I am selling some trees to the mill, White & Red Oak. We live on the edge of a hardwood forest and won’t miss them. They cut off the tops and just take the main trunk. The first thing I thought of was tap handles, and maybe some rough cut signs for the Brewery. I don’t have a lathe so maybe I will make paddle tap handles and angle cut some of the branches for signs. Anyone know how to prepare the raw fresh cut wood and how to seal it? Any wood workers out there?
You may want to cut the wood into slightly larger pieces than you intend to use and let them dry for awhile. The wood is likely to change shape somewhat and possibly crack, especially with larger pieces as it dries, so cut more than you think you need. I have some oak and maple that came from my brother-in-law’s trees that is really nice. Some of the oak is “spalted” (has some fungal growth that causes color changes in the wood) that looks really nice. Trying to find spalted wood to buy is hard to do, and it can be really expensive. We let the wood dry for 6-12 months before making too much with it to avoid warping, etc. after making things with it.
