Another very nice example of your craftmanship. Thanks for sharing and setting the bar so high.
One characteristic that stands out to me in the photo is the central alignment of the red oak grain patterns. I believe this indicates your careful milling of the log to get the best visual (and structural?) effect from your lumber. This attention to detail is often overlooked and quite difficult to find with typical retail hardwood sources.
I have been tempted to start a thread on grain selection when purchasing hardwood lumber. The visual appeal is obvious as is stability but the interaction of run out and workability is a source of interest and frustration for me. I most frequently build with black cherry and the inconsistent runout makes hand planing difficult to impossible on the boards I have used since the longer boards have with grain and against grain sections. Any thoughts are appreciated.
Rustic? Well, no. That was not my intention!