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Blunting Effect
Boring
Comments
Common Names
Common Uses
Countries of Distribution
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 Impregnation
Response to Hand Tools
Sanding
Sapwood Color
Scientific Name
Screwing
Staining
Steam Bending
Texture
Trade Name
Tree Size
Turning

Scientific Name
Quercus chrysolepis

Trade Name
Canyon live oak

Family Name
Fagaceae

Common Names
Canyon live oak, Canyon oak, Goldcup oak

Regions of Distribution
North America

Countries of Distribution [VIEW MAP]
United States

Common Uses
Farm vehicles, Wheels

Environmental Profile

Status has not been officially assessed

Distribution Overview
Canyon live oak occurs from south-western Oregon, south through the Coastal Ranges and Sierra Nevada to southern California. It is also found in localized areas in western Nevada and in western and central Arizona. The tree usually grows in pure stands and mixed forests in canyons and sandy, gravelly, and rocky slopes. It grows at elevations of 1000 to 6500 feet (305 to 1981 m) in most areas, and at 5500 to 7500 feet (1676 to 2286 m) in Arizona.

Heartwood Color

Brown

Red

Purple

Pink

Pinkish to light reddish brown or light brown. The wood may also show a pronounced cast of flesh color

Sapwood Color

Brown

White

Pink

Red

Grey

Whitish to grayish brown

Pink to pale reddish brown

Grain

Even

Usually straight

Open because of the porous nature of the wood. Plainsawn red oak lumber usually has a plumed or flared grain appearance, while riftsawn boards exhibit a tighter grain pattern and low figuring. Quartersawn red oak boards often have a flaked pattern which is sometimes referred to as tiger rays or butterflies, although the figure is not as prominent as in the white oaks. Variation in color and grain is often pronounced and is dependent upon the origin of the wood and prevailing growing conditions. Red oaks from upland areas tend to grow more slowly, and generally have a more uniform grain pattern than lowland red oaks

Texture
Texture is largely dependent upon growth rate. Slow growing Red oak from the north parts of its range are often generally less coarse-textured than their faster-grown counterparts from the southern states

Natural Durability

Heartwood has low natural resistance to decay and wood destroying organisms

It is inferior to white oak with respect to this property

Odor

Has an odor

No specific smell or taste

Kiln Schedules

US=T3-B1

Drying Defects

Internal Honeycombing Possible

Ring Shakes

Collapse

Discoloration

Ring failure

Honeycombing possible

Defects include:uneven moisture, chemical stains, iron stains, and are attributable to wetwood (usually in old growth)

Defects found in both upland and lowland red oak
Upland red oak is also prone to collapse

Ease of Drying

Moderately Difficult to Difficult

End coating is recommended to prevent excessive checking

Difficult

Since shrinkage tends to be above average piles should be weighted down during air-seasoning to prevent degrade, especially in members in the upper layers

Tree Size

Tree height is 10-20 m

Tree height is 20-30 m

Considered to be the most beautiful of the California oaks, this evergreen tree is reported to produce a short trunk, with large spreading, horizontal branches, and a broad, rounded crown

Product Sources
Although the primary sources of commercial American red oak are northern red oak (Q. rubra) and southern red oak (Q. falcata), various species in the red oak class are mixed and marketed together without distinction. Supplies of red oak are plentiful, and the species is one of the most commonly available domestic hardwoods. Oak in general, and particularly red oak, dominates as the most popular timber for furniture, followed by cherry, pine, mahogany, ash, pecan, hard maple, and walnut.

Red oak is also a popular export to other countries, and is one of the most popular American oaks used in Europe.

Comments
Oaks are classified into two main groups: red oaks and white oaks, although members within each group may be similar, they do not have the same characteristics and may differ significantly. The Red oak group is plentiful in eastern Canada and the United States. The name Red oak is used in reference to several similar oaks which include American red oak or Northern red oak (Q. rubra ), Southern red oak, Spanish oak, Swamp red oak, or Cherrybark oak (Q. falcata ), Shumard oak, Pin oak (Q. palustris ), Nuttal oak (Q. nuttallii ), Scarlet oak (Q. coccinea ), Canyon live oak (Q. chrysolepis ), and sometimes Black oak (Q. velutina ). Red oaks are often described as beautiful because of grain pattern and character. They tend to be plainer in appearance than white oaks because of their smaller rays, and they are not as water-tight as white oaks due to their open pores. The two groups are comparable in strength, and they are both used in steam bending applications. Red oaks tend to be less resistant to decay than white oaks or European oaks. Also, red oak acorns are reported to taste more bitter than white oak acorns

Blunting Effect

Moderate

Moderate dulling effect on cutting edges

Boring

Fairly easy to very easy

Very good to excellent results

Very good results

Bored surfaces usually clean

Gluing

Fair to Good Results

Fairly Easy to Very Easy

Satisfactory gluing properties

Mortising

Very Good to Excellent Results

Fairly Easy to Very Easy

Mortising is very easy

Mortise finishing is very good

Movement in Service

Fair to Good Stability - Medium Movement

Moderate dimensional stability after seasoning

Medium

Nailing

Fair to Good Results

Very Good to Excellent Results

Pre-boring recommended

Planing

Fairly Easy to Very Easy

Very Good to Excellent Results

Fair to Good Results

Response to machining operations is reasonable, despite the hardness of red oaks

Resistance to Impregnation

Resistant sapwood

Resistant heartwood

Response to preservative treatment is reported to range from moderate to easy.

Response to Hand Tools

Responds Readily

Easy to Work

Works well with hand tools

Sanding

Responds very well to preservative treatment

Screwing

Fair to Good Results

Fairly Easy to Very Easy

Good screwing properties

Turning

Very Good to Excellent Results

Fairly Easy to Very Easy

Very good

Steam Bending

Very Good to Excellent Results

Fairly Easy to Very Easy

Red oak timbers are commonly used in steam bending applications

Staining

Very Good to Excellent Results

Open grain allows great flexibilty in the selection of finishes for red oaks. A darker stain preceded by a light filler is reported to produce the popular lime appearance. The wood can also be treated with ammonia to produce an almost black 'Jacobean' finish because of the high tannin content. Ray pattern on quarter-sawn boards can also yield a truly unique look.

Tip: To avoid conspicuous differences in stained, edge-glued members, separate quarter-sawn and flat-sawn boards and use one consistently for a given project

Numerical Data

Item	Green	Dry	English

References
S.J. and R.W. Hess. 1943. Timbers of the New World. Published on the Charles Lathrop Pack Foundation, Yale University Press, New Haven CT.

Little, E.L. 1980. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees - Western Region. Published by Arthur A. Knopf, New York.

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