google. This tree is apparently pretty large--11 feet in diameter. Not sure how I am going to cut it or move it.
You must mean 11 feet in circumference. That would make it 42" in diameter. If it is 11 feet in diameter, it would one of the largest oaks ever recorded. Still, 42" is very big and will make some fine lumber if you can find someone with a mill big enough to saw it.
Yes, I certainly meant to say "circumference". I know somebody who can move logs; it all depends on what it costs and how much lumber will be produced.
z3peru,
I've used Chestnut oak quite often for riving clapboard and shakes. It rives quite well. On the off chance one day I ran some through the planer...beautiful quarter riven lumber. Beautiful rays and grain alittle darker than common white oak. If it's too big to move blow it in half or quarters with black powder (it's FUN ). That's what I do when they are too big, It also allows me to peek "inside" the log before I cut it into lumber.
Good Luck and have fun.
Bill D. Quality Wood Chips
If I can turn it into sawdust ...I can handle it
Billy, my husband and I are craving more details about how to blow a tree in half with black power. What's the process?? (he went BP hunting for the first time this month).forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
forestgirl,
Sorry not to reply sooner..(ahem..I have been having trouble signing in)..
I think there was a thread on this before... (or was that FHB..? ) I'm really not sure now. I think there is a video on YouTube.
It's an easy thing to do .....AND FUN !!!
If you have a log , say, 14' long x 2-4' dia. Bore or chainsaw a hole halfway down the length, 7' , and halfway thru ( to the center ) of the log place a loop of cannon fuse in the hole with the two ends of the loop sticking out of the top of the hole about 6"-7" inches. Pour about 2/3-1 cup pirodex in the hole on the fuse tamp down a piece of tissue, napkin,paper towel. Then pour flour,sand, dirt or anything to fill the hole, twist the two ends of fuse together light and WALK away quickly.
THEN BOOM !!!!!!!!!!
Log jumps in the air about 2' and lands in two halves.
Make sure log is 50-60' away from cars, building with windows etc, as some pieces of bark or small shads of wood fly in the air.
If the log is large enough you can blow the halves into quarters.
I always let the local constable know when there is "FIRE IN THE HOLE"
ALWAYS >>>>ALWAYS BE CAREFUL AND ALWAYS WALK AWAY QUICKLY.....(if ya run you'll fall down and get a boo-boo on your knee).
Bill D. Quality Wood Chips
Edited 10/26/2009 9:01 pm ET by billy5151
That's great, Billy, thanks!! Sounds like terrific fun. I'll let you know if we ever down (and keep) a tree big enough to try it out on. Hubby just had loggers in on some property near Port Gamble, and there were some 24"++ trees there, but they all went to the mill.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Can someone videotape this? I'd love to see it.
Bill
Were we to do it, yes I can record it. YouTube? Cool!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Forestgirl,
Here's one of a few on YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kldc_R9yfmQ
Enjoy, It will possibly link to others on the "tube" Although most do not show the procedure of "loading " the log. It's really pretty much the same as loading a muzzle loader rifle. Fuse , powder , packing , BOOM !!
Forestgirl,
Here's a better one showing the "loading" of the log.
NOW GO HAVE .........FUN, FUN , FUN
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SUuUzAieig
Enjoy,
Bill D.
Quality Wood Chips
Bill and FG. While it is fun to see someone blow a big log apart with black powder, it is a terrible way to waste a lot of great wood. There have been some youtube videos showing guys doing it, so there will probably be a lot of others following their lead. FG, you should go back and look again at how they were sawing those big sinker logs down in Central America. I have ripped a lot of large trees which were too large for my woodmizer with a chain-saw. It takes me about 15 minutes to rip 12' with a 28" bar on my chain-saw.When a tree has any spiral grain, which is very common on those large trees, the exploding method will follow that spiral, or any grain fluctuations, which may vary back and forth through the depth of the log. It is not likely to provide very flat face. This will waste a lot of QS boards, just getting back to a flat face. When you rip it with a chain-saw, you may not get a perfect plank face, but it will be a lot flatter than blowing it up. It is probably faster even when you consider time spent squaring up those exploded quarters.
KeithNewton,
So true ,, so true. I forgot to mention that when I was blowing logs. I had to do it the "old fashion way". Which means no saw marks. We were making riven W oak clapboard. Which also means I would look at a few hundred logs picking only the best logs, almost veneer quality. Hearts in the center any checks or cracks would radiate straight from the heart center ( most logs would cost $800-1000-and that's loaded on my own truck and trailer). So when I would blow a log it would split into two very nice halves, this would allow me to look inside the log to see any potential problem areas in the log before continuing with sledge and wedge. Then proceed to the brake and froe. But you're right , if the log has any twist or other defects...that's the way it will blow apart.
z,
A while back, Steve Shafer, a fellow Knothead, knew that power-carve bowls and he sent me a big piece of chestnut oak. I carved a bowl out ot it. It is gorgeous. If you look at my original message on this, you will see the piece of wood, and the bowl. It is message number:
42538.1
Mel
Measure your output in smiles per board foot.
A species of white oak and 42 inches in diameter? Sounds like a prime candidate for making a really righteous workbench. One could make a great Roubo (sp?) bench from a tree like that and still have timber left over.
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