Our American White Oak comes from a small geographical range with better colour consistency and fewer variations in grain. The unique way that our American White Oak is cut means that a much greater variety of grain orientations, including quarter sawn timber, as well as offering access to slightly wider than average widths. Carefully kilned and conditioned, our White Oak stands apart from the harshly processed material generally available, leading to greater dimension stability in service as well as easier machining.
Description
A favourite of eco-minded designers, American White Oak is a sustainable timber that grows naturally in hardwood forests across North America. Similar in colour and appearance to European oak, American White Oak has a pronounced and characterful figure. Despite what you might expect from its name, White Oak is generally a bit darker than its European cousin, with a great range of tones and colours. The grain is straight and attractive and the wood has a medium to coarse texture that can be brought to a fine finish.
Working Properties
White oak machines well but pre-boring is advised if nailing and screwing. The wood also naturally reacts to iron so stainless steel fixings are recommended. In all other respects it is similar to European timber, with mild grain and generally clean and straight lengths.
Physical Properties
The high density of American White Oak means it is a strong, hard, and heavy wood, with greater fibre strength than its European counterpart. While strong, White Oak has low stiffness and works very well with steam bending. Though drying is slow, dried White Oak has excellent dimensional stability and is therefore a preferred hardwood for internal joinery applications.
Durability
While both heartwood and sapwood are rated as extremely resistant and moderately resistant to preservative treatment respectively, American White Oak heartwood is naturally resistant to decay. However its vulnerability to humid conditions and atmospheric changes makes it more suitable for interior than exterior work.
