Dropped a 70' standing dead red oak this afternoon

[DeereMann]

So how big was the diameter of that 70 footer? I didn't see it, lest my spectacles ain't working.

We've had to drop app. 70 red oaks due to oak wilt fungus up here. We usually use the Stihl MS460 for the felling & bucking, 026 for branches, 018 for limbs. Then your arms don't get so tired.

Thanks for all the photos. Here's a look forward to the result...........

 

[nikdfish]

I didn't get any in-progress, but here are some after the fact...

Everthing cut lately is tossed on the pile for a nephew who indicated he wanted wood for this winter. I mostly cut heavy pieces to about 4' to make them easier to handle with bucket or backhoe w/thumb. This last one is mostly on top of the pile, the lowest portions are down in back. The pile is what we have cleaned up over the last month from the adjacent portion of the woods & is only stuff big enough to be worthwhile for a fireplace or stove. Slash & stumps have been hauled off & burned as we go. I started out using a 18" Poulan "Wild Thing" but replaced it recently with a 18" Stihl MS290 "Farm Boss".

This is the stump from the oak I was talking about. It was about 20" across at the point I cut when felling it. Roughly half the diameter appears to have been compromised.

Nick

 

[QRTRHRS]

I have a "widow maker" for you. I had been expecting this one to come down in the wind. It did sort of. Too bad the wind was coming from the wrong direction. Darn tree is broke off about 15 feet up and hung. Once the leaves die off on the other trees and I can see what I have a little better then I will decide what if anything to do. Else, I may just wait it out to see what the fall weather will do for me.

 

[Rayster]

That is a good pile. A few hours of work for sure.

 

[dave1949]

I have a "widow maker" for you. I had been expecting this one to come down in the wind. It did sort of. Too bad the wind was coming from the wrong direction. Darn tree is broke off about 15 feet up and hung. Once the leaves die off on the other trees and I can see what I have a little better then I will decide what if anything to do. Else, I may just wait it out to see what the fall weather will do for me.

I don't like the looks of that one. What is it about the affinity of trees and fences?

Maybe you could roll it off the tree it is leaning into away from the fence with a stout rope thrown over the upper limbs. The broken spot looks pretty rotten. If you can't roll it, then it is probably hung up tight enough to pull the trunk off the stem at the break and the top would stay hung, but that would be progress.

 

[dave1949]

I'm reading this at lunch during work and people are looking at me as I'm yelling "NO NO NO". Red Oak is a beautiful wood for wood working and everytime I hear of people cutting it up for firewood I cringe. I can't be the only on here that thinks that way?

Wedge

It's the economics of the thing, like others said. Even if someone would saw it for you cheap, it still needs to be stacked, stickered and covered to dry. Then you have rough sawn boards that need planed and edge-joined before making something fine or detailed. Most people don't have all that equipment or space in a building to set it up for use.

If I ever got the woodworking bug, I would set out to make things with hand tools old school style because I can't afford $10,000 tables.:laughing:

Red oak is a common species, but being it was a somewhat dead tree, I don't know if you would get any special patina from the dead wood when finished?

 

[dmccarty]

I have a "widow maker" for you. I had been expecting this one to come down in the wind. It did sort of. Too bad the wind was coming from the wrong direction. Darn tree is broke off about 15 feet up and hung. Once the leaves die off on the other trees and I can see what I have a little better then I will decide what if anything to do. Else, I may just wait it out to see what the fall weather will do for me.

I had a Red Oak that got blown over in a storm and the top was hung up in another Red Oak. Actually, I have had quite a few trees in that condition but, thankfully, the mess is/was sorta deep in the woods. I know two of the tree eventually fell when the tops rotted enough for the branches to break.

We just had a 4ish inch tree fall that I did not even know was dead. For whatever reason, it decided to fall one night into the septic field. At least it will be easy to clean up.

Later,
Dan

 

[QRTRHRS]

I don't like the looks of that one. What is it about the affinity of trees and fences?

Maybe you could roll it off the tree it is leaning into away from the fence with a stout rope thrown over the upper limbs. The broken spot looks pretty rotten. If you can't roll it, then it is probably hung up tight enough to pull the trunk off the stem at the break and the top would stay hung, but that would be progress.

Once the leaves drop off the two trees this one is hung on I will take some more photos. One of them leans over the pasture having grown at about a 45 degree angle. That one was "barked" real bad at one time so it's life is limited anyway. The other, I don't know if I could safely drop it or not until I can see it a little better.

I may start out by throwing a rope over the tree and work my way up to a heavy cable then pull it down. Either way, I will have to take my fence lines down and take my chances with the fence posts.

One side of my property borders a preserved tree lot. (see thumbnail photo taken about eight years ago) The local "cutters" must drool over it as it has some outrages timber. I own maybe 20-30 feet into it and have some big trees myself but I will not cut them out of respect for my neighbor and the fact that the outer trees only buffer those inside. I have had a few smaller ones trash the fence line but so far so good on the really big ones.

 

[Ken45101]

It's significant to note that Red Oak and Hemlock both have the same thermal output per pound. 161 MBTU/lb.

But a pound of hemlock will be about 1/3 greater volume than the oak. 3570/2465.

Folks who say you can't get any heat from "soft wood" just have no clue. I've got a hemlock fire in the stove now. It's below 50 outdoors and it feels good to chase the chill.

In general, all species have about the same BTU per pound (or ton). The difference is the density of the wood which can vary by a 3:1 or greater factor.

 

[scott_vt]

I'm reading this at lunch during work and people are looking at me as I'm yelling "NO NO NO". Red Oak is a beautiful wood for wood working and everytime I hear of people cutting it up for firewood I cringe. I can't be the only on here that thinks that way?

Wedge

Good Afternoon Wedge,
I agree and sympathise but I also burn oak too... my favorite wood is white oak,for wood working projects, at least at the moment, it really does seem a shame...