Green oak off cuts

[Watersidewoodwork]

Hi everyone I'm new to the site. Just after a bit of inspiration.. I am a oak framer and have access to a lot of green oak off cuts (6x6 5x5 5x4 4x3 4x2 9x3 6x1 all sorts) I hav my own little workshop at home and want to try to utilise the timber rather than burning it! If anyone could give me some ideas on what I could make that would be great
thanks josh

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Whack a coat of PVA, paint, varnish or something on the cut ends as quickly as you can to help stop them splitting (no matter what happens from there on).

 

[pcb1962]

These spring to mind...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/162132973852
https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/192056661445
big profits there if you can find the customers

 

[AJB Temple]

Welcome Josh. I am interested in this too as I have made three green oak buildings for my own use (another one to do in a year or so) and have stacks of green oak offcuts as well and would like to find a use.

Some thoughts:
A lot of stuff of suitable size I run through the band saw and make it into oak shingles for roofing. I have accumulated enough to do the entire roof on a 4.5m by 3m pergola and will soon have enough for a pitched roof shed as well.
Oak that does not get splits can be seasoned and used for turning. I am in the middle of making a set of oak goblets. Turning is a winter thing for me though when it is too wet to work outside.
Although oak is not the best for chopping boards, I have made a couple of end grain boards quite successfully.
Bigger pieces are being accumulated to make a bridge for a Japanese style garden. Some are also being kept for making into Bonsai stands.

Some I cut into pieces suitable for using in my BBQ smoker.
And the rest goes in the log burner!

AJ

 

[Watersidewoodwork]

Thanks everyone for your advice I am interested in making sales of whatever it is I decide to make. Unfortunately I don't have a lathe so turning isn't an option.

Thanks josh

 

[custard]

With a spokeshave and a bit of imagination you could make some nice chopping/cutting boards, cheese platters, fish serving trays, etc.

Welcome to the forum by the way, especially as you're pretty close by, I'm at the western end of the Solent.

 

[Watersidewoodwork]

That's a good idea is it possible to season the oak without it splitting if so how long does it take? I'm worried that if I made coasters etc they would cup due to only being thin. Unless of course I was to do endgrain.

 

[custard]

Another thought, plenty of apprenticeships and furniture making courses have as their very first project an octagonal breadboard in Oak, made entirely with hand tools. You go from a rough board to a finished item using only a hand saw, a bench plane, and your setting out tools.

It's a very traditional apprenticeship first project, here's Edward Barnsley watching the workshop foreman showing two new apprentices how it's done.

 

[custard]

That's a good idea is it possible to season the oak without it splitting if so how long does it take? I'm worried that if I made coasters etc they would cup due to only being thin. Unless of course I was to do endgrain.

You want to cleave some of your wood down to 1"-1 1/4" thick boards, making sure they're quartered so you get the medullary rays on the show face, paint the ends with any old emulsion, place it in stick out of the rain and direct sun. The rule of thumb is one year of drying for every inch of thickness...plus one summer. So in two years time you're good to go!

 

[Watersidewoodwork]

I'm not 100% sure but I think most of out timber is plain sawn at the saw mill

 

[custard]

With big brutes like 6" x 6" you could spilt them down to quartered boards, and then edge joint and glue up into wider boards.

 

[Watersidewoodwork]

Sounds like a plan for the long term but I'm very impatient what can I do with green oak that won't be ruined by movement and cracking?

 

[CHJ]

That's a good idea is it possible to season the oak without it splitting if so how long does it take? I'm worried that if I made coasters etc they would cup due to only being thin. Unless of course I was to do endgrain.

If you have a Bandsaw slice into thinner (4-8mm) slices and laminate two together in opposing grain directions. Like I do with lids

 

[galleywood]

I have seen large door stops made from chunks (6 x 6 x 6) - with various things embedded in the top to create a handle for moving them.
Examples are - the head of a golf club, thick rope with a knot at the end, an old chisel driven in, large metal ring.

 

[marcros]

There has to be some garden based things that you could do whilst it is still green. Not sure quite what but you have a good range of sizes.

 

[MatthewRedStars]

Some turnings etc can look quite nice when twisted and split. A bold design choice for sure - but nothing to lose.

 

[Watersidewoodwork]

Yeah I mean the longest the off cuts get is about 500mm the door stops sound good

 

[Woody2Shoes]

Another way to "add value" might be to add decorative carving e.g. personalised letter carving or other designs on small panels (this could be by hand or CNC) e.g. Herb/Plant/Tree labels maybe?

Knick-nacks like door wedges seem popular - if you google image search 'oak door wedge' you get lots of different design ideas.

In my experience, as long as the pieces are small, reasonably straight-grained and centre-free (i.e. rift or quarter sawn like Custard was saying), you're unlikely to suffer too badly from drying-related distortion/cracks/checks even if you are impatient (like me!) and start straight away.

Have fun! Cheers, W2S

 

[Watersidewoodwork]

Thanks everyone for the advice another quick question I've been wanting to make some cabinets out of some nice ply does anyone know where I can get hold of furniture quality ply in the southampton/ Hampshire area

 

[The Bear]

Josh
i might be interested in buying some of those off cuts if the lengths are sufficient and you are interested. PM me if you are
Mark