live oak??

[LT100]

Agree with Uncle John 100%. The live oak the OP is talking about is not just a red or white oak that was cut down while it was alive. Live Oak is a nightmare to split. Picture a gnarly hickory with a bad attitude, now weave in some wire fencing and some hardware and you're officially halfway to what it's like splitting live oak.

 

[Fireaxman]

With the advent of pellet stoves, I wonder if LO sawdust could become a profitable product.

Wish you could have seen the huge piles of oak removed and burned by FEMA after Katrina. Seemed like a terrible waste. Sure seems like it would be profitable for a young man to develop a portable pelletizing plant to chase the storms with. Next time I drive down to Hopedale I will try to remember to get a picture of the oaks killed by MRGO salt water intrusion.

This is the second load from yesterday. That is a 32" bar on my 460.

 

[TeeMan]

Wish you could have seen the huge piles of oak removed and burned by FEMA after Katrina. Seemed like a terrible waste. Sure seems like it would be profitable for a young man to develop a portable pelletizing plant to chase the storms with. Next time I drive down to Hopedale I will try to remember to get a picture of the oaks killed by MRGO salt water intrusion.

This is the second load from yesterday. That is a 32" bar on my 460.

Reminds me of the wood debries removed in and around Baton Rouge after Hurricane Gustav. It seemed like a lot was scrapped that could have been put toward good firewood. A lot of oak!

 

[z50guru]

Heres the Red Oak here in the NE. Its by far the easiest splitting and in some cases already begins the split for you as shown in photo 2.





Although we have no Live Oak here, our version of the twisted nasty headache would be the notorious Elm tree and its variants.





That Live Oak is some beautiful wood. The grain sure would turn out some nice items on the lathe. I would love to have a hunk of it to beat on just for the experience heheh. So someone please send me a round!

 

[SWI Don]

Heres the Red Oak here in the NE. Its by far the easiest splitting and in some cases already begins the split for you as shown in photo 2.





Although we have no Live Oak here, our version of the twisted nasty headache would be the notorious Elm tree and its variants.





That Live Oak is some beautiful wood. The grain sure would turn out some nice items on the lathe. I would love to have a hunk of it to beat on just for the experience heheh. So someone please send me a round!

You need an overlapping wedge & pusher to really split the elm. Otherwise you get to deal with above.

 

[singinwoodwackr]

We have Live Oak out here in Cali on the coast...very hard to split and yea, BTU rating is in the top 3, I think. I used to have a really hard time chipping the brush...major allergy attacks! Even with drugs I'd be down for a couple days after a big prune or removal job.

 

[Fireaxman]

That Live Oak is some beautiful wood. The grain sure would turn out some nice items on the lathe. I would love to have a hunk of it to beat on just for the experience heheh. So someone please send me a round!

No problem. I have already split the smaller pieces, but I have a few of the butt pieces I have not split yet. Lets see. 32 inches diameter by 16 inches length ( I cut them short so they would be easier to ship, handle and split) of Southern Live Oak. About 612 pounds. UPS class 50 freight SE Louisiana to Central Pa. About USD $630.57. Ugh, Houston, we have a problem.

Can you just stop by my place and pick it up?

 

[1project2many]

If you've got two that size maybe we can put an axle between them and use them as trailer wheels.

 

[Fireaxman]

Good health, cool day, strong saw, sharp chain, clean wood. Live Oak? A Great Pleasure!

 

[OnTheRoad]

View attachment 323333 View attachment 323335 View attachment 323333 Quercus virginiana is severely interlocked. Some is only made usable by means of noodling. Here are some pics of live and texas red oak photo number one is live oak note the interlock photo number 2 is live oak and red oak note the straight grain of the redoak

Beautiful graining on that wood. It would take some doing, but I'd love to make some countertops with it.

 

[mountainguyed67]

There are 2 different species of "live oak" here in California, Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia) and Canyon Live Oak (Quercus chrysolepis).

There‘s a third also, interior live oak (Quercus wislizeni).

 

[mountainguyed67]

Are you serious? Oak is one of the easier things I split. It's a ton easier than hickory.

Live oak is very different from other oaks. The splitter makes all kinds of groaning noises, then there’s a loud pow and wood goes flying in both directions. I wouldn’t want to try it by hand the way the splitter struggles with it.