pin oak

[cody michael]

how does pi oak compare to other oaks such as red oak for lumbering and furniture etc.

[Gary Herrmann]

Pin oak is in the red oak family, not the white. Other than that, I can't tell you - never worked it specifically.

[Richard M. Wolfe]

There are two broad categories of oak, red oaks and white oaks (the live oak is sometimes put in white oaks and sometimes listed by itself) and as noted the pin oak is a red oak. The oaks that are not usually harvested for lumber are those that have a great deal of color variability or an abundance of knots, knots in oak usually undesireable. A good deal depends on the individual tree's makeup. If you are thinking of harvesting a tree if the cost is not too great even if the wood turns out not suitable for furniture it could still be used for other projects.

[cody michael]

is there some way to tell about knots before you cut into it?

[Richard M. Wolfe]

"is there some way to tell about knots before you cut into it?"

Knot that I know. :rolleyes: I did a little looking and found reference to studies on knot frequency and type but they were in pine or other softwoods. I've not cut a pin oak but think the name may come from an abundance of small knots, which are commonly known as pin knots. I know bur oak has them and they can form clusters of up to a half dozen. They are generally small enough that they do not present a structural weakness and can be used in projects as long as you don't object to the appearance. Large knots in oak may well be unsound.

[Jeff Willard]

is there some way to tell about knots before you cut into it?

If it has a lot of branches, it'll have a lot of knots. If it does knot (not, knot?) have a lot of branches, it won't have a lot of nots :confused:. Generally. I think.

[Andrew Long]

If it has a lot of branches, it'll have a lot of knots. If it does knot (not, knot?) have a lot of branches, it won't have a lot of nots :confused:. Generally. I think.

Yes, a good way to tell in most cases. I have several species of Oaks on my propperty, and some will have many smaller branches lower on the main trunk... these will yield less than desirable lumber for furniture building.

[Steve Clardy]

Pin oaks have nice lumber in the butt log.

When the branches start, which are many, that part of the log is pretty useless for lumber. Use that portion for turning blanks, firewood, etc.

[Danny Hamsley]

The bark on a log displays an indicator if there is a knot underneath unless the knot (old limb) was overgrown decades ago. The indicator can be a bump or a parenthesis shaped () slightly raised protrusion on the log. These are called knot scars and it is how you grade a log for quality. All 4 faces of the log are graded, and an actual visible knot (severed limb or branch) or a knot scar as described above lowers the grade on the log.

[James G. McQueen]

Pin Oak is in the red oak family. You may get lucky and get some nice material off the first log (butt log) but it has a tendency to knot up quickly. It generally grows in low lying areas of the bush or forest and very often has a very fowl smell. It makes good barn beams if it is sound.

[cody michael]

okay thanks. its not my property but i'm going to talk to the owner and see if we can work out something. thanks for your help

[Richard Gibson]

As Jeff noted, knots are the place on a tree where a branch grew. Makes no difference large or small, if it branches from the trunk, it will result in a knot. And this is true for ANY tree.

[Richard M. Wolfe]

Knots in wood are where a branch was. As trees grow they lose a lot of branches, but the underlying wood will still have a knot. The most common way branches are lost is by being shaded out in the growth process and the tree will naturally shed them. In a lot of species the center heartwood will have a lot of small knots from branches that were lost pretty early in its life. I would imagine pin knot groupings are from a cluster of stems that never became a major branch.

[Rob Diz]

Pin oaks grow very quickly, so the rings will not be very tight. Like others have said, you can tell what the lumber will look like by taking a look at the bark. With that said, pin oak gets its name from the "pin knots" that can be seen in the grain. The will be in the grain regardless of what you see.

I had a large pin oak blow down in my front yard a few years ago. I got two good butt logs - the first clearly better butt log yielded better boards. I air dried the boards and much of it was quite nice and usable. I made a trestle table for my daughter. She uses it every day as her "art" table.

Just be sure to sticker the lumber flat.

[J. Greg Jones]

It generally grows in low lying areas of the bush or forest and very often has a very fowl smell.

Amen to that. Some of the most expensive lumber I ever bought was 300 bf of pin oak that I bought for $1.00 per bf. Every time I worked with it, the shop had a putrid smell for days.

[Danny Hamsley]

Amen to that. Some of the most expensive lumber I ever bought was 300 bf of pin oak that I bought for $1.00 per bf. Every time I worked with it, the shop had a putrid smell for days.

Pin oak is subject to bacterial infection, and that is what causes the bad smell.

[harry strasil]

Pin Oak timbers after drying inside for 8 years.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/nu%20bench/nubnchmaterial01.jpg


Pin Oak Bench Apron.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/nu%20bench/Nubenchrebates001.jpg

Pin Oak Workbench, Old reclaimed Burr Oak ends, with one coat of Danish Oil.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/nu%20bench/coatedbench050809.jpg

This Pin Oak wood I think had one knot, and I didn't notice much smell when working it into a bench. And its rather tight grained, unlike red oak.