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Color/Appearance: Has a light to medium brown color, though there can be a fair amount of variation in color. Conversely, Red Oaktends to be slightly redder, but is by no means a reliable method of determining the type of Oak.
Grain/Texture: Has medium-to-large pores and a fairly coarse grain.
Endgrain: Ring-porous; 2-4 rows of large, exclusively solitary earlywood pores, numerous small to very small latewood pores in radial arrangement; tyloses abundant; growth rings distinct; rays large and visible without lens; apotracheal parenchyma diffuse-in-aggregates (short lines between rays).
Rot Resistance: Bur Oak has been rated as having very good resistance to decay.
Workability: Easy to glue, and takes stain and finishes very well.
Odor: Has a tell-tale smell that is common to most oaks. Most find it appealing.
Allergies/Toxicity: Although severe reactions are quite uncommon, oak has been reported as a sensitizer.Usually most common reactions simply include eye and skin irritation, as well as asthma-like symptoms. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicityand Wood Dust Safetyfor more information.
Pricing/Availability: Slightly more expensive than Red Oak,White Oak is in good/sustainable supply and is moderately priced. Thicker 8/4 planks, or quartersawnboards are slightly more expensive per board foot.
Sustainability: This wood species is not listed in the CITES Appendices, and is reported by the IUCN as being a species of least concern.
Common Uses: Cabinetry, furniture, interior trim, flooring, boatbuilding, barrels, and veneer.
Comments: Bur Oak falls into the white oak group,and shares many of the same traits as White Oak (Quercus alba).White Oak, along with its brother Red Oak, are commonly used domestic lumber species. Hard, durable, and moderately priced, White Oak presents an exceptional value to woodworkers—which explains why it is so widely used in cabinet and furniture making.
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