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Clicking any heading in the main data area (at right) will scroll the page back to this top position. Use the following links to jump to the associated section in the main data. 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 Moulding 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 Routing & Recessing Sanding Sapwood Color Scientific Name Screwing Staining Steam Bending Strength Properties Texture Trade Name Tree Size Turning Veneering Qualities Scientific Name Quercus michauxii Trade Name Swamp chestnut oak Family Name Fagaceae Common Names Cow oak, Cucharillo, Encino, Encino negro, Mamecillo, Oak, Roble, Roble amarillo, Roble colorado, Roble encino, Roblecito, Swamp chestnut oak, White oak Regions of Distribution North America Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP] 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 Rank of relative endangerment based on number of occurences globally. May be rare in some parts of its range, especially at the periphery Demonstrably widespread, abundant, and secure globally Data source is Nature Conservancy Distribution Overview This species occurs in Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Illinois, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia. The tree is usually found on moist sites including well-drained, sandy loam and silty clay flood plains along streams. It sometimes occurs in pure stands. Heartwood Color Brown Grey Pinkish tinge Varies from light tan or pale yellow brown to pale or dark brown Sapwood Color Brown White Grey Width varies Whitish to light brown Grain Figure Open Crotches, swirls and burls are occasionally present and plainswan boards have plumed or flare-grained appearance. The grain pattern is tighter, and figuring is usually lower in riftsawn lumber. Quartersawn material often has a flake pattern which are sometimes referred to as tiger rays or butterflies Rays are typically longer than red oak. Texture Coarse Medium to coarse Natural Durability Very durable Wood produced by members in the white oak group is highly regarded for its natural resistance against attack by decay fungi and other wood destroying organisms. Logs are highly vulnerable to attack by ambrosia beetles, and standing trees and logs are also readily attacked by forest longhorn or Butrespid beetles Odor Has an odor No specific smell or taste Kiln Schedules US=Upland T4-C2/T3-C1 US=Lowland T2-C1 Drying Defects Surface checks Ring failure Honeycombing possible Gray sapwood stain End checks Defects include:uneven moisture, chemical stains, iron stains, and are attributable to wetwood (usually in old growth) Collapse Ease of Drying Slowly Thick Stock Requires Care End-Coating Difficult Tree Size Tree height is 10-20 m Trunk diameter is 100-150 cm Product Sources Swamp chestnut oak is one of the members in the white oak group that are mixed and marketed together. White oak veneers are plentiful, and supplies of lumber are also abundant. Price of lumber is moderate, compared to other hardwoods. Blunting Effect Moderate dulling effect on cutting edges Boring Fairly difficult to very difficult Very good results Bored surfaces usually clean Bored surfaces are smooth Cutting Resistance Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult to saw Generally medium but is variable Cross-Cutting and narrow-bandsawing are satisfactory Gluing Satisfactory gluing properties Mortising Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult The material responds very well to mortising operations to produce clean surfaces Moulding Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Movement in Service Moderate dimensional stability after seasoning Medium Nailing Wood is heavy and hard Pre-boring required Planing Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Good planing properties A cutting angle of 20 degrees is recommended 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 Highly resistant to wear Good for flooring Resistance to Impregnation Resistant sapwood Resistant heartwood Sapwood is moderately resistant Heartwood is very difficult to treat High natural resistance to decay allows the heartwood to be used outdoors without chemical protection. Response to Hand Tools Softer wood produced by slow-growth white oak trees are reported to generally easier to work with hand tools Routing & Recessing Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Sanding Yields clean surfaces Responds very well to preservative treatment Screwing Generally good properties Turning Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Very good Easy to turn Veneering Qualities Selected white oak logs are converted into veneers. When quartered, white oak veneers exhibit a flaked figure, while the very popular straight line figure is prominent in rift cut veneer Steam Bending Highly regarded for steam bending properties Defect free material bends to very small radius of curvature Proper precautions should be taken to prevent chemical staining of steamed wood in contact with iron or steel. Staining Liquid from some finishing products, especially those with high water content such as bleach and water-based stains, react with tannins in white oak to turn the wood green or brown. Strength Properties Low stiffness Crushing strength = medium Bending strength (MOR) = medium Response to hand and machine tools in woodworking operations is reported to depend largely on the rate of growth of trees: slow grown trees are relatively easier to work. Wood from slow growing southern trees are comparably harder than the fast growing trees from the Appalachians. Numerical Data Item Green Dry English Bending Strength 9555 13622 psi Crushing Strength 559 1088 psi Hardness 1215 lbs Impact Strength 49 40 inches Maximum Crushing Strength 3469 7125 psi Shearing Strength 1950 psi Stiffness 1499 1735 1000 psi Work to Maximum Load 12 13 inch-lbs/in3 Specific Gravity 0.59 0.64 Radial Shrinkage 5 % Tangential Shrinkage 11 % Volumetric Shrinkage 16 % Item Green Dry Metric Bending Strength 671 957 kg/cm2 Crushing Strength 39 76 kg/cm2 Hardness 551 kg Impact Strength 124 101 cm Maximum Crushing Strength 243 500 kg/cm2 Shearing Strength 137 kg/cm2 Stiffness 105 121 1000 kg/cm2 Work to Maximum Load 0.84 0.91 cm-kg/cm3 Specific Gravity 0.59 0.64 Radial Shrinkage 5 % Tangential Shrinkage 11 % 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 Symbolism. 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. 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. USDA. 1987. Wood Handbook:Wood as an Engineering Material. Agriculture Handbook No. 72. United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Madison, Wisconsin. USDA. 1988. Dry Kiln Operators Manual, Preliminary Copy. Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin.