HUGE FALLEN OLD OAK

[gmabob01]

CAME HOME TO A 45' OR BETTER FALLEN RED OAK TREE.  IT SOMEHOW JUST SPLIT DOWN THE MIDDLE.  CAN THE WEIGHT FROM THE LIMBS DO THIS?  ANYWAY, CAN ANYONE TELL ME WHAT THEY WOULD DO WITH IT.  I HATE TO CUT IT INTO FIRE WOOD.  DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT MILLING BUT WOULD LOVE TO HAVE IT DONE.  THE LIMBS ARE BIGGER THAN A TREE.
HOW DO I KNOW IF THE WOOD  IS OK FOR MILLING?  
BUILDING A NEW HOME IN ABOUT A YEAR.  IT WOULD BE NEAT TO MAKE TABLES, BENCHES, ETC. FROM IT.
ANY ADVICE WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!  I AM ABSOLUTELY DEVESTATED ABOUT THIS LOSS.

[Kirk_Allen]

 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)

I get to be the first to welcome you to the Forestry Forum.  Truely the best site on the web!  

Where abouts in Illinois are you located?

Depending on the cause of the splitting there may be some great salvageable wood.

Im in Algonquin, IL and Kansas, IL.  I tend to travel back and forth too much but it keeps me young.

Kirk

[Tom]

Yessiree there'll be some good wood in it somewhere.  If you can find one of these sawyers close buy and get him to look at it he'll tell you for sure.  Sounds like you might have a lot of wood-working supplies on the hoof there.  Be Happy. ;D

'Welcome to the Forestry Forum.

[gmabob01]

The mennonites have a sawmill just 3 1/2 miles from me so I asked them to come and look at it.  Hope to get an honest answer and not get taken.

[Jeff]

Check with us before you make a deal

[Bro. Noble]

If that's the Mennonites at Germantown or Metamora,  we got a member near you

[rebocardo]

At the very worse, I would cut it into 6x6 cants with a chainsaw and coat the ends. I think getting the wood off the ground and end coated is probably the most important thing to do to preserve the wood. I bought end coating from Bailey's and it has really stopped the end splitting I was having with my air dried oak lumber that was splitting the first week after I cut it.