A Touch of Old Red Oak

[Ralphie Boy]

The top of this red oak blew down some years ago and I just the other day got the go ahead from the land owned to take it. It's not much but it's oak. Most of the sap wood is punky or just down right rotten but the heartwood is harder than a witch's heart.

 

[TimJ]

you don't want any of that sapwood anyway Ralphy.........you can burn that next year in the cool of the eve

 

[bogydave]

Cleaning up the woods & scoring some oak.
Good days work

 

[ScotO]

red oak is red oak, whether it's a cord or a wheelbarrow load. Get it when you can, and store it away. Before you know it, you'll have a heap!

 

[jeff_t]

Nice. Just be careful cutting those rotten ones. Not very big, but big enough to bite ya.

I cut a small, maybe 10" DBH, but tall, ash last week that surprised me. It had a bit of a lean, and when I started to pound in the short wedges, the bottom half of the rotten stump split. I scratched my head for a minute, then reached in and took a couple inches out under the face cut. It fell about 30° from where I wanted, but better than it could have went. I was in the woods, and it wouldn't have been a disaster if it went backwards, but it would've been hung.

 

[Paulywalnut]

Let that red oak punky stuff dry out. It burns better than pine.

 

[BobUrban]

I recently cut some red oak that had been down for years and although anything touching the ground had punky sap wood the heart was just fine. The trunk portion is 20-25" and all the 10" or so branches are perfect, solid oak. I have it all split and will stack it in a month or so when I am done cutting for the year. I already have a special place for it to sleep alone for a few years.

 

[westkywood]

I just cut a couple cords of Red Oak and have another 5 cords seasoning. Gotta love it.

 

[AJS56]

I recently cut some red oak that had been down for years and although anything touching the ground had punky sap wood the heart was just fine. The trunk portion is 20-25" and all the 10" or so branches are perfect, solid oak. I have it all split and will stack it in a month or so when I am done cutting for the year. I already have a special place for it to sleep alone for a few years.

I had a simlar experience a year or so ago. Amazing how fine the heartwood was, consideringthat the outside looked punky in many places. It is great wood to burn.