Domestic White Oak – Quercus Alba
I have been cutting Quarter Sawn White Oak for over 40 years now, and things have drastically changed over the years. High quality domestic rift White Oak logs, large enough to quarter are very rare these days. There are virtually none left in the forests anymore.
They are found mostly on estates and in urban areas. The problem is, many of these logs have nails and metal in them, which discolors the wood and which is not usable. I do get a few every year but they demand the highest veneer price and more just to get them. These days, veneer logs are the only logs I buy. I have no choice.
My reputation has been built on having the best quality of old growth Rift & Qtrd White Oak in the country and it’s hard to keep enough inventory these days.
The logs worth the highest price are 30″ diameter and larger at the small end and clear of defects with good color. The big dimensions of the lumber you can get out of these large logs, people will pay the premium for.
Our Old Growth Quarter Sawn White Oak are available in
4/4, 5/4, 6/4, 8/4,10/4 & 12/4
These logs produce some very nice 12″ and wider, qtrd lumber that is all but non-existent today. I also keep all my logs together as a unit so it all can be book matched and matched in texture. A lot of my old growth lumber is used to match lumber in restoration projects in old turn of the century homes. The quality available today from production-sawn qtrd White Oak is fast grown, has no flake figure, has narrow boards, and is just not worth working with.
GRADES OF QTRD WHITE OAK
Click to enlarge photos below
SOME MORE THOUGHTS ON WHITE OAK
White Oak is arguably the most utilitarian wood