Thread: Silky Oak in Eastern Suburbs of Melbourne

Let me start by saying if you get anyone but a professional tree lopper to drop that tree you are asking for a demolished house, and no insurance policy will help you. So get a professional.

Yes the timber is valuable, but only after the tree has been dropped, milled up, stacked and dried properly, then resawn to the required lumber. Once dropped someone might take the trunk for a slab back to you (mugs like me ), but it would be the millers choice of slab, not likely to be the best slab. Woodturners would also love some, especially the forks and even the smaller limbs, but they are a stingy bunch and want it for free.

As Dai sensei
It's a big job ,
as much as I would love the wood the risk to your house is huge if you don't know what your doing .

Loppers probably won't provide you with millable material but it's worth finding out. In my experience robusta is very hard and stable in service.

I have around a cube and a half here at home - due to its high figure, I use it as detailing trims on some pieces as well as in the odd small jewellery box.

Thanks all for the replies.

Yes I am quite concerned that it is so close to my house - I have home insurance, but it won't cover it because it is due to my own fault?

What should I look for if I get somebody to cut it down for me in terms of insurance that they have?

Speaking from experience as I regularly recover logs etc.

You will have to pay for the tree to be cut down.

No you will not receive money for the log unless you agree with tree Lopper beforehand and going from pic, I'd probably give you $50 maybe $80 for the log as long as it is all solid and healthy.

Go with a reputable company
ABN u can check that on the government website
And check they have insurance ext

Southern Silky Oak is a beautiful timber once properly dried. Part of its beauty comes from the large rays that give it the pattern or fleck but those large rays also mean that it cracks up very badly and becomes useless unless the end grain is sealed immediately after being felled. A professional tree remover must have public liability cover for you and your property. About $5 million would be normal I think.

Just an idea for you: Some removers will, as part of the price, cut the log to lengths of about 2400 mm to 3 m and rough chainsaw slab the timber 50 to 60 mm thick. Buy some end seal (e.g.) Carbatec, immediately paint the ends and stack under your house with strips of wood separating each slab from the floor and each other (called stickering). Plant stakes work quite well. Wait a couple of years and put up for auction here on the forum to recover some of your costs.


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