Ok so this is likely a dumb question...........

We are building a house and I thought it would be cool to make our fireplace mantel out of a tree from our place.
I've got a good size Post Oak that's been on the ground for 6-9 months or so, and not sure how long it was dead before it went down.

1. What is the likelihood the tree is in good shape on the inside? I am going to cut it to approx length soon a cross-section would possibly answer that one.
2. Would Post Oak look nice once stained and finished?

I have some Live Oaks too I could use possibly, that would be large enough but they're not as straight, etc. If this one checks out I'll likely go ahead and mill all of it and use for a table top or other project. I do dabble in woodworking a bit.

Agrams, or anyone have advice? Thanks in advance.

Get it off the ground if you can, they rot quickly. Cut across grain, you'll be able to tell if it's a mantle piece of fireplace wood.

With it being Post Oak, my bet is you will find that the center has started to rot out. They tend to have a lot of hollows when they're alive and standing.

If the core is still intact, it will stay good for some time if wood boring beetles have left it alone. With my post oaks that die, the outer softwood decays quickly but the heartwood stays hard as a rock for several years inside. If it was a storm or wind fallen live tree, get it off the ground and out of the rain and let it dry a year or so. It'll season well.

A good friend that used to pull sinker logs says the key to preserving most logs is to get the root ball off ASAP. Supposedly they continue to draw in moisture even after its dead, causing it to rot much faster.

Hi just did this with a large cedar on a property we're developing in Fayette County.

I'm not an expert but i think the replies here are right, check it to ensure there's a solid core.

Depending on where you're located - find a mill. Everybody I talked to recommend putting in a kiln to kill any insects left and drying it out.

I'll post a pic as I actually picked it up yesterday. Good luck!

When we were building 5 years ago, I noticed a black walnut tree that was dead on our property. Had it cut down and sawed a couple of 7' logs from it. Hauled it to a custom sawmill in Comfort, TX and asked them to make a fireplace mantle from the best log. They did a great job. Kiln dried it for several weeks, then sanded and oiled it. Has lots of character and it's special because the wood came from our place. Think the mill charged me $950, but I'm betting it's gone up since then.

Thanks for all the good information fellas. Hope to get this going asap.

ETA wow that's a beautiful piece of wood Axan.