Cut down a big red oak

[wiersy111]

I had a big red oak break off this fall I have been wanting to go out and mill it into some nice thick planks. Today I sharpened up the 36" chain for the 660 put the 25" bar on the 044 and loaded everything up and headed out. I got there and a nice big chunk of the broken off three was missing. It was across the 4 wheeler trail, of course it is private property and I am the one that takes care of the trails. So I figured that I would drop the 12 foot stub that was still standing. I should have swapped out the milling chain on the 660 but I figured I would just use the 044. Got the notch cut and it wasn't looking to good inside. One I got it on the ground I wanted to cry here is this 40" plus red oak that was just plain rotten. There wasn't any solid wood in it that I could mill. Of course I dropped it on the trail so I wouldn't have to fight the brush while milling. Evidently there was a lot of dirt in the bark as the saw started to cut a half circle on the first cur so I had to stop and sharpen. So all I accomplished today in 3 hours was to drop one rotten red oak and roll some huge blocks off the trail. What a kick in sack.

 

[Marshy]

I'm confused, was the piece that fell off any good to mill?

 

[wiersy111]

No missing I guess it is firewood by now.

 

[TimRD]

That's a tough break, it sucks the trunk was too far gone!

I was down in town where I live a while back and I noticed a big oak that was at the edge of a parking lot wasn't there anymore. I drove over and looked and they cut the tree and just let it fall right into the woods. This tree is probably 42" at the trunk. I checked the trunk over, and just like yours the middle 1/3 or so was rotten. Not a little soft either, a total loss. If the stuff higher up was easy to get to I would see about milling it or getting the firewood. What a waste of a tree...