source for bookmatched quartersawn white oak

[Ben Hatcher]

I want to replace a kitchen table top with quarter sawn white oak, and I'd really like to get bookmatched/sequential boards for the project. I'm having some problems finding a source for such a small volume. I'm in central Ohio. Any suggestions?

[Mel Fulks]

I wouldn't do too much qualifying over phone or email. If you can find anyone selling white oak,go look at it . Not unusual to see some quarter and rift grain in any stack of white oak. If you find it you can probably make good matches without something being sold as sequential. They might not let you look through it, but I would try. Much of what you see will be from same tree. Even if they charge a premium for letting you pick it it will likely be cheaper than buying something sold as "matched". Often they use the best logs for cutting the thick stuff,so consider buying 8 quarter and getting it resawed I ganranty those pieces will match. Good Luck.

[Bob Lang]

Frank Miller Lumber in Union City, Indiana is relatively close and they are the largest sawyer of QSWO in the USA. They have a retail outlet and will deliver within 100 miles. The bad news is on the bookmatched & sequential stock. Frank Miller uses a band saw mill and they cut two or three logs at the same time to keep things moving. The lumber gets all mixed up right off the saw. You can pick through what they have at the retail outlet and should be able to get reasonably matched material.

Sam Talarico in PA has premium stuff, and keeps track of what was next to what else in the log. Great material, but not cheap.

Bob Lang

[Tony Joyce]

Ben,
Contact Scott T. Smith, he's in North Carolina, but he specializes in QSWO. I'm sure he would do the book-matched, if he doesn't already have it. He's a member here on the creek. I know him personally he's a straight up guy.

Tony

[Ben Hatcher]

Bob,
I emailed Frank Miller last week, but haven't heard back. I imagine my 20 board feet isn't enough for them to worry about it. Perhaps a road trip is in order. I'd much rather pick my boards than buy something sight unseen.

I saw Talarico. As you say, looks like nice stuff, but also 4-5x more than the going rate. I guess it could be worth it. The table is for my grandparents...and I hope to inherit it one day so cost isn't as much of a factor.

Tony,
I went to Scott's site initially, but he has a 100 bdFt minimum order, which is many times more than I'd need.

[Danny Hamsley]

Scott Smith would likely have it, and he produces very high quality quartersawn white oak. I also have it, but I am in Georgia. You are not headed through Georgia anytime soon, are you?

Here is one of the two logs that the wood came from and one of the boards. The log was 34" on the small end at 21'. We cut it into two 10.5' logs.