All About Oak

I grew up surrounded by oak. Not oak trees, oak. My dad has an affinity for the wood, and it has taken me some time to get past the visions of honey stained oak with cathedral grain patterns - ala the 1970's -  that filled our house. Recently, I have come appreciate it's beauty and practicality. (And my dad has branched out to appreciate different woods.)

Red Oak, Quartersawn

Red Oak, Plainsawn

Red Oak, End Grain

Oak is a tough, strong wood. It is the workhorse of domestic woods, known for both it's strength and beauty. Oak's wide availability and low prices makes it suitable for a wide range of products. If you can make it out of wood, you can probably make it out of oak.

Craftsman style coffee table in oak.

The grain pattern of oak varies depending on how it is cut. Plainsawn wood gives you the flared "cathedral" grain, while quartersawn gives you a tight grain pattern with a flake pattern that is sometimes called tiger rays. Oak generally has a coarse texture with pronounced grain and color variation. It also has a high tannin content, making it a good candidate for the ebonizing process. Ebonization gives the wood a pitch black finish.

Oak is the most popular wood for furniture, followed by cherry, pine, mahogany, ash, pecan, hard maple, & walnut. It was the wood of choice during the Arts and Crafts movement, and is still used extensively in Craftsman and Mission style pieces.

To me, oak has more of an earthy feel than any other wood. That's in part because of it's color, but also because the grain pattern is so pronounced. Maybe that is what my father saw in it.