Thread: Any recommendations milling service near Traralgon, Victoria. Silky oak 1.5m diameter

To be clear here: 1.5m diameter or 1.5m girth/circumference?

No offense meant but it's surprising how many confuse the two. Ones a decent log and the other's a monster and the gear you need to tackle them is very different.

No offence taken John. I'm clear on the mathematics, diameter 1.5m, radius 750mm. I'm told that's the dimension at the root flare, the trunk would be smaller but well over a metre. It's an old, thick tree. However, since I haven't measured it myself I might ask my brother what technique he used to measure it, get him to pass a string around it and divide by pi to be precise on the diameter. Or would arborists prefer the circumference?

I've got cold feet now, have to check my homework and repost exact dimensions, but BIIIG. Should I get him to measure it from the root flare 150mm above the ground, or from where the trunk is a more consistent thickness? Thanks for your interest John

The usual method is to measure at breast height. This gets away from the roots and gives a measurement more pertaining to the log itself.
To obtain the best figure in the timber it should be quarter sawn. This method gets the best from the medullary rays which are prominent in silky oak. Flat or back sawn lacks the lacy look so typical of the oaks.
This sounds like a big stick and requires someone with a few clues. Not for your average backyard warrior. Logistics (pardon the pun) are going to play an important part here. A log of these dimensions is going to require some grunt to move it about. A good job for a Lucasmill and a carve-up on site.

What Ken said.

Look it been there a few years and unless there's some urgent reason to drop it a few more weeks wont hurt. So think your way through it and get your ducks in a row first kinda thing.

Is the trunk basically straight (even if leaning) and cylindrical? If so and theres no rot, no big lumps etc it could well be suitable for export/veneer. Despite urban legend you can't get rich off a single sawlog but there's pretty good money in it. Say a 10m log with average diameter of 600 and youd be looking at 23/4 cube of log. $1200 a cube for export to pick the last oak we sold ( while back and might be way out) and theres an easy $3k. As a sawmiller I cannot make as much profit sawing logs like that as I can sending them to China. Sad but true.

If hes got rot in him I'd suggest a lucas mill as the best machine for the job but if solid id be thinking about a bandmill, even though it might mean freehand ripping to quarters with a chainsaw. The premium for chasing the grain is worth the lower recovery and a bandmill with hydraulic clamping will give you a higher value product. But you need width to make that pay.

Lotsa pictures please

Remember...it could be full of metal too...MM

Would love to see & read some follow up to what happened Dan.
Please keep us informed of what you chose to do and how it went.
Hope the sawmillers & fellers are careful as the wet sap from most grevilleas like this one is very irritating to skin and eyes.