Storm: What to do with downed Red Oak Trees.

[big lar]

Check craigslist or ask around tractor and feed storess to find someone with a portable band saw, they are [pretty nifty and will come right to your site, cut it up what even dimension you want. A good operator will utilize every inch of the log, and then you will have the slabs to use for firewood. Have been away from it for awhile so don't know the current rate (you'l also get the sawdust to use for livestock bedding. A circular sawmill's blade is 1/4", but a bandd saw is only 1/16" so you get more lumber out of a log,too.

 

[MasseyWV]

Burn em, as firewood.

 

[GLyford]

Now I have to figure out what to cut them into.....lumber or cabin logs.

I agree with the links that dave1949 posted, red oak has a very open grain that rots pretty quickly when exposed to the weather, so that sort of rules out using it for cabin logs.

For indoor furniture, floors, cabinets and trim I love the color and grain.

Depending on what sort of stuff you like to make with your lumber, consider sawing 5/4, 6/4, or 8/4 to give you a look that is noticably different from the "everything is 3/4-inch thick" that store-bought lumber gives you. If you're going to be custom sawing anyway, you could get something a little out-of-the-ordinary without having to pay extra.

Then sticker it up nice and set it aside to dry for as long as you can bear to keep your hands off it. Some people paint or wax the ends so they don't dry too fast and cause checks and splits.

 

[pat32rf]

We had a portable mill come to cut basswood (wall panelling) and poplar (flooring). He charged by the hour, probably 1/2 of what he could have.....
While here I had him cut some red oak firewood logs into 5/4 boards then stuck it in the barn. Been slowly making stuff out of it ever since...
These logs had come down in a storm, then sat outside OFF THE GROUND for two years.