Two Questions I can't Answer

[thedutchone]

Hey guys. I started a Q and A section on the Dripline recently and I can't answer two of the questions. Can anyone help me out with them? Partically the one about do you need to be certified to operate a crane doing tree work, and why is pin oak a worthless lumber.

here's the link below.

http://dripline.net/answers/

 

[windthrown]

I do not know about certificates required to use a crane. Maybe a regional thing?

As for pin oak, they tend to have wide rings, and what is called ring or wind shake. Meaning the rings can randomly loosen or separate when drying, and so it makes the wood useless for lumber (it splits). The reason they get this is a fungus that grows up between the rings. It makes good firewood though.

 

[ATH]

In addition to the ring shake in pin oak, it holds its branches longer than others - even after the branches are dead, so there are many many more knots in the lumber. Not likely to find long/wide runs of clear lumber from a pin oak. Besides the large knots, it also has many small pin knots throughout.

 

[treebilly]

the wavey grain also causes it to "check" when it goes through a planer