Assumed, Wood Working Properties & Specifications

 

Quercus spp.
Fagaceae

Oak

Worldwide, the oaks (Quercus spp.) consist of 275 to 500 species that can be separated into three groups based on their microanatomy: the live or evergreen oak group, the red oak group (Erythrobalanus), and the white oak group (Leucobalanus). Species within each group look alike microscopically. The word quercus is the classical Latin name of oaks, said to be derived from Celtic fine and tree.
The commercial North American species are as follows:
Red Oak Group (Erythrobalanus)

Quercus coccinea bastard oak, black oak, buck oak, oak, scarlet oak, Spanish oak, spotted oak
Quercus falcata American red oak, bottomland red oak, cherrybark oak, Elliott oak, red oak, Spanish oak, southern red oak, swamp red oak, swamp spanish oak, turkeyfoot oak, water oak
Quercus kelloggii black oak, California black oak, Kellogg oak, mountain black oak
Quercus laurifolia Darlington oak, diamond-leaf oak, laurel oak, laurel-leaf oak, swamp laurel oak, water oak, obtusa oak
Quercus nigra American red oak, blackjack, pin oak, possum oak, punk oak, red oak, spotted oak, water oak
Quercus nuttallii nuttall oak, pin oak, red oak, red river oak, striped oak
Quercus palustris pin oak, red oak, Spanish oak, Spanish swamp oak, Spanish water oak, swamp oak, swamp Spanish oak, water oak
Quercus phellos black oak, laurel oak, peach oak, pin oak, red oak, swamp willow oak, water oak, willow oak, willow swamp oak

White Oak Group (Leucobalanus)
Quercus alba American white oak, Arizona oak, Arizona white oak, forked-leaf white oak, Louisiana white oak, mantua oak, ridge white oak, stave oak, true white oak, West Virginia soft white oak, white oak
Quercus bicolor blue oak, cherry oak, curly swamp oak, swamp oak, swamp white oak, white oak
Live Oak Group
Quercus virginiana dwarf live oak, encino, live oak, rolfs oak, scrub live oak,
Virginia live oak, Virginia oak

Distribution: Widely distributed throughout the United States.

The Tree: Oaks can reach a height of 125 ft (38 m), with large diameters.

General Wood Characteristics: The sapwood of oak is white to very light brown, while the heartwood is light to dark brown in the white oak group and reddish brown in the red oak group. Oak wood has a course texture; it is heavy, straight-grained, hard, tough, very stiff, and strong. Fast-grown oak, with wide rings, is stronger and heavier than slow-grown oak.

Working Properties: Oak wood has good working properties. It machines and glues well and holds fasteners extremely well. It tends to split when nailed, unless predrilled. Oak finishes well, but shrinks considerably.

Durability: The oaks are rated with respect to resistance to heartwood decay as follows (98):
Very resistant bur oak, chestnut oak, Gambel oak, Oregon oak,
post oak and white oak
Moderately resistant swamp chestnut oak
Slightly to nonresistant black oak and red oak

Preservation: The heartwood of the white oak group is resistant to impregnation with preservatives, whereas that of the red oak group is more easily penetrated.

Uses: Ships, railroad crossties, timber bridges, tannin dyes, fuel wood, hardwood dimensions and flooring, furniture, veneer, plywood, barrels, kegs and casks (white oak group), truck and trailer beds, mining timbers, containers, pallets, caskets, boxes, paneling.

Toxicity: May cause allergic bronchial asthma, rhinitis, and dermatitis

 

 

 

 

 

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