Cut Oak Boards

[bindian]

I have several large oak trees that I will be cutting and taking to a one-man sawmill to be cut into fence (corral) boards. Is there any oak tree varieties that do not do well cut for fence boards? How long do I dry them before nailing them to the posts?
hugs, Brandi

 

[scott_vt]

I have several large oak trees that I will be cutting and taking to a one-man sawmill to be cut into fence (corral) boards. Is there any oak tree varieties that do not do well cut for fence boards? How long do I dry them before nailing them to the posts?
hugs, Brandi

Mornin Brandi,
Your probablly better off nailing the boards while they are still wet ! Once they dry you usually need to predrill the boards to prevent them from splitting on the ends.

 

[Erik_in_Hoyt]

Brandi,
White oak varieties weather better then red oak, so it would be good to know what kinds you're cutting. (Sawmill can tell you and/or separate the boards out as they cut)
Otherwise, you can nail them up as soon as you get them home -- wet wood is heavier, but also a bit more pliable so less likely to split.
If the sawmill will dry them for you at a reasonable price, you could give them a coat of boiled linseed oil before nailing them up - which will help preserve the color of the wood and slow down the rotting - drying also gets the shrinkage out of the way. If you don't oil them, they should still last several years, so long as they're not constantly wet.

good luck!

 

[Onthesauk]

You might want to go over to Forestryforum.com and do a search. It's been discussed many times.

 

[gizmo]

Oak degrades very fast in the weather. You will need to treat the wood as soon as possible. I have tried to use oak for some outdoor projects and just requires too much maintenance.

 

[KaiB]

I don't know about that. I know of miles of fence in Va. which are thirty years old and going strong.

Locust post and oak rail.

 

[khd]

Oak degrades very fast in the weather. You will need to treat the wood as soon as possible. I have tried to use oak for some outdoor projects and just requires too much maintenance.

White oak......you need white not red

Kevin

 

[bindian]

White oak......you need white not red

Kevin[/QUOTE

Since I use red oak for great splittin' firewood, I will go with the white oak for fencing. My uncle has 3 inch think boards (beams) for his cattle corral boards. They have been there longer than I can remember. Thanks guys for all the input.
hugs, Brandi