Thread: Dead Sheoak still standing

Welcome KPS, you must hold some kind of record, joined December 2005 and first post in November 2008

Sheoak is known for it's splitting. I have just milled a green slab and it has started to spliut within 24 hours. Don't like your chances of getting any decent turning blanks out of a long dead tree that has visible cracks in it, should be able to get enough pen blanks to supply everyone though

What type of sheoak are they and where are they growing? The Fraseriana has a few different forms with some producing the orange/pink lacey flame grain and others being quite dark. From what I have seen it it those growing in laterite that seem to produce the flame colour.

shee oak must be quaterd when it hits the ground.

as for the dead ones it can be milled to get boards between the cracks dependson how mutch you wanna get out of it.

Hi Kps,

The Sheoak description you are giving us, is pretty normal and you can be pleasantly surprised, if you decide to cut it, prepare it and seal the green stuff. If the dead tree has been that way for some time, the timber will be dry and wouldn't make much difference to seal it.
I have recently done of few of them, between green and dead ones, and I've put some extra effort on the green timber, cleaning it, cutting it and sealing it, hoping that I can get some larger pieces dry without major cracks. As I said, with the timber from the dead tree, is a little more wastage but is worth while to go through it and recover the good bits. (sometimes not that small bits...!).

In another words, salvage what you can!

Cheers
RBTCO

Might as well throw in my 2 bob's worth! I'd give the dead stuff a big miss - apart from the cracking, if the grubs have got into them like they do around here it just ain't worth the trouble. Go the green stuff, quarter and seal it like the other guys said

Many thanks for comments. These trees stand in a dried out water course so I will try a harvest of both types and see what works best. Now for a decent chainsaw!
cheers, kps