{"id":1245,"date":"2016-02-10T04:00:32","date_gmt":"2016-02-10T08:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/?p=1245"},"modified":"2016-02-10T04:00:32","modified_gmt":"2016-02-10T08:00:32","slug":"white-oak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/white-oak\/","title":{"rendered":"White Oak"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
The wood most commonly known as White Oak is harvested from a tree known to botanists, foresters and other plant scientists as Quercus alba<\/em>. Q. alba<\/em> is native to the eastern parts of North America and occurs in a large range that stretches from as far north as southwestern Maine and extreme southern Quebec, west to southern Ontario, central Michigan, to southeastern Minnesota; south to western Iowa, eastern Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas; east to northern Florida and Georgia. Essentially between the Mississippi River and the eastern seaboard White Oak is at home. The tree is generally absent in the high Appalachians, in the Delta region of the lower Mississippi, and in the coastal areas of Texas and Louisiana. The west slopes of the Appalachian Mountains and the Ohio and central Mississippi River Valleys have optimum conditions for white oak, but the largest trees have been found in Delaware and Maryland on the Eastern Shore.<\/p>\n For the sake of clarity, it is important to note that much of the lumber sold as “White Oak” may in fact not actually be Q. alba<\/em> at all. Instead, the term “White Oak” refers to a large group of different species, up to at least 10 different species from different parts of the country, which share some important characteristics. The other common oak group is “Red Oak” and while there is an actual species commonly referred to as “Red Oak,” the Quercus rubra<\/em>, more often the term “Red Oak” refers to one of the at least 10 other species within that grouping.<\/p>\n Unlike in some other timber groups, in this case, which group the wood you are proposing to use can matter. The most commonly important distinction is that White Oak group woods are waterproof and can therefore be used for making casks, barrels, even ships, while the Red Oak group is not waterproof and water carrying, or water-borne, vessels made from it will leak. This distinction is especially important when considering the origins of the piece of Q. alba<\/em> that I used, which will become clear later.<\/p>\n For the sake of simplicity and common understanding I will refer to Q. alba<\/em> as White Oak from this point forward.<\/p>\n