When is a tree past its "use by date"?

[El Barto]

This is the kind of question that one will eventually learn through experience but as I haven't yet gained that experience I thought I'd ask it now.

If a tree has been felled, how long can it be left in that felled state before it's no good to use? I'm not talking about a particular rotten or ill tree, just a felled tree. And for use I'm referring to green woodworking, splitting out parts from the tree etc. Although I guess I'd also be interested in milling this kind of timber too.

A friend of mine has a tree surgery business with hundreds of trunks stacked in his yard. They're grey and bleached from the sun. At what point would they be unusable? When does the wood stop being "green"? Will the discolouration on the outside make an appearance on the inside of the tree?

:?: (hammer)

 

[MikeG.]

You can use it just about forever, so long as it isn't rotten. Of course, it's only green for a while. The grey colour is only skin deep. French forestry practise is to chuck the felled logs in a lake to prevent them drying at all, so that they can be worked as green even years later.

 

[Racers]

I have some 4000-7000 year old bog oak, its what the hinges on this box are made of.

Ripple ash bog oak and brown oak box by Pete Maddex, on Flickr

Pete

 

[Steliz]

A friend of mine has a tree surgery business with hundreds of trunks stacked in his yard.

We all need a friend like that.

 

[El Barto]

Interesting thanks guys. Pete where did you get such old timber?!

And yes everyone should have a friend with trees...!

 

[Beau]

Pretty open ended question.

I live in a pretty wet part of the country (Dartmoor) and sell logs for a living these days. I buy in wood in the round much as you describe just smaller diameter or more knotty so not suitable for milling. I dont leave any species in the round for more than a year. Beech will start to turn quite quickly as will birch. Ash does better but will have grey staining after 6 months or so. Oak and chestnut last but the sap rots quickly not that that's an issue for milling. If you live in a much drier area then these times will be extended all presuming we are talking about leaving the trunks outside.

 

[Bm101]

@ Barto
I got my bit from MacTimbers mate at the European Woodworking Show. Unfortunately I don't think that's going to happen again but you can contact them online of course. http://www.mactimbers.com/ Proper people.
I bought a 1/4 sawn plank for what I thought was a reasonable price. For me it was worth the investment to use for my interest in toolmaking. I hope I'll end up using the rest when I get a bit better and can do it a bit of justice other than plane handles/infils.

When you plane it up its drop dead mate.
I finished a couple of small bits and with a sanding seal and tru oil on it's as black as my cold dead heart. But shinier with some beauty about it.

Beautiful wood.

These pics are half ars*d at best...
Even in the best pics there's only a hint of what you can achieve with this wood and it's no where near completed in these photos of course. Someone who knows what they are doing could do this proper justice.
Cheers now.
Chris

 

[Racers]

That's where I got mine from as well.

Pete

 

[El Barto]

That's pretty amazing stuff

 

[El Barto]

Pretty open ended question.

I live in a pretty wet part of the country (Dartmoor) and sell logs for a living these days. I buy in wood in the round much as you describe just smaller diameter or more knotty so not suitable for milling. I dont leave any species in the round for more than a year. Beech will start to turn quite quickly as will birch. Ash does better but will have grey staining after 6 months or so. Oak and chestnut last but the sap rots quickly not that that's an issue for milling. If you live in a much drier area then these times will be extended all presuming we are talking about leaving the trunks outside.

When you say "start to turn" what do you mean? And does the grey staining affect the inside of the tree? I think probably the best thing to do is take a couple of trunks from my mate's, say one from a year ago, one from six months, and open them up and see what the inside looks like and if there's much difference. Not that anybody's asked but I'll post my results anyway.

 

[screwpainting]

I'd like to see those results.
There is a lad, Matthew Cremona, that has built his own mill in Canada and some of the slabs he gets from old trees are incredibly beautiful and addictivly interesting to watch as the cut reveals whats inside.

About 3.40 minutes in

://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZmZQB6XRU0

 

[Steve Maskery]

I've got a bit of bog oak which is 6004 years old. I was told it was 6000 years old when I bought it and I've had it...
Couldn't resist.

 

[Beau]

]

When you say "start to turn" what do you mean? And does the grey staining affect the inside of the tree? I think probably the best thing to do is take a couple of trunks from my mate's, say one from a year ago, one from six months, and open them up and see what the inside looks like and if there's much difference. Not that anybody's asked but I'll post my results anyway.

Yes often had beech go quite evenly brown very quickly but it's not long after that it rots. Beech will be less that perfect after just a few months. In fact that goes for most of the whiter woods. I would hunt out any oak he has as that does not rot or stain quickly. Down side to oak is it does not dry well in the round but that may work for you if you are looking to do "green" woodworking. Had some oak trunks here that must have beed 3 or 4 years old. The sap had almost completely rotted but the heartwood was much like the day it was felled and just as wet.

 

[El Barto]

I'd like to see those results.
There is a lad, Matthew Cremona, that has built his own mill in Canada and some of the slabs he gets from old trees are incredibly beautiful and addictivly interesting to watch as the cut reveals whats inside.

About 3.40 minutes in

://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZmZQB6XRU0

That video is great, thanks for sharing.

 

[JimB]

You can use it just about forever, so long as it isn't rotten. Of course, it's only green for a while. The grey colour is only skin deep. French forestry practise is to chuck the felled logs in a lake to prevent them drying at all, so that they can be worked as green even years later.

You used to see huge butts of timber as chopping blocks in butchers across here. I was told that the practice was to leave them in a running creek for a year or more after which they wouldn't split.

 

[Geoff_S]

You can use it just about forever, so long as it isn't rotten. Of course, it's only green for a while. The grey colour is only skin deep. French forestry practise is to chuck the felled logs in a lake to prevent them drying at all, so that they can be worked as green even years later.

You used to see huge butts of timber as chopping blocks in butchers across here. I was told that the practice was to leave them in a running creek for a year or more after which they wouldn't split.

They do that with shopping trolleys over here

 

[JimB]

I remember a rag day in Sheffield some 55 years ago. One feature was a boat-race on the river (Sheaf I suppose). It was more of an obstacle course climbing over dumped bed bases, bike frame etc as well as the dangers of the 'water' itself. Many claimed their clothes and shoes rotted away later.