Cutting up white oak tree

[WVH1977]

I would also make sure the oil is coming out onto the bar. Sometimes the little oil hole can get plugged up. Usually when I see smoke and heat like that, the oil is not lubing the bar correctly. When I cut somewhat dry white oak, I usually pull the chainsaw apart several times and clean it. I also pull the bar off and clean it as well. It gets gunked up real good when cutting hard wood. The worst/hardest wood I have dealt with is black locust. That will mess the chain up in a heart beat.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

White oak is hard! A few years ago, I installed some unfinished white oak flooring (of course it was kiln dried).... talk about being hard! It was only about 600 sq ft. I dulled two 80 tooth carbide saw blades. Then when sanding with one of those big sanders, went through a multiple sanding pads.

I have dropped tools on this floor and not a mark is left.... it's HARD!

 

[mjonesnh]

I wonder if there are different varieties of "white oak". I had some at my former property, don't recall it being any more difficult to cut than any other hardwood. Then again, I did generally cut and split it green.

When I was growing up I would help my dad cut firewood and sometimes we would drop a standing white oak. Even green this firewood was a lot more difficult to split than the other species we would cut. This tree yesterday was just beyond belief how hard it was. Very old tree I am sure, maybe 100 years. Trunk measures around 48" or more. Had to leave last few cuts. Left my 24" bar and chain at house so going to let it set for a while and see if it will decay some.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

I'm thinking the only harder available wood is south America mahogany. White oak is an available wood. Black locust is not. We cut a lot of wood.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

When I was growing up I would help my dad cut firewood and sometimes we would drop a standing white oak. Even green this firewood was a lot more difficult to split than the other species we would cut. This tree yesterday was just beyond belief how hard it was. Very old tree I am sure, maybe 100 years. Trunk measures around 48" or more. Had to leave last few cuts. Left my 24" bar and chain at house so going to let it set for a while and see if it will decay some.

I cut a 7' one few months ago. About 10' up it turned into a V and broke in a storm. One side fell right in line with the fence, had cows. Cut it up in big chunks and moved with a backhoe with forks. Other side fell on a sawmill junk pile. The sawmill was 100 yards or so away.

 

[CobyRupert]

I wonder if there are different varieties of "white oak". I had some at my former property, don't recall it being any more difficult to cut than any other hardwood. Then again, I did generally cut and split it green.

I’m confused too. If your cutting and it’s heating to the point that the wood starts burning and needs water poured on it, I think something definitely went wrong.
I’d be worried that the saw’s chain would lose its temper if it’s been heated to that point.
I wonder what the sawdust looked liked. Powder or shavings?

I once had a huge oak fall over. It was so big I went and bought a 28” bar for my 57cc saw. I was worried that the oiling capacity on that little saw wouldn’t keep up on a big bar when bucking up the huge trunk. I’d stop time to time to feel the bar temperature, it did fine.

 

[mjonesnh]

Sawdust looked like always. Chain sharpened this week and no cuts since sharpened. Oiler on saw cranked all the way up. Cut four logs and two of them were smoking at saw cut. As far as temper on chain. dunno. Sharpened it late yesterday and filed ok, did a trial cut and seemed fine. Not sure trying to cut concrete instead of this tree would have been much different.

 

[mjonesnh]

I cut a 7' one few months ago. About 10' up it turned into a V and broke in a storm. One side fell right in line with the fence, had cows. Cut it up in big chunks and moved with a backhoe with forks. Other side fell on a sawmill junk pile. The sawmill was 100 yards or so away.

Wow. no way I could handle a tree that size. my loader only rated about 1200 pounds. Felt rear tire bouncing on rough ground moving logs around. That was with filled tires and 220 ponds of suitcase weights on 3pt. hitch. had to cut logs about 6-7 as they got larger diameter. probably the other logs will have to be 4-5 foot as diameter increases

 

[skipmarcy]

I have no facts to back me up but I think that the oaks are notorius for drawing minerals from the ground and having it throughout the wood. I have heard a few loggers and sawyers around here mention trees that had a lot of mineral in them and the sawmills sometimes won't even take them. I have experienced some veins of mineral in some of the oak I have had sawn from my property here in years past. Some of it you can clearly see in the wood as striations of different colors, especially in white oak but have seen it in my red oak and post oaks too.

 

[Egon]

There will be technical data backing up your thoughts.