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Blunting Effect
Boring
Common Names
Common Uses
Countries of Distribution
Cutting Resistance
Distribution Overview
Drying Defects
Ease of Drying
Environmental Profile
Family Name
Gluing
Grain
Heartwood Color
Kiln Schedules
Mortising
Movement in Service
Nailing
Natural Durability
Numerical Data
Odor
Planing
Product Sources
References
Regions of Distribution
Resistance to Abrasion
Resistance to Impregnation
Response to Hand Tools
Sanding
Sapwood Color
Scientific Name
Screwing
Staining
Steam Bending
Strength Properties
Texture
Trade Name
Tree Size
Turning
Veneering Qualities
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Common Names
Cucharillo, Encino, Encino negro, Mamecillo, Oak, Roble, Roble amarillo, Roble colorado, Roble encino, Roblecito, Swamp white Oak, White oak
Regions of Distribution
North America
Countries of Distribution
[VIEW MAP]
Canada, United States
Common Uses
Cooperages, Core Stock, Crossties, Decorative veneer, Domestic flooring, Factory flooring, Figured veneer, Flooring, Foundation posts, Fuelwood, Mine timbers, Parquet flooring, Pile-driver cushions, Piling, Plain veneer, Poles, Posts, Railroad ties, Stakes, Sub-flooring, Utility poles, Veneer
Environmental Profile
| Abundant/Secure |
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| Widespread |
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| Rank of relative endangerment based on number of occurences globally. |
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| May be rare in some parts of its range, especially at the periphery |
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| Globally secure |
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| Data source is Nature Conservancy |
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| Abundant |
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Distribution Overview
Found in Ontario, Quebec, Alabama, Connecticut, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Delaware, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Tennessee Valley, Illinois, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. It usually grows in wet soils of lowlands, including stream borders, flood plains, and swamps that are subject to flooding. It is often found in mixed forests.
Heartwood Color
| Black |
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| Brown |
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| Yellow |
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| Pink |
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| Pinkish tinge |
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Color and grain variation among boards are considerable, but it is lesser than in red oak
Varies in color from light tan or pale yellow brown to pale or dark brown.
Sapwood Color
| White |
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| Brown |
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| Red |
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| Width varies |
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| Whitish to light brown |
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Grain
Longer rays than red oak. Quartered veneers are flake figured, while the very popular straight-line figure is prominent in rift-cut veneer
Texture
| Medium |
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| Coarse |
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| Medium to coarse |
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Natural Durability
| Perishable |
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| Very durable |
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| Heartwood highly resistant to decay |
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Logs are susceptible to severe attack by ambrosia beetles, and standing trees and logs are also readily attacked by forest longhorn or Butrespid beetles
Odor
| Has an odor |
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| No specific smell or taste |
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Kiln Schedules
| US=Upland T4-C2/T3-C1 |
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| US=Lowland T2-C1 |
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| UK=C |
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Drying Defects
| Checking |
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| Internal Honeycombing Possible |
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| Collapse |
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| Ring Shakes |
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| Discoloration |
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| Surface checks |
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| Ring failure |
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| Honeycombing possible |
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| Gray sapwood stain |
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| End checks |
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| Defects include:uneven moisture, chemical stains, iron stains, and are attributable to wetwood (usually in old growth) |
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| Collapse |
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Ease of Drying
| Moderately Difficult to Difficult |
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| Dries slowly |
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Tree Size
| Tree height is 10-20 m |
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| Tree height is 20-30 m |
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Product Sources
Various species in the white oak group are mixed and marketed together. Supplies are abundant, especially in the form of veneers, at moderate prices.
Blunting Effect
| Moderate |
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| Moderate dulling effect on cutting edges |
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Boring
| Very good to excellent results |
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| Fairly easy to very easy |
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| Very good results |
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| Bored surfaces usually clean |
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| Bored surfaces are smooth |
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Cutting Resistance
Cutting resistance is generally medium but is variable. Cross-cutting and narrow-bandsawing are satisfactory
Gluing
| Fair to Good Results |
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| Fairly Easy to Very Easy |
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| Sometimes difficult |
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| Satisfactory gluing properties |
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Mortising
| Very Good to Excellent Results |
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| Fairly Easy to Very Easy |
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| Very good mortising qualities |
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Movement in Service
| Fair to Good Stability - Medium Movement |
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| Moderate dimensional stability after seasoning |
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| Medium |
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Nailing
| Pre-Boring Recommended |
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| Wood is hard |
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| Pre-boring recommended |
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Planing
| Fair to Good Results |
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| Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult |
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| Fairly Easy to Very Easy |
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| Good planing properties |
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| A cutting angle of 20 degrees is recommended |
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Machining characteristics of white oak timbers are reported to vary with species and rate of growth. Softer timber from slow-growth trees are generally easier to work
Resistance to Abrasion
| High |
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| Highly resistant to wear |
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| Good for flooring |
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Resistance to Impregnation
| Resistant sapwood |
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| Permeable sapwood |
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| Resistant heartwood |
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| Sapwood is moderately resistant |
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| Heartwood responds poorly to preservative treatment |
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High natural resistance to decay allows the heartwood to be used outdoors without chemical protection.
