Morning all!

I've had an oak tree felled from my back garden - it was causing distruption in the foundations and was far too big considering how close it was to the house.  I have the trunk cut in to 2 x 2.5m lengths, as well as a smaller portion of trunk and various branches from about 10" diameter up to about 18".  The main trunk is about 3 foot in diameter.

What I'd like to do with the wood is have it milled into 6"x1" planks to use for oak decking in the garden.  I know this is a bit extravagent and probably loads of you will tell me I should be building furniture out of it, but the reality is that there will be a lot of timber, I have limited storage to season the oak and there's only so much of it I'll be able to use!  Also, I do feel guilty about having the tree cut down, so I think it will be good to have something in the garden made from the tree to make it 'live on'.  I will want to use some of the wood to build furniture with too.

My questions are:

Have any of you done something similar with a tree?

What dimensions should I request from the tree - obviously I want a fair few 6"x1" planks, but I'll also want some thicker pieces to do other things with - is the best principle to get pieces as wide as you can at the thickness you want then just rip it to size once it's seasoned and you need to use it?

What's the best way to season the wood (it will be in my garden!)?

Is there a simple was to sell any of the Oak that I won't need - i guess ebay is a possibility, but not sure if anyone knows of any websites or contacts where people may want to buy green oak? (I live in Potters Bar, Herts).

Any tips / advice from anyone?

Thanks!

Gary

Ain't live a bitch ,I know a man who would of sold his granny for you're tree that is before you cut it in half

Like I said before, I KNOW I should be making furniture not decking, but...

1 - there's just TOO MUCH wood for me to use!
2 - I want something in the garden that represents the tree, and Oak decking would look stunning...
3 - it'll take too long to season all the wood to make furniture out of.

Splinter - I think the going rate for Granny's is about £100 (just ask Wayne Rooney) - I was hoping for a bit more than that for my lovely Oak tree!!

I personally like the idea of converting the tree into decking .I would cut the boards down to 3x1 for the decking boards ,this might make them more stable than 6x1 and you say you have some branches /off cuts ,well these wood be ideal for you're garden furniture.
I say go for it because it is not a thing most of us would normally be able to afford and if done right ,which I exspect it will be you will have created a fitting tribute to you're once mighty oak.Oh and the poshest decking in you're area

Scrit - thanks for the advice...

Do you think 1 - 1.5 years is suitable for wood to be used externally (per inch).  I was working on the basis that it would be 1-1.5 years for wood used for furniture inside - but hey, what do I know...!  If external timber will still take 1.5 years to season properly then the wife won't get her decking until the beginning on 2008 (not sure she'll be prepared to wait that long...!).  

I suspected that it would be difficult to sell because of the issue of it just being from my back garden rather than a reputable supplier, which takes me back to my original point that I need to do something with it that will use most of it up - ie decking!!  

Cheers

Gary

You have felled the tree at a time of year when there is a lot of sap/moisture in the wood, if it had been cut when the tree was dormant then you could reduce the drying time.

I think for 1" decking about a year will be OK, as Scrit says stack the boards with 1" sticks between layers and only cover the top, stack it in the shade not in sunlight.

While you are waiting for it to be cut, paint the ends with a couple of coats of paint, old household gloss will do to stop excess moisture loss from the endgrain.

If you want to get another quote for a mobile mill, try Scott timber who I get my green oak from or there are a number of mobile mills in the South East listed here , I've also used Charlie at Treespanner in the past

For any thicker boards get them cut straight through the tree to give you wide slabs, these can be cut up into usable widths once dry.

Jason

I'd have it cut through and through, in 30mm thick boards. These will be easier to dry, and stick, and are much more likely to remain straight.

If you have it milled into 6x1 planks then try to air dry it, you will almost certainly end up with a load of firewood.

I get some of my timber from a local farmer and he has had it all cut at about 30mm and it seem to work.

Know what you mean about larch, I did a queen post trussed roof in larch, smelled lovely while it was stacked in the workshop

Quarter sawn timber is more stable if the wood (tree) is straight grained, if this has grown in your garden it is unlikely to be so straight.

If the timber is professionally kiln dried and the wood is straight then quarter sawing it would be an option but if you are going to stick it in your garden and cover it with a tarp IMHO you would be better off sawing it through and through.

The extra thickness is because if you do want to clean the wood up after it has dried a 30mm board will give you a finished 25mm (approx). If you start with 25mm the wood will move more so to clean it up you may get down to 16-18mm which would probably not be much use to you.