All ,
I know new woodworkers and some old ones who stay away from certain woods because they are known to be very hard and therefore must be hard to work with .
I am here to tell you to roll your sleeves up and enjoy the thrill of your woodworking career and try some White Oak or even Maple .
These last few years and the last few months I have had the pleasure of working White Oak , yup it is heavy , yup it can be hard and brittle in places but I am here to tell you I have never worked a wood that came out off the planer on edge so darn smooth and clean with almost no chip or tear out regardless of the direction fed .
Seems like most woods definitely machine better in one direction then the other , the White Oak seems to be able to go either direction on most boards .
Also White Oak take a finish beautifully it is so dense and closed grain you get a good build .
Just wanted to share these wonderful properties with you and encourage you to venture out and try woods that you have not used because they were too hard .
regards dusty , a box maker
Replies
dusty,
not to take your thread hostage or anything, but ya gotta love some good dry ash too.
eef
ASH is wonderful wood! AND then some!
edge so darn smooth
I’ve cut myself many times on an edge of a piece of white oak right off the table saw. I love the buttery smell of the wood when sawn and it’s got better working qualities and a tighter grain then red oak.
I agree, definitely!
DustyMc
I’ve cut myself many times on an edge of a piece of white oak right off the table saw.
Me too. It's amazing how sharp an edge it'll take.
Dusty & Barry,I usually wear gloves in the shop. They prevent a lot of cuts, slivers, and burns. Of course, there are times where gloves are a hazard.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com(soon to be http://www.flairwoodworks.com)
- Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
'Round here, we get white oak by leaving red oak out in the desert sun for a summer. Bleaches out quicker than a longhorn skull on a Sunday stroll up the Pecos. ;-)
Another un-sung domestic wood is beech. Kind of a marriage between the best qualities of oak and maple.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
hey hammer ,
Have you used any of the European Beech that is available ?
dusty
I haven't seen any around my area. I have a few tools made from it. Looks a lot like domestic beech.Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
Is anyone thinking what I'm thinking? That white oak is one of the heaviest substances on our planet? It is so heavy it has its own gravitational pull.
Back around Thanksgiving of last year I had to hang two 1-3/4 36x80 white oak doors (half lite) that I had ordered from a custom door shop. Because I was sticking them in existing openings there was a lot of lifting and hauling here and there for mortising the hinge gains and boring for the lockset.
Well sir, I'm still nursing the groin pull I got from that experience. No joke. I was able to cross country ski this winter all right, but once biking season broke a few weeks ago I'm really feeling it. I'm a slow healer, and this is going to take forever to get over. Especially because I won't give up the bike..
ZoltonIf you see a possum running around in here, kill it. It's not a pet. - Jackie Moon
Hi Zolton ,
Oddly enough I have noticed some boards are much heavier and some are much harder than others .
You want to talk heavy I went to go look at some Blood Wood for a client and I could barely lift a board no kidding .
I'm working some QS currently and it is a true dream , not perfect the only perfect wood must be Hollywood .
dusty,very
I love working with maple, but I am not a fan of oak. I don't find the cathedral grain or the rays in QS oak to be attractive. I know that many people love the look of mission and arts & crafts furniture but I rate the fumed finish as being ugly.
Frank, not meaning to be argumentative here, but the quartersawn oak will yield a relatively STRAIGHT grain--with ray flecks, rift sawn will yield a relatively STRAIGHT grain--without ray flecks, and the plain sawn board will yield the cathedral grain pattern. Not in all cases, but usually.
The look of the fumed oak is just a matter of taste. I for one dig it.
I understand all of the different grain patterns in oak, sorry if I wasn't clear.
Oh, I love that smell of oak.
Chris @ www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
(soon to be www.flairwoodworks.com)
- Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Being an A&C fan, I like white oak a lot too, and share your enthusiasm for the many great features of the wood. However, it does have one downside that you don't mention -- it has a tendency to sliver. Can't tell you how many times I've carefully milled a piece only to discover a sliver pulling lose from a corner, requiring either some judicious gluing or, if it's a bad one, re-making the part. I know a few WWers who won't use it because of that tendency. It certainly is a drawback for those who want to buy just enough wood for a particular project and no extra. ;-(
Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA
Now Mike ,
Some won't use Birdseye Maple because it pulls and rips and tears out .