Response to Hand Tools
Timber from slow-growth white oak trees are softer and are easier to work with hand tools
Sanding
| Fair to Good Results |
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| Fairly Easy to Very Easy |
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| Very Good to Excellent Results |
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| Responds well |
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Screwing
| Fair to Good Results |
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| Good screwing properties |
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Turning
| Very Good to Excellent Results |
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| Fairly Easy to Very Easy |
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| Yields clean surfaces |
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| Responds very well to preservative treatment |
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Veneering Qualities
Steam Bending
| Very Good to Excellent Results |
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| Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult |
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| Exceptional resistance to harmful effects of weather |
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| Defect free material bends to very small radius of curvature |
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Proper precaustions should be taken to prevent chemical staining of steamed wood in contact with iron or steel
Staining
Reaction between tannins and liquid from some products, especially those with high water content such as bleach and water-based finishes, may turn the wood green or brown.
Strength Properties
| Low stiffness |
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| Crushing strength = medium |
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| Bending strength (MOR) = medium |
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Their machining properties are dictated by the rate of growth of the trees: trees that grow slowly tend to be relatively easier to work with hand and machine tools. Faster grown southern trees are reported to produce wood that is harder than wood from slower growing Appalachian trees. White oak is widely used for vats and casks for holding liquids such as wine and spirits because it is highly impermeable to liquids.
Numerical Data
| Item | Green | Dry | English |
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| Bending Strength | 9996 | 17106 | psi |
| Crushing Strength | 745 | 1166 | psi |
| Hardness | | 1588 | lbs |
| Impact Strength | 49 | 48 | inches |
| Maximum Crushing Strength | 4684 | 8193 | psi |
| Shearing Strength | | 1960 | psi |
| Static Bending | | 9338 | psi |
| Stiffness | 1774 | 2008 | 1000 psi |
| Work to Maximum Load | 14 | 19 | inch-lbs/in3 |
| Specific Gravity | 0.63 | 0.67 | |
| Weight | 60 | 43 | lbs/ft3 |
| Radial Shrinkage | 5 | | % |
| Tangential Shrinkage | 9 | | % |
| Volumetric Shrinkage | 16 | | % |
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| Item | Green | Dry | Metric |
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| Bending Strength | 702 | 1202 | kg/cm2 |
| Crushing Strength | 52 | 81 | kg/cm2 |
| Hardness | | 720 | kg |
| Impact Strength | 124 | 121 | cm |
| Maximum Crushing Strength | 329 | 576 | kg/cm2 |
| Shearing Strength | | 137 | kg/cm2 |
| Static Bending | | 656 | kg/cm2 |
| Stiffness | 124 | 141 | 1000 kg/cm2 |
| Work to Maximum Load | 0.98 | 1.33 | cm-kg/cm3 |
| Specific Gravity | 0.63 | 0.67 | |
| Weight | 961 | 689 | kg/m3 |
| Radial Shrinkage | 5 | | % |
| Tangential Shrinkage | 9 | | % |
References
Boone, R.S., C.J. Kozlik, P.J. Bois and E.M. Wengert. 1988. Dry Kiln Schedules for Commercial Woods: Temperate and Tropical. United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, General Technical Report FPL-GTR-57, Madison, Wisconsin.
HMSO. 1981. Handbook of Hardwoods, 2nd Edition. Revised by R.H. Farmer. Department of the Environment, Building Research Establishment, Princes Risborough Laboratory, Princes Risborough, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.
Kaiser, J. 1994. Wood of the Month: Oaks Loom in Designs, Folklore and Symbolisms. Wood and Wood Products, November, 1994. Page 52.
Little, E.L. 1980. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees - Eastern Region. Published by Arthur A. Knopf, New York.
NWFA. 1994. Wood Species Used in Flooring. Technical Publication No. A200. National Wood Flooring Association, Manchester, MO.
Panshin, A.J. and C. deZeeuw. 1980. Textbook of Wood Technology, 4th Edition. McGraw-Hill Series in Forest Resources. McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York.
Rendle, B.J. Editor. 1969. World Timbers, Volume Two - North & South America (Including Central America and the West Indies). Published by Ernest Benn Limited, Bouverie House, Fleet Street, London.
USDA. 1987. Wood Handbook - Wood as an Engineering Material, Forest Service, Agriculture Handbook No. 72, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin.
USDA. 1988. Dry Kiln Operators Manual, Preliminary Copy. Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin.
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