One of the tree guys I deal with for logs called last night. He has a good customer that wants a log sawed 14" x 14" x 44" tall. It would be to sit a small statue on. They would like it out of a white oak or a red oak that he will remove from their property. Problem is, they want it right now. Statue is ready and they want to display it I assume for guests during the holidays. I have explained that green wood will do some moving,checking,ect. especially in their house. This does not seem to be a concern. They want it now!! So I am wondering about anyone's thoughts on red vs. white as far a stability goes while green? If this happens, I am going to try and cut more than one. I'll seal one and set aside, maybe even throw it in the kiln if/when the first one goes South. Any thoughts would be appreciated, Brian
Making and extra couple to slow dry might work. Or quartering a log , let it dry, resaw, join and glue back together.
Never done it, but I know we have sent 8x8 cedar for people to make a 16" x 16" and they said it worked fine.
Probably why I don't saw anything but cedar. Don't have to solve those problems.
White oak will need to dry even slower than red oak. Being in a climate controlled space, my take is that the white oak will fare worse than the red oak, but they both will dry much too fast for pieces that thick. Nothing you can do about that.
Had a guy call this week wanting a red oak mantle beam sawn at 10" x 10" x 8'. I told him that it would be best to let it dry first before installation. He asked me how long, a couple of months? :D :D
No Sir, not months, try several years. There is no instant pudding with oak :)
Thank you Cedarman and WDH for the input. I think at this point Im gonna just sit back and see how this plays out!! Brian
I've used various species of green log sections for pedestals inside the house several times. All have developed checks as expected, but that adds character. Whatever species they chose, be sure they attach nail-on furniture glides on the bottom to allow air circulation or the moisture from the log will damage the floor. Also, I suggest flipping the log sections end for end every few months because they will develop fungus growth on the bottom side.
If the statue calls for a sophisticated wood base, then maybe you could suggest they eventually construct one from air dried QSWO with mitered, splined corners so the ray fleck shows all the way around, with a matching top.
For me, regarding choosing between RO versus WO I would go with whichever log section had the most concentric rings on each end.
After milling heart center I would treat it green off the saw with a 15% solution of Timber, then let it air dry for a week or so. After that IU would put some Heritage Natural Finishes original finish on all external surfaces. That will help to retard the rate of checking (and drying).
Believe it or not, I've done this before for a friend. Not that big though, only 10x10. Made 2 of them. One to use now and one to set aside for when the first one went astray. The first one that went inside we stained and then sealed with anchorseal (1). Even though it has a waxy feel, it does have a "finished" look to it. It was stained and sealed as it came off the saw, rough sawn.
This was 4 years ago and the first one looks just like the day it went inside......go figure.
Another thing to be concerned about is the amount of weight centered on a small area. In this case, about 350 lbs in a 14x14 area.
Great advice! Thanks to you all. I will try to incorporate all of this into the project. Once it leaves my hands I will have to just wonder..... Brian