Some don't like to work Myrtle Wood or Koa .
Some hate Fir (me) . Man look at all the fine things that would not get made if we only used the woods that were easier to tame , and that smelled good . Consider it a challenge to beat it at it's own game .
The WO machining qualities alone make up for some downfall here and there , so far the job I'm running now my waste factor will be under 10 % that's on QSWO 4/4 to 13/16" not sure if they graded it S&B or FAS but it is beautiful .
dusty
dusty,
Hope all is well for you.
I'll be working some WO very soon. Making a Hall Butler out of some boards I've had for over 10 years and oak plywood. Been following this and when I saw it smells like JD, well I got a nostalgia urge too.
When I turned 40 Jack and I had a B-Day party, he kinda put me lights out. Now that I'm a tea totaler (?) will take deep breaths while milling it. Will also be using some for the entry door too.
Spring's coming - the flies are thawing out!
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
I, too love White Oak. I heard all the bad things people had to say about it, and was worried when I started to work it. Gotta say, I have come to love the stuff.Joe
I love WO, too, for all the reasons previously given. I am especially fond of QS and riftsawn white oak.
Spring's coming - the flies are thawing out!
Yup! So is the dog poop.
Bob ,
Work has picked up for me and in general things have loosened a notch it seems . Some remodel and small scale activity locally still way off for most .
I don't get too excited over wood anymore but having a good long run of it on this kitchen , it has my attention .
So what about the Acorn ?
the door will be WO , the hall tree also , the Acorn needs to be special Walnut or Cherry would be my pick if they will work outside
dusty
dusty,
I've got some very special cherry, no walnut <Dang it> but I don't think cherry likes being outside, 'cept when it has bark around it. :-)
That's one of the reasons I chose WO. It's a pretty decent outside wood, i.e. it can take the elements. Maybe not as good as cedar or teak but I would guess it's at least comparable to cypress. Plus I want to try some carving with WO.
I'd like to make Lataxes' Unusual Bench with some matching chairs and table with the WO also. Also, I've got about 300 bf that's been sitting around waiting to be made into something.
Regards,
P.S. Oh yeah, and it's another Ethan Allen reject! FREE!Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Well, I didn't say don't use it! Just get an extra piece or two for when you encounter the inevitable slivering.
And, I think it's a good idea to point out, along with the good stuff, the potential problems one might encounter with any particular wood type so if you're new to it, you won't think you're doing something wrong.
In my case, I often just make solid legs out of 12/4 and don't worry about QS on all four sides. I'd guess I need to discard or repair maybe 1 out of 6 or 8 leg blanks due to slivering/splitting at the corners. Same thing often occurs in the field of larger panels. Everything looks good coming out of the planer and all of the sudden, you get one section right in the middle of the panel where slivering develops. It looks like once more through the machine will clear it up, but it only makes it worse.
Something about the grain structure in WO, I guess. One of the lumber dealers I use won't carry WO because of this problem. Me, I just roll with the flow. No species is perfect -- you just gotta understand how to deal with/work around the problems each one presents.
Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA
I have always noticed WO seemed to have more checks throughout in general .Maybe because it is so closed pore and hard .
I have noticed some of the chipping but not the slivering so much ,I thought it was inherent in most QS .
Each wood has it's own set of properties and characteristics for sure some are more pronounced then others .
A real problem is when we can only buy the few boards we need , chances are better when I can pick through and use the right board in the right place .
dusty
Mike Hennessy
Serious question what wood does NOT sliver?
Pulling your leg and serious at the same time!
Well, I regularly work with cherry, red oak, white oak, maple, walnut, pine & poplar. Sure, they all sliver now and again, but with WO, you can pretty much count on it. The others, pretty rarely. And it's not just small splinters like with the other species. It's like a section of the grain was just never attached to the section next to it. Wierd. See TTM's post a few posts down.
Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA
Being an A&C fan, I like white oak a lot too, and share your enthusiasm for the many great features of the wood. However, it does have one downside that you don't mention -- it has a tendency to sliver. Can't tell you how many times I've carefully milled a piece only to discover a sliver pulling lose from a corner, requiring either some judicious gluing or, if it's a bad one, re-making the part. I know a few WWers who won't use it because of that tendency. It certainly is a drawback for those who want to buy just enough wood for a particular project and no extra. ;-(
Yup, if it's ripped through a section of distinct cathedral grain making the grain run off the edge of the workpiece it can be downright dangerous due to splinters.
it has a tendency to sliver..
I use White Ash very often and it will do the same. Although the slivers are not usually very long and easy to fix.
"slivers are not usually very long and easy to fix"but hard to pull out, right? Ever get a fiberglass sliver? Ouch.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com(soon to be http://www.flairwoodworks.com)
- Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Ever get a fiberglass sliver? YES... MANY.. I was a kid in the 60's that did Hot Rods in fiber Glass? Or whatever we had at the time. Hurt ALOT but never died from one! I usually tried to SCRAPE them out with a razor blade! If not I had a really mean friend that would cut them out but I first darnk alot of Jack Daniels...
Dear Old Dusty,
I have had some customers that insist upon being "Green" so they don't want any pressure treated lumber used at their home so we use unseasoned white oak instead. The sawmill that provides it for me rough saws it, but I have found that it makes my life easier if I surface the material prior to installation. Whenever we run the oak through the planer, the shavings smell like Jack Daniels! Now I should preface that by mentiong that I have taken Twelve Steps back from alcohol, so perhaps it is nostalgia on my part, but to me............... its JD.
Best,
John
John ,
Ya know , there always has been something familiar about the smell ,
I think you hit it on the head or barrell .
dusty
Dusty,
I have to agree I love the feel, smell and look of WO either QS or FS it is for me the cats A$$ of wood for milling and building furniture. I would put Walnut and maple a 2nd and 3rd respectively. I spend most of my time in Mahogony and poplar so i love any chance i get to cut WO.. On top of it all, its fairly cheap around here I pay about a 1.30 a ft.
Mark Rhodes
Vinworx.com
Cool, everyone seems to like white oak. I've got some to give away, here it is:
View Image
It's that horizontal one in the middle going from right to left. The tree is about 28" in diameter at the base and 14' to the first limb. It's a pretty dangerous one though, hung up in a hickory tree and is about 10 feet off the ground at the little end. It's also on a steep hill and I'll be mad if you mess up the ceptic field you have to go through to get to it. There's also some red oak, hickory and southern yellow pine there. I've got about 20 trees down or that need to come down.
You can save these trees from the firewood pile, just bring your own helicopter. Hurricane Ike and our recent ice storm did a little damage here.
Larry,
Hope noone got hurt.
I'd winch it down somehow, most likely close to the low end, either side to side or straight back - with a LONG chain.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
If you can get to the crotch with a chain saw, you might consider cutting in about 1/3 of the way from the upper side down (but not far enough for the trunk to pinch the saw, and a foot or two up from there cut from under the down side When you get to a certain point, the weight of the tree will crack it loose. It will start to split back, but the split will only run to the top cut and it will drop free.Joe
White OAK.. Try some Ash sometime.. A wonderful wood.. And even Hichory!
I love QSWO... life is simple.. BTW.. I'm at a computer desk-hutch with solid at the moment. I intentionally made the base.. top.. hutch to break down as I don't have a crane to get it up-stairs intact when done. :>)
Sarge..
funny you should mention a crane , when I deliver the desk to it's new home we will remove the top until all is up stairs then refasten the top .
dusty
Mines 3 Dimentional.. desk base with cabinets.. desk top.. then hutch.. It will get moved up in 3 pieces as the joints will be cut for attachment in advance. Just assemble once it goes up.
Sarge..
Dusty, I just brought in a couple of hundred feet of QS WO that I cut up on my mill, which has been drying for a couple of years. All of the planks are over 12" wide, and 11' long. I guess I need to put on my thinking cap to figure out a creative way to use this stuff. Maybe if I start milling it, something will inspire me. I hope so, since I have a lot more of it out there ready to come inside too.
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