3” thick bench seat. Seems overkill to me.
As other are saying, pith wood is to be avoided. White oak, with it’s legendary ray fleck, is often quatersawn but, as I understand it, red is not as spectacular and flat sawing it is an option. The logs aren’t that big so you’ll get some wider boards if you go with flatsawing the logs. The boards near the pith will very likely cup quite a bit but you could cut them, then joint the edges and stick them back together to get flat boards that basically are one piece.
I would just air dry the wood unless you are confident you know of a good kiln that charges a fair price. It’s possible to knacker good wood if it isn’t kiln-dried properly.
-- Dwight - "Free legal advice available - contact Dewey, Cheetam & Howe""
