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Rift and 1/4 Sawn White Oak
Quarter sawing results in a laid-back straight grain with dramatic medullar “flake” figure that commands attention in awesome projects. Rift cut lumber has it all, too: good looks, stability and strength.
Length: Not specified
Thickness: Hit and miss to 15/16 inches
- Common Name(s): White Oak
- Scientific Name: Quercus alba
- Distribution: Eastern United States
- Tree Size: 65-85 ft (20-25 m) tall, 3-4 ft (1-1.2 m) trunk diameter
- Average Dried Weight: 47.0 lbs/ft³ (755 kg/m³)
- Janka Hardness: 1,350 lbf (5,990 N)
- Crushing Strength: 7,370 lbf/in² (50.8 MPa)
Heartwood: Light to medium brown, commonly with an olive cast.
Sapwood: Paler, not always sharply demarcated from heartwood.
Grain: Straight with a coarse, uneven texture.
Texture: Coarse with a medium natural luster.
Rated as very durable and frequently used in boatbuilding and tight cooperage applications.
Produces good results with hand and machine tools. Has moderately high shrinkage values resulting in mediocre dimensional stability, especially in flatsawn boards. Can react with iron (particularly when wet) and cause staining and discoloration. Responds well to steam-bending. Glues, stains, and finishes well.
- Cabinetry
- Furniture
- Interior trim
- Flooring
- Boatbuilding
- Barrels
- Veneer
Strong, beautiful, rot-resistant, easy to work, and economical: White Oak represents an exceptional value to woodworkers. Its quartersawn sections display prominent ray fleck patterns, also referred to as tiger-rays, ray fleck, ray flakes, and fleck patterns. Quartersawn lumber is cut radially from the bark to the heart, producing ribbon figured patterns. Rift sawn White Oak is the most stable board, although it is the most wasteful to produce. It is known for its radial grain cut perpendicular to the growth rings of the tree.