Got some red oak split for next winter

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albertj03

albertj03

Minister of Fire
Oct 16, 2009
560
Southern Maine
Had to have two big red oaks cut down that were growing closer and closer to the house. I don't know if it was because the trees were so old or so big but these trees were killing my chains. Seemed like I was sharpening the chain after every couple cuts when cutting the trunks. My wife's uncle brought over his splitter and we got it all split up. Should be nice and ready for the next winter after this coming winter.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v204/albertj03/d638ed17.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v204/albertj03/9090ec9a.jpg
 
Nice looking wood you have there, you should not have to sharped your chain that often, maybe using the wrong angle on the cutters, or the file is too low.
 
oldspark said:
Nice looking wood you have there, you should not have to sharped your chain that often, maybe using the wrong angle on the cutters, or the file is too low.
Click to expand...

Yeah I've never had to sharpen so often before. I was using my dremel with the chainsaw sharpener attachment. I had it set the right way and was using the right stone. I thought that might be the problem so I started using my file with the same results. I brought the chains into the Husky dealer and had them sharpened so I'll see if it continues to happen or not.
 
I really like working with oak, maybe because it is what I grew up on here in Missouri and Kansas. That is a puzzler on your chain dulling so fast. I would be interested if you figure out what is causing it.
 
Nice looking wood! I think you're off by a season though, this wood may be ready for 2012-2013 season. :)
 
Some nice looking rounds there. And it looks like you got a good amount of wood from those trees.

Some of those splits look pretty long. What kind of stove are you using them in?
 
I bought one of those bench top grinderss. If you heat the chain enough while sharpening it takes the hardening out of it and it dulls fast. Not sure if that is your problem or not but just sayin...
 
Getting the chain too hot while grinding could certainly be it.
 
Big red oak will dull chains pretty quick. Bet I used 8 or more chains on this Monster.
 

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The long pieces are for my wife's uncle's stove. He's got a big, old stove. Not sure what kind it is.

The heat could have been the problem but not from the grinding. When I made the first few cuts on the large trunks, before I could role the wood, I think the wood was pinching the blade/chain and it got really hot. I made 3 or 4 cuts like that to get the trunks cut down so I could then cut half way through, then role it and cut the other half.
 
rdust said:
Nice looking wood! I think you're off by a season though, this wood may be ready for 2012-2013 season. :)
Click to expand...

+1
 
I think if stacked correctly and split in moderate sized pieces it will be ready in 2011-2012, cant believe red oak dries that much slower than burr oak.
 
Burr oak is in the white oak family so should therefore dry faster than red oak. Around here, red and pin oaks take a long, long time to dry.
 
Backwoods Savage said:
Burr oak is in the white oak family so should therefore dry faster than red oak. Around here, red and pin oaks take a long, long time to dry.
Click to expand...
About 6% less moisture for burr compared to red, the wood he has now has about 16 months or so to dry so if done correctly it should be fine. Not sure about those long pieces, length of the wood has a lot to do with drying time, I think many people do not do all they can to get their wood dry.
 
WOW
Some big rounds. Cotton wood is the only thing that big this far North.
Nice, very nice.
My stove would burn forever with that kind of wood. (once it's seasoned of course)
Good job
 
The uncle, in the pic, does let his wood dry for 2 years and the long ones are for him. I have a small stove so my splits don't take as long to dry. In the few years that I've been burning I found that with small splits and loose stacking with plenty of airflow and lots of sun I can get 20% and below moisture in 12 - 16 months. I'll be moving my wood from the pic down to my pallets and stacking it down there soon.
 
My goal is to have a new, larger stove by the time this heating season roles around. I might regret splitting this wood small by the time it's ready to burn but oh well. I'll just be happy to have good hardwood to put in whatever stove I have at the time.
 
albertj03 said:
My goal is to have a new, larger stove by the time this heating season roles around. .
Click to expand...

Remember the tax credits for the new stoves help offset the cost of a high energy efficient rated catalytic ones.
It helped me save 30%, just took until tax time to see the savings.

+ burning less wood & get more heat in the house.
But it takes time to see the savings there too but you save every year after that. (wood is $$$money)

Man I'd love to split some rounds that size, & oak "to boot", WOW.
' good post '
 
The whole time we were splitting those big rounds we were swearing, cursing and calling it every name in the book. That wood fought us all the way from cutting to splitting.
 
I've never owned any of those grinder type sharpeners. I always hand file mine. Maybe it did get the cutters too hot and the metal lost its hardness. Or maybe you have an oiler issue with that saw and it let the chain get too hot? Maybe you're not getting oil to the chain like you think you are. I think you might have an inline oil filter- could it have gotten clogged? Are you by any chance running that saw with the chain it came with? Could be getting worn out, could be 'safety chain' that they put on Harry Homeowner saws. Those chains don't cut very aggressively. In fact, they are pretty wimpy.

I have cut a lot of Oak, including nice dry deadwood, soggy deadwood, and even near-green. I have a little 16in Homelite that I now run Oregon 91VX chain on. It cuts great, much better than safety chain. I have never seen it go dull that fast unless I ran it into the dirt or an embedded nail or whatever. I get many cuts between sharpenings.

That's a nice wood haul, however hard it was to get it cut and split. I love Oak, it's great firewood.
 
I don't know if I have oiler issue or not but what I have noticed with this saw is that if you have the chain on to tight it will not get oil and the the oil will just drip down onto the ground. It is a very finicky saw in that way. Whenever I'm cutting I test to make sure I'm getting oil by pointing the bar at some wood and letting it rip to see if there is oil spraying on the wood. Sometimes there isn' any so I have to loosen the chain until it's just right. I don't always do it so it is possible that I wasn't getting oil. Does this mean that I have the oiler issue?

I like my Husky 450 but have often though that my next saw will be a Stihl because of all the time messing around to make sure I'm getting oil.
 
Knowing what I know now. I will split oak a bit bigger and let it sit for at LEAST 2 years, most likely 3. Being 3 years ahead is a great feeling. I have not come across any new oak recently, however was at a friends house yesterday that has 12-15 large oaks he wants to come down. I couldn't stop gazing at those beauties.

I never really had a problem with chains dulling that quickly in oak, however I only hand file, so never have to worry about heating up the cutter. I picked up a stump vise a while ago, it's just nice to be outside and clean up the chain with natural light, instead of the basement and shop lights. Don't forget the PBR!


Time to go for a hike and sweat out Saturday night.



Enjoy!!!!!!!! KC
 
I just bucked 6 cord of oak, with a little walnut mixed in there, and only sharpened the chain one time....runnin' a stihl 270. I like oak. But that bad boy you had there was bigger than I care to have layin' around...I'd a done just what you did, saw it up and split it :):):)
 
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