I bought some Euro Oak boards K.D. from Yandels yesterday, I was keen to get each board to match in terms of colour and figure. Today I started to rough cut some of the boards and found that one was considerably lighter than the rest. The only difference to look at is the heaver boards have much more contrast in the dark and light areas in the end grain. The heavy boards are 1.4 times more heavy and are much harder to machine. The light board is not sap wood as the colour is quite dark and the same as the others. Any clues as to why.
Wood Density
- Thread starter newt
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Sgian Dubh
Established Member
There could be a host of reasons, newt. Certainly it's a board from a different tree. The most likely explanation is that the light board came from a combination of some of the following reasons, or perhaps all of them. It is a different oak type, grown in a quite different climate, or different soil conditions to those experienced by the trees that provided the other planks. The term European oak covers a multitude of sins. Taxonomists can't even agree on how many oaks variants there are in the world, but it's generally agreed that there are between 250 and 450.
Oaks are notorious for cross fertilising and hybridising backwards and forwards. Quercus robur European oak (aka English oak if it's grown in the UK) is a pedunculate oak and will cross breed freely with Sessile oak Quercus patraea. A peduncle is a stalk and sessile means without a stalk. In fact, quite distantly related oaks are notorious for cross breeding freely, which explains in many ways oaks huge success as a species. It's a mongrel species that's adaptable through it's lack of genetic specialism and has an ability to cope with vastly different conditions from very hot to very cold, for instance.
Just yesterday I was adding some information to a text I'm working on about timber technology and, in this case, I was writing about this specific subject. I'd spotted two oaks growing side by side, but they were obviously different. One had most of the characteristics of the classic European oak, even down to the auricles found at the base of the dull green roughly round lobed leaves, yet the acorns were sessile-- they should have been pedunculate. So is the tree a Quercus robur or not? I think it's likely a Quercus robur cross with a Sessile oak.
The tree next door was obviously an oak, but it had sawtooth edged rather slender leaves with a shiny waxiness about them. The branches of this tree tended to hang down towards the ground more than the other tree which had the classic English oak look of branches twisting off at crazy angles. I was reminded almost of the evergreen Live oaks (Quercus virginiana) seen in south-eastern USA with Spanish moss hanging off the branches. I'm pretty sure this second oak is not an evergreen oak but that it's a white oak of some sort as is the first tree.
The point I'm getting to is that if both trees were harvested for their timber they'd probably be processed at the same time and the planks would get mixed up into one big pile with a load of other oaks. As timber they'd have many of the classical white oak features such as the prominent radial figuring seen in radially sawn boards, but their weight per cubic foot could be quite different, and there might be quite subtle but fairly obvious variations in the grain, the density, the colour, etc..
That's probably a lot more useless drivel than you wanted to read, ha, ha. Slainte.
Oaks are notorious for cross fertilising and hybridising backwards and forwards. Quercus robur European oak (aka English oak if it's grown in the UK) is a pedunculate oak and will cross breed freely with Sessile oak Quercus patraea. A peduncle is a stalk and sessile means without a stalk. In fact, quite distantly related oaks are notorious for cross breeding freely, which explains in many ways oaks huge success as a species. It's a mongrel species that's adaptable through it's lack of genetic specialism and has an ability to cope with vastly different conditions from very hot to very cold, for instance.
Just yesterday I was adding some information to a text I'm working on about timber technology and, in this case, I was writing about this specific subject. I'd spotted two oaks growing side by side, but they were obviously different. One had most of the characteristics of the classic European oak, even down to the auricles found at the base of the dull green roughly round lobed leaves, yet the acorns were sessile-- they should have been pedunculate. So is the tree a Quercus robur or not? I think it's likely a Quercus robur cross with a Sessile oak.
The tree next door was obviously an oak, but it had sawtooth edged rather slender leaves with a shiny waxiness about them. The branches of this tree tended to hang down towards the ground more than the other tree which had the classic English oak look of branches twisting off at crazy angles. I was reminded almost of the evergreen Live oaks (Quercus virginiana) seen in south-eastern USA with Spanish moss hanging off the branches. I'm pretty sure this second oak is not an evergreen oak but that it's a white oak of some sort as is the first tree.
The point I'm getting to is that if both trees were harvested for their timber they'd probably be processed at the same time and the planks would get mixed up into one big pile with a load of other oaks. As timber they'd have many of the classical white oak features such as the prominent radial figuring seen in radially sawn boards, but their weight per cubic foot could be quite different, and there might be quite subtle but fairly obvious variations in the grain, the density, the colour, etc..
That's probably a lot more useless drivel than you wanted to read, ha, ha. Slainte.
Newbie_Neil
Established Member
Scott":3he8apns said:
Yes, I thought so too.
Cheers
Neil
Nigel
Established Member
Me too
I found it very interesting, never thought of an Oak as a mongrel
although I don't think my dog will change his habit when he meets one
Thanks for taking the time to write that all out
Nigel
I found it very interesting, never thought of an Oak as a mongrel
although I don't think my dog will change his habit when he meets one
Thanks for taking the time to write that all out
Nigel
Sgian Dubh
Established Member
If someone has to be stuffed full with oddball, esoteric and probably mostly useless information, it may as well be me guys.
However, I must admit that timber technology, the study of trees, the wood that comes from them, and how we woodworkers use the stuff is one of my pet subjects, so I'm happy that someone got something out of my post.
You're just lucky I didn't let fly with the complete chapter and verse on the oak species, ha, ha-- ha, ha, ha. Slainte.
However, I must admit that timber technology, the study of trees, the wood that comes from them, and how we woodworkers use the stuff is one of my pet subjects, so I'm happy that someone got something out of my post.
You're just lucky I didn't let fly with the complete chapter and verse on the oak species, ha, ha-- ha, ha, ha. Slainte.
Sgian Dubh
Thanks for the info which I found very interesting, what surprised me with the different density wood, was that the colour was exactly the same only the end grain showed a greater contrast on the heavy example.
Thanks for the info which I found very interesting, what surprised me with the different density wood, was that the colour was exactly the same only the end grain showed a greater contrast on the heavy example.
Alf
Established Member
Yeah, t'was interesting indeed. Ta muchly. I can take any amount of info on the actual material we use - on the principle of "know your enemy"... :wink:
Cheers, Alf
Cheers, Alf
Paul Chapman
Established Member
Excellent read - makes me realise how little I know about wood :? I'm sure more stuff like that would be very welcome :wink:
Paul
Paul
Sgian Dubh
Established Member
Well Paul, the text I'm working on is intended for eventual publication, so you never know. I haven't tried to find a publisher yet, but I'm busy spewing out words. Slainte.
Paul Chapman
Established Member
Sgian Dubh":f5ymgy4b said:
That's good news. Do let us know if it gets into print :wink:
Paul
