Source for 12/4 White Oak

[ben searight]

Does anyone know of a source for reasonably priced 12/4 white oak? I've found a couple but they want like $12 per bf.

Thanks in advance.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Contact Scott T Smith - Friend of the Creek - great guy............he produces WO in northern NC, but I don't know about the 12/4. He's much more knowledgeable than I, however..................

12/4 is a toughie, AFAIK...losses due to splits/checks and the long kiln times make it very expensive to produce, relative to the other dims - plus very limited demand. Places where I get QSWO do not even offer it. If you are going for table legs [just a guess] you might have to laminate them from thinner stock........I always do that. For QSWO legs, I use the "5-piece" style of leg.

[Larry Edgerton]

LL Johnson, Charlotte Mi. 3" white oak KD
$8.20 @ the 100 bd ft level
$7.55 @ 500 Bd Ft level
and $6.96 @ 1000 bd. ft level

These buying levels are not necessarily in just one species/size. For example everything I buy is at the 1000 ft level because of the amount of wood I buy there.

Shipping would be the killer for you though. But now you have a reference.


Kent is correct on the difficulty of drying thick stock. I just dried a 1000 bd ft of ash, and all the 5/4 came out fine but the thicker stuff I tried was junk, should have cut it all 5/4. Of course, I don't really know what I am doing..........

Larry

[Brian Kent]

Just laminate 100 pieces of veneer!

[ben searight]

I would use laminted posts and I have, but they kind of stick out like a sore thumb. I need it for bed posts, if it were table legs it would be harder to see the lamination. I can't use the "5 piece because there is no cap on top of the post and the joints would show (Scott Smith actually suggested the same thing in another thread). I may have to bite the bullet and pony up the cash, or I could use my neighbor's suggestion and use PT 4x4's.

[Kent A Bathurst]

I would use laminted posts and I have, but they kind of stick out like a sore thumb. I need it for bed posts, if it were table legs it would be harder to see the lamination. I can't use the "5 piece because there is no cap on top of the post and the joints would show (Scott Smith actually suggested the same thing in another thread). I may have to bite the bullet and pony up the cash, or I could use my neighbor's suggestion and use PT 4x4's.

No-no-no-no-NOOOOOOO!!! You don't want to go anywhere near PT.......as it dries, it will warp, twist, check, split...........yikes.

How tall are the posts? I am assuming fairly short, since you would be able to see the top of hte post after you assemble the bed frame.

Try this - it has been discussed here a few times, but I have never personally tried it, because I use the 5-pc method so I get the QS grain on all the faces.

The math doesn't work well, because I never come across 6/4, but you might think of the correct dimensions..........

If you take a 6" wide board, and joint it and plane it, then you can rip it down the middle and fold it closed like shutting a book. The grain on the edge matches itself very well, and the joint won't stand out. If you do a decent jog of jointing and planing, there won't be a visible gap or glue line, either.

EDIT: Does it have to be WO?

[John TenEyck]

Personally, I wouldn't use QS on something that large because it will look dramatically different on adjacent faces; QS on one face and plain sawn next to it. I'd use rift sawn instead. All 4 faces will look just about the same. Plus, it will likely be cheaper. Just sayin.

[Rod Sheridan]

The OP didn't ask for quarter sawn material, he asked for white oak.

In that case there's no need to worry about matching face grain, he can laminate two pieces of 6 or 8/4.

If he does indeed want QSWO I would use a lock mitre joint and make a hollow post, or laminate and veneer the two side grains..........Rod.

[ben searight]

Apparently it wasn't obvious that I was kidding about the PT 4x4's. It does have to be WO but I don't think it has to QS, I have a whole stack of nice and wide QSWO sitting in my shop that I bought last month from Scott. I think he has some 8/4 but pretty much sticks to 4 and 5/4.

[Alan Lightstone]

I used lots of fellow creeker's suggestions and laminated 4/4 pieces, then cut two pieces of 1/8" veneer to cover the end grain sides. It hides very well, and I have four QS faces. These legs are 4" x 4", so effectively 16/4. I had no source I could find for that.


It was lots of work, but also a lot cheaper than purchasing 12/4.

Here's a picture of the initial glue-up. The veneer seams are barely noticeable.
219193


Once I chamfered the legs, they vanished:

219194

If I did it again, I would make the veneers more like 1/16", but the process worked, and looked great.

[steven c newman]

And to think, I have three, maybe 4, 4x6 beams laying on my shop floor, just tripping me up as I try to work. Came from an old garage that fell down. After I clean off the rotten, nail sick face, should be 4x4x6( maybe 8') white oak. Not sure what I am going to use them for, yet.

[Henry Ambrose]

I might be able to help you. I have some 2 year air dried WO that is probably thick enough. What are the finished part dimensions and how many parts? Send me a private message or post back here if you're interested.

[ben searight]

I need two pieces 3"x3"x 60" and two pieces 3"x3"x 50".

[Scott T Smith]

Hi Ben. The only 12/4 or thicker stock that I have right now was miled for a timberframe several years ago, and it's not what I would consider to be furniture grade lumber.

I have a scrap block of white oak that I can send you (no charge for the wood, just pay the shipping) that measures a little under 4" x 6" x 9", which with some crack filling would be suitable for end caps, if you're interested.

This would let you go the glue-up route with veneer on the sides, and the end caps would hide the glue lines on the top.

Send me an e-mail or give me a call if you'd like to go this route.

Thx.

Scott

219234

[steven c newman]

Maybe right... too long a drive up here. three 4x6x 7' white oak beams will just sit on the shop floor awhile longer. Just beams from an OLD garage that had fallen down.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Apparently it wasn't obvious that I was kidding about the PT 4x4's. It does have to be WO but I don't think it has to QS, I have a whole stack of nice and wide QSWO sitting in my shop that I bought last month from Scott. I think he has some 8/4 but pretty much sticks to 4 and 5/4.

Re: PT - Stranger things have happened . I didn't mean to sidetrack the discussion to QS - was simply 'splainin what, and why, I do what I do.

[Henry Ambrose]

Sorry, longest thick stock I have now will finish at about 55".