Hi, Neil
I use Oak and other hardwoods to make solid furniture. With the exception of plys for cupboard backs, man-made boards have no place in my workshop.
That’s the contentious bit out of the way, so let me say that I have used American Oak for years and it is generally of very good and consistent quality; straight lengths, good grain, fewer knot features etc. On the downside, grain colouring can be bland. In addition, it is readily obtainable. The kiln drying is consistent, and it shows minimal movement, even when brought into contact with central heating. It is not waney edged, so there is less waste, also there tends to be less sap wood attached.
In comparison, I have used English Oak and found it also very good but in general the quality can be less consistent and you have to be very careful in selection. Over the years I have come across everything from excellent quality to bloody awful fire wood.I used to insist on quarter sawn boards from an English source for drawer sides, but now I make my own from ripped 70mm stock joined (American).
Apart from the genus differences, I think that it is for two fundamental differences. English Oak on the market nowadays is mostly an open-space tree or grown in hedgerows. We lost our forests centuries ago. The very best is earmarked during growth and never gets to the market, going into conservation projects and the like. Consequently UK sourced stock can have lots of low branches and comparatively less straight trunk also it is not cropped in the same, intensive, way that American timber is and tends in some cases to be an opportunistic crop, either wind fall or land clearance. Oaks from municipal sources, parks, road verges etc. are trees usually cut down at the ends of their lives or when they are not wanted. They can be either immature, too old and diseased or riddled with sunken knots following years of pruning. In contrast American timber tends to be forest grown, yielding longer, straighter sections.
There are two Oaks for furniture from America you can get readily on the market in the UK, and they are different species and vary in their to work qualities. Both are quite hard physical work demanding very sharp tools. For most furniture I favour White Oak over the Red Oak. – but that’s my preference. The Americans have a drying standard and grading system for export timber that produces a consistent product at a competitive price, in addition (they claim) that they have a replanting policy that ensures sustainability. I’m not debating if the methods are better or worse, the Americans have more of it and can afford to harvest the crop differently, that’s all.
So, you must conclude that I am a big fan of American timber? Yes, but in reality all I want is good quality.
But, you pays your money…….. They’re both good and very usable. The most important things in my opinion are consistent drying and quality wood per board-length, and that goes for wood from any source.
Good luck
