white oak metal stain

[Tom L]

cut a white oak yesterday and it has a blue metal stain in the log at one cut.
is there any rime or reason how far a metal stain will travel up or down a log?

can you expect the chunk of metal to be right there or can the stain travel up and down the tree.

[JV]

I can only speak from one experience.  Several years ago we cut a large white oak and found metal stain on the stump.  When I sawed the log, the stain was totally enclosed in a 2 x 6 by pure luck.  I didn't seem to spread as it went up the tree.  I don't know if this is typical.  We found the metal in the stump, so it did travel vertically.

[ladylake]

It will show around 1 foot up and down.   steve

[Chuck White]

A few years ago, my brother and I cut some Black Cherry logs, one of them was on a fence line.

There were 3 strands of barbed wire stapled to and grown into the tree.

We cut it off about a foot above the top strand and there was a lot of blue/black stain at the butt end, but not at the top of the log.

The buyer (Ethan Allen) questioned it and had my brother sign a paper stating that there was no metal in the log and that the stain was from a fence fastened below.

[dboyt]

I cut a lot of white & post oak, and the blue does travel.  After destroying more blades than I care to admit, I got some bi-metal blades for any log that might have metal.  They're expensive and don't cut as well as normal blades, but they zing right through the nails like they're not even there.  I use Norwood, but I'm sure other bi-metal blades work, as well. The walnut log shown below was in a fence line, and has a nice "inlay" of wire.  Gives you an idea how far the blue stain travels.

 

[Kansas]

I don't see any rhyme nor reason. I have seen blue on one side of the tree, and hit the metal on the other side. We once had a huge bur oak log in that obviously showed barbed wire. Blue all over the place. Only because it was a relative of mine, we tried to cut it. Never hit a thing. The tree had absorbed all the wire. You never know if the logger has cut above the metal, or below. Unless the tree shows wire, or has nails in it, neither will the logger.

[stavebuyer]

Most mills won't buy any log showing "blue". Some logs will clear up in a foot or two and some will show it 6 feet or more above the metal. I have had good luck sawing them and not hitting metal if the "intensity" of the stain is less after cutting a block off.

[MHineman]

  I've had the blue stain show at the bottom and top of an 8 foot Walnut log with the nails just about centered.
  I had an 8 foot White oak with blue stain at the bottom and not at the top with the nails about 3 foot up.
  I'd say it not only depends on the species of the tree, but where it is growing.  I think the soil ph probably plays a role.
  Logs that had stain in them I don't even try to sell to the big mills, but I cut those myself.  If the buyer took the log he would discount it so much I'd almost be better off making firewood out of it.
  I also maintain a good relationship with those mills since they know I keep those problem logs out of their pile.

[scsmith42]

Most of my experience with white oak is that it will stain "down", but not "up" from the metal (other than a foot or so up).

[Al_Smith]

What few commercial  mills there are around here  wont take a metal log .

So it comes down to taking a chance with a small bandsaw mill .If 25 bucks or so a band verses over 2 bucks a board foot purchasing rough cut oak from a mill obviously in my opinion it's worth a shot on a good log .

On old gnarly log or a little puny shorty full of metal might be better served as firewood .Not my call just an opinion .

[ladylake]

About 90% of metal doesn't ruin a blade, only needs to be sharpened. That other 10% will, lag bolts, pole barn spikes, one time a insulator that made the front of the blade almost as smooth as the back.   Steve

[MHineman]

About 90% of metal doesn't ruin a blade, only needs to be sharpened. That other 10% will, lag bolts, pole barn spikes, one time a insulator that made the front of the blade almost as smooth as the back.   Steve

It's not that big a deal for us with "small" mills.  We swap out a blade for $25 in 5 minutes or so.  The big mills have a lot more invested in the blade and have several people standing around waiting, so their overhead is a lot greater.
  They usually will only consider a VERY good looking log and only when they have more time than orders to fill (like right now).  In better times they either won't buy the log at all or buy it for very little and then move it on to a pallet mill at a slight upcharge.
  All together that log with a nail in it is worth more to us than the big mills, so if you are looking for logs, you might stop by a big mill to see if they have any less desirable logs at a bargain price.

[YellowHammer]

White oak seems pretty honest about showing blue around metal, and since I can't sell blue stained wood, I keep bucking the log with a chainsaw until the blue is gone then feel pretty safe amount milling it.  Works most of the time.  Other woods, not so well, cedar not at all.
YH

[paul case]

I have had a few of those white oak and post oak trees that only show stain in the cut and never hit any metal. My theory is that it is probably a bullet. Lead will cause the stain and cuts real easy with no damage to the blade. PC

[Robert Duval]

We found our first metal pieces ( Nails ) in a white pine log this past weekend. I wasn't too happy because we did this with two blades. I hit a good sized spike and a smaller nail with the first one, Only good thing was we were at just about 700 B/F with that blade. I cut the log right where the blade stopped behind the nails and dug them out. We put a new blade on and I cut the last four feet of board off the log so it was all set for the next one. Got 3 inches from the last spot and hit another spike so I grabbed the chainsaw and cut 4 feet off the end of the log. After we finished milling for the day I grabbed my other chainsaw with a carbide chain and opened the 4 foot section up. We found 3 more spikes and about 8 nails. The wood around all of the nails and spikes turned grey for about half an inch that's it. Is this common for pines or has anyone seen this in other types of logs?

[Banjo picker]

Hard to spot in southern pine... Hit one yesterday deep in a 24" log...I had run the metal det. over it...and it wasn't enought to show up...knocked off 14 teeth...on a brand new blade that had cut about 250' ... :(  Banjo

[Lud]

Found a horseshoe in a white oak this winter.  Lots of blue stain.  I think the more metal you got,  the bigger the stain.

[bandmiller2]

Nails don't like to live alone,find one and he has pals.I have seen white oak butt stain with no hardwear in the log sometimes its caused by the chainsaw chain or outher steel that touches the wood.The blue should put you on high alert,time to pull out the detector. Frank C.

[WDH]

The oaks react to iron or ferrous metal more so than most species because of the high level of tannin reacts with the iron.