Quartering a Big Southern Red Oak Log

WDH · January 11, 2012, 09:00:36 PM

I had a big red oak log, Quercus falcata, on my property line succumb to the several years of drought that we have had in Middle Georgia. It was just off the powerline right-of-way, and was a peril to the powerline to my house. The power company took it down before it could do any damage in the future.

Customsawyer (Jake) came over to do some magic on the log as I did not have the chainsaw capability with my MS361 to split this log. It was 42" on the small end and 9' long. It was 112 years old.

Here is Jake getting started with the MS660. He has mastered the physics of just how to hold the saw and where to apply pressure to get a straight cut. This comes from much experience.

The four foot bar sure made a difference.

Here is the first cut at the small end of the log. Dead on the money 8). It does not get any better than that!

Now, on to quartering the log as my LT15 could not handle even a half of this log.

Again, dead on the money 8).

Almost done. There was a little doty rot right on the center 4" core in part of the log, but it will still make some nice wide red oak lumber.

Jake also gave me a lesson in sharpening chains that caused a light to go off in my head. He showed me his technique on my MS361, and that saw cut better than it ever has. Wow! What can I say except Thank You and I Owe You, Jake.

POSTON WIDEHEAD · January 11, 2012, 09:05:18 PM

GREAT PICTURES!!!!!! Great post!

Radar67 · January 11, 2012, 09:07:43 PM

That is a nice log Danny. Which daughter will be the first to benefit from it? I hope you retained enough knowledge on sharpening to be able to pass it on. You just may need to do that in the future.

Magicman · January 11, 2012, 09:19:03 PM

Looks like a fun day for you two. Now, on to the sawmilling.

Did you feed Jake any wild hog ???

scsmith42 · January 11, 2012, 09:26:20 PM

Great post,

great pix,

great chainsawing!

Left Coast Chris · January 11, 2012, 09:34:07 PM

Very nice sawing!

8)

And the chainsaw discovered no blue/black stains inside...... that REALLY is a good day for a tree on a property line!

TimGA · January 11, 2012, 09:41:19 PM

Great pictures,wondering how long it takes to get that good with chainsaw. Tim

slider · January 11, 2012, 09:50:28 PM

It's about time someone put him to work. Fine piece of wood .Hope you didn't have to feed him al

dgdrls · January 11, 2012, 09:51:20 PM

812 B.F by Doyle scale!

WDH Once the log is quartered, what are your steps to quarter sawn planks?

Thanks for the great pics
DGDrls

WDH · January 11, 2012, 09:59:42 PM

Well, I have been using a chainsaw a long time, and I am nowhere near that good. Maybe it is an innate skill or Jake has the chainsaw gene that many of us do not have

.

Chris, this was an old hedgerow before I cleaned it up. You are absolutely right, it is amazing that there was no metal.

MM and AL, Jake passed on the wild hog when I offered him lunch..........

dgdrls, I think that I will alternate 6/4 cuts on the two adjacent 90 degree faces, cutting from the bottom, flipping after every cut, until I lose the figure, then saw the rest on through in 4/4 in each quarter section. This will give me a whack of 14" to 18" quarter sawn boards. I also think that I will leave the live edge on. It is crazy how many people like a live edge on a wide board. However, I am still thinking about how this log.

Larry · January 11, 2012, 10:31:59 PM

Quote from: WDH on January 11, 2012, 09:59:42 PM
dgdrls, I think that I will alternate 6/4 cuts on the two adjacent 90 degree faces, cutting from the bottom, flipping after every cut, until I lose the figure, then saw the rest on through in 4/4 in each quarter section. This will give me a whack of 14" to 18" quarter sawn boards. I also think that I will leave the live edge on. It is crazy how many people like a live edge on a wide board. However, I am still thinking about how this log.

I've heard of folks sawing in this manner but I've never seen the results. I think it ought to work fine.

That Jake has a most special skill. I've tried splitting logs in the past...lets just say my blade came out a bit off from the intended spot. :-[ :-[ :-[

kelLOGg · January 12, 2012, 05:27:44 AM

It took me 2.5 hours to quarter a 34 incher that long with my 20" bar :( How long did it take Jake to quarter it? Go ahead - I'm sitting down - 15 minutes? ;D
Bob

Don K · January 12, 2012, 05:45:54 AM

Nice score Danny. Do hate such a beautiful tree died. It will live on in many fine pieces of work.

Don

fishpharmer · January 12, 2012, 06:09:44 AM

Great log for some great fellas. Jake making it look it easy (again) 8).

DonK, reminds me of your big red oak log.

WDH · January 12, 2012, 06:59:04 AM

Bob,,

It probably took about an hour of sawing time.

Norm · January 12, 2012, 07:17:59 AM

Nice chainsaw work!

Those chunks still look to be a hand full Danny, good luck with them.

WDH · January 12, 2012, 07:24:28 AM

You are right, Norm. They will vex me.

Tom L · January 12, 2012, 07:47:19 AM

wow, Jake is some kind of chainsaw ninja,
I can't imagine how he cut that tree that straight

great job, I bet those boards will be nice

tcsmpsi · January 12, 2012, 08:19:24 AM

Yeah, yeah....I should be so vexed. :D

I think that Jake and his saw have been hexed with elm root voodoo. :D

Magicman · January 12, 2012, 09:14:15 AM

He prolly threatened to stick it in a Sweetgum if it didn't saw straight. ;D

Dodgy Loner · January 12, 2012, 09:44:36 AM

You are going to have some premium quartersawn red oak

. But like everyone else, I am more impressed with Jake's chainsaw ninja skills :D. I need a saw sharpening lesson, too.

customsawyer · January 12, 2012, 07:28:48 PM

Dodgy I would have given you one if you weren't so rude when you rode all the way over to see Danny but couldn't ask me over. :D Now the lesson will have a much steeper learning curve in that I will not teach you all you need to know but just enough to get you in trouble. ;D
As I told Danny I would bet he can cruise some timber better than I. When you do something enough you get a little bit better at it. I enjoy working with Danny as he is very easy to impress until we step into his shop and he shows what he is working on. I then feel like I don't have a clue what I am doing as that man knows the difference between a hammer and a saw. The wood work that he produces from the lumber he has is just amazing.

I might know how to run a chain saw but the number of tools he can work with is mind blowing.

WDH · January 12, 2012, 09:18:11 PM

If we were all good at the same thing, then we would just fight all the time :D.

I have sawn tens of thousands of BF of lumber while Jake has sawn tens of millions of BF, probably more than that. I have learned more about how to be efficient when sawing lumber from Jake than how to use a chainsaw.

I have some crappy red oak logs to saw first before I can give this tree a shot. I hope that the doty heart rot is no worse than it looks. I anchorsealed the quarters today, and one had the tell tell dark black stain that foretells metal, so I suspect that at least one of the quarters will have fence wire. If so, I will have to send my metal detector off the Wood-Mizer re-sharp to get it re-sharpened

.

red oaks lumber · January 12, 2012, 09:21:22 PM

a oak that big up here would be way over 200 yrs.

WDH · January 12, 2012, 09:37:18 PM

Steve, they can grow pretty fast around here. It was 45" at DBH. Divide 45 by 112 years and you get .4 inches of diameter growth per year. Half of that is .2 inches which would be the radial growth on each side of the tree, so the average ring width would be .2" wide which is a little better than 3/16ths of an inch per year. This tree had underwent serious decline in the last 10 years.