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Common
Name: |
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European Oak
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Botanical Name: |
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Quercus
Robur |
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Other Names: |
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European
Oak, English Brown Oak, Rovere, Quercia, Chene, Eicke, Eik |
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Species
Distribution: |
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Europe,
Parts of West Asia, and Northern Africa.
European Oak has also been imported to parts of the US and Canada. |
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Endangered?: |
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NO |
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Tree
Characteristics: |
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Trees tend
to grow in large stands with trunk diameters up to 6ft and heights of
50ft. Wide, long boards are commonly available. |
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Wood
Characteristics: |
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Straight,
long grain in trees cut from large stands. Quarter sawn European Oak
tends to have a silvery grain structure. The wood's texture is coarse
and characterized by open pores. Wood harvested from the northern
area's of the species distribution zone tends to be denser and tougher
while wood from the central regions tend to be straighter and more
uniform.. |
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Color: |
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Light brown
to a dark tan. Sapwood and heartwood have similar colors and grain
patterns. Sapwood tends to be lighter in color. |
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Workability: |
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Workability
is good. Denser woods may require sharper cutters. Reduced planing
angles are required for highly figured grain sections. Turning
properties are satisfactory. Steaming should be done at around 25%
moisture content. Green woods tends to rupture when bent. The wood
should be kept from metal fasteners while bending. |
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Finishing
Qualities: |
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Finishing
and gluing qualities are good. English Oak accepts a broad range of
finishes. |
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Durability: |
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The
heartwood is naturally resistant to decay however logs and green wood
may be susceptible to several boring beetle species. |
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Drying: |
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English Oak
tends to dry slowly and may degrade in the initial stages. Shrinkage
is high and cracks and warps may occur. A yellow stain that eventually
disappears is also common during drying. |
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Kiln
Schedules: |
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T3 - C2 (4/4); T1 - C1 (8/4) US
Schedule C (4/4) United Kingdom |
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Stability: |
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Seasoned
wood tends to have moderate movement during usage. |
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Uses: |
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Trees
stained by the "beef-steak" fungus are often converted into
highly figured veneers. |
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Comments: |
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Due to the
high cost of importing English Oak into the United States, domestic
species are often used in similar applications. The wood is also very
acidic and often causes corrosion with iron and steel. |
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Price: |
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High cost
when imported into the US. Moderate in Europe. |