European Oak

European Oak’s heartwood is light tan to biscuit coloured, usually straight-grained, but irregular or cross-grained material can occur depending on growth conditions. Characteristic silver grain figure on quartered surfaces due to broad rays. British and Baltic oaks are tough and hard, weighing 720 kg/m³ (45 lb/ft³), but the Volhynian oak of south east Poland, and even milder oak from Yugoslavia known as Slavonian oak weights 670 kg/m³ (42 lb/ft³); specific gravity from .67 to .72 according to type.

For furniture and cabinetmaking, Slavonian, Volhynian and Spessart (German) oaks are preferredEnglish oak is best for boat building, dock and harbour work, sea defences, railway wagons, ladder rungs, sills, thresholds, and for all purposes of exposure in contact with the groundHigh-class joinery, coffins, ecclesiastical work such as pews, rood screens pulpits, and carvingFlooring, vehicle body bearers and floors in trucksOak is rotary cut for plywood manufacture and sliced for very attractive “silver grain” and “raindrop” figured oak veneers for panels and cabinets

For more information on European Oak talk to Whitmore's Timber Co Ltd