should I try to salvage a dead oak tree

[Bob White]

About a month ago, I downed a dead turkey oak on my new property in Port Richey, FL. The diameter of the tree is about 18 inches. The soft/bad wood goes about 2-4 inches in from the bark. On closer inspection of the center wood which is very hard, there are small pin holes which have a black tinge around them. There are small larvae which are boring into the wood mostly cross grain in some of them. It doesn't look like the pin holes have affected the structural ability of the wood. When we first cut it up, we painted the ends and there is still a little checking (maybe we did not paint it enough).

This is the first time that I have ever tried to harvest a tree. Do you think that the hard portion of the wood is recoverable? It will be a lot of work to clear out that wood. I only have a 36cc chainsaw and the oak dulls the blade pretty fast. So, I am probably looking at a good amount of axe work.

I like the thought of harvesting the wood, but don't want to waste my time if it is not recoverable. I know that you are not here and can't see the actual wood, but I would still be interested in your comments.

[Stephen Edwards]

First question that comes to my mind is: Do you have a band saw suitable for re sawing? This type of wood could be really interesting for small projects.

If you do have a BS you could cut the trunk into short pieces, say 2'-4' in length. Split the trunk and move on to the BS for re sawing. I should think that one or two sections would answer your question for you.

[Bob White]

Stephen, thanks for the reply.

I have a 14" Jet BS. I took a branch and sliced some of it into about 1/4" thick slices and it looked very nice.

Today, I cut out two pieces from the separate logs which ended up being about 5" x 5" x 6" using a chainsaw and axe. They were very pretty with the pinholes and black around them. The wood is a dark brown compared to red and white oak and the black that was introduced just gives it character.

Unfortunately, I also found around 2 live larvae per side on each piece where I cleaned them up with an axe. The pieces were moist to the touch, but not wet.

I was just wondering if there might be a way to successfully deal with the larvae while the wood dries.

I just googled using/building kilns. Several places mentioned that 130F within the kiln can kill the larvae, but I don't have time to build one right now. It was also suggested that only live trees be harvested and then processed quickly. Oak also seems to be a little trickier to dry than I had figured on based on the discussions that I found.

The tree had to come down. So, I guess that I will just try a couple of things such as spraying the cleaned wood with borax and see what happens. If it works then I will have some wood to play with. If not, I will be paying for dried wood as I am today. Anyway, I am certainly learning.

Again, thanks for the reply.

[Stephen Edwards]

Bob,

I've read of some other techniques to kill the insects. Seems like I remember a thread on here a while back that discussed using carbon dioxide to kill 'em. I don't remember the details. I do like the look of wormy, spalted wood.

[Lee Mitchell]

If you can manage to cut into chunks so you can get it to an electricity source, a sawsall will help with your breakdown. Or, if you have or can borrow a portable generator, take that to the tree. That should help ease some of the pain of axe work.

With the summer heat coming on you may be able to use that to kill the bugs. Pick a spot with full sun all day. Put plastic on the ground. Stack, sticker, wood. Cover with black plastic. Stick a grill thermometer in somewhere along the side that's out of direct sunlight. Keep an eye on it, as this isn't a conventional way to dry wood. Kept too long, this enclosed "oven" bug-killer will cause more damage to the wood.

If you're salvaging small cuts, another option is to put the wood in a freezer. You'll need one that goes to 0 degrees or below. Wrap with plastic wrap, keep in there 48 hrs or so.

I sure hope you can salvage, at least some of that oak. If you don't use it yourself, wood with "character" could bring in some $$ for you for more tools and supplies.

Hope this helps. Good luck with that oak!

Lee in NC

[Julian Nicks]

If the oak is already dead on the gound, the moisture content will alrerady be dropping. It's not hard to dry wood, especially if you're just air drying it. I'd go to woodworkingtalk.com (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/woodworkingtalk.com) and post the question about the larvae in the forestry and milling section. I learned a ton from the members of that forum on drying wood, and dealing with pests.

[Bob White]

Thanks for all the replies.

This morning, I dug into one crotch about 24" long. One side was full of several different kinds of larvae/crawlers and was mostly rotten. Some of the other side was pretty clean and I will finish it out. Attached are pictures of a piece of the crotch that I was able to get. I took the pictures with my iPhone and they really don't grain justice, but it is very pretty and will be very nice if it doesn't check too much. Unfortunately, it is not very large.

It and another piece went into the freezer based on Lee Mitchell's suggestion. I put them in a tall garbage bag and will leave them in for 48 hours. (I am not sure how long it should take. I am just guessing.) I won't be able to cut them up for another 10 days.

Where I found bad spots, there were many more bugs and of more varieties than I had first found. I should be able to harvest some wood, but it probably won't be near what I was hoping for and I will have to deal with the bug problem in the harvested wood. I guess that is the problem with dead trees.

[Todd Burch]

Walk away from the wood. There will be other, better trees to harvest.

[Caleb Larru]

from the way you describe the pin holes, it sounds like you have Powder Post Beetles. Beta-Cyfluthrin will kill them. You can get some stuff made by Bayer called Bayer Power Force Carpenter Ant & Termite Killer Plus at any hardware store. They particularly like seasoned hardwood. Here is some information on them:

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/IG119

[Caleb Larru]

Here is some pics I took with my phone. I had some oak that had beetle damage that I ran through the jointer.

[Burt Alcantara]

Bob,
That looks like great turning wood. You don't indicate where you live but I'd bet there are a bunch of turners in your neck of the wood that would be happen to dispose of that tree, including me.

Post over at the Turning side.

Burt

[Chip Lindley]

Bob, unless you are Totally Enamoured with this wormy log, it would best serve as good hot-burning firewood! *Distressed Hickory* and *Pecky Pecan* have their endearing qualities, but this oak is just plain *beetle-eaten*!

If you DO go to all the trouble (and expense) of sawing, fumigating, and drying this wood, at least it will be a valuable learning experience.

[Bob White]

Well, I don't know whether to walk away from it or not. I have been cutting up a multiple fork that I believe was lower in the tree and it has much better wood. Some of it is clear of insects in a major portion of the log. I might be able to get some 1X4s out of it. If I break open a log and see bugs, then I am going to just use it for fire wood. I have only one big log and several small ones to investigate. However, that multiple fork log is going to another couple of mornings to finish. I am enclosing a few pictures of a section from the better fork. The majority of the tree is going into the fire place unfortunately.

I have another tree which is larger in girth, but still alive. That I plan to have cut down. It is dying and leans over one of the buildings that I have here. If it looks good when it is sectioned, then I will get a local portable sawmill to cut it up. Using a medium sized chainsaw, axe, hatchet, sledge hammer, wedges and draw knife are a lot of work for an old man and they require constant sharpening!

My bandsaw, jointer and planer are at my other house which is 400 miles from here. That house is on the market, but who knows when it will sell. So, I will take the good logs that I am harvesting back there and slice them up more discarding the pieces that have bugs or are rotten. For me, this is an experiment. If I can practice a little on this tree, then maybe I will be better prepared for the next trees.

I am painting the ends again. This time with multiple layers of varnish. Should other portions of these be painted as well such as knots, swirls, etc?