Results 1 to 8 of 8

Thread: Wood ID: Oak, I think.

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Lake Burton, Northeast Georgia
    Posts
    150

    Wood ID: Oak, I think.

    What do you think this is, if you don't think it is oak?

    Screenshot 2018-03-05 at 5.23.44 PM.jpg

    My inventory of stored wood includes mostly maple, cherry, sycamore, box elder, oak and cedar. I believe this to be oak, based mainly on the rays and the color.

    Thanks.

    Robert

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Colorado Springs, Co.
    Posts
    98
    Looks like white oak to me.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Atikokan, Rainy River district, Ontario
    Posts
    3,540
    Yes Oak it is, probably a White Oak species for the long rays in the wood.
    Have fun and take care

  4. #4
    Looks like white oak to me. When you turned it, did it smell more like vinegar (red oak) or coconut (white oak)?

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    E TN, near Knoxville
    Posts
    12,298
    Quote Originally Posted by Prashun Patel View Post
    Looks like white oak to me. When you turned it, did it smell more like vinegar (red oak) or coconut (white oak)?
    You can look at the large pores too with a magnifier. White oak has abundant tyloses (sparkly-looking things in the pores). Some read oak species have some but I've never seen many.

    JKJ

  6. #6
    I know you aren't supposed to be able to tell white and red oak apart from the color, but it's usually a safe bet that darker brown = white oak and pink = red oak. Smell on the other hand has never really worked for me.

    Your piece also has some fungal or chemical discoloration of the sapwood which is common in oak.

  7. #7
    I am sure there are shades of grey to this, but we've analyzed red oak and white oak using mass spectroscopy and the butyric and acetic acid content are much higher in red oak than white oak, which is characterized by lactones and even vanilla compounds. It really shares a lot of volatile compounds with bourbon and whiskey. It is harder to smell on dry lumber, but fresh cut, once you learn to identify it, it's impossible to un-smell the difference.
    Last edited by Prashun Patel; 03-06-2018 at 3:11 PM.

  8. #8
    Lots of reasons I might be wrong about the smell---I usually avoid oak, white oak isn't common around here, and there are so many varieties of oak that it's hard to make generalizations.

    Still, to the best of my recollection, many red oaks don't smell much at all and some white oaks smell just like red oak. I will try to be more conscious of the smells in the future. Heh.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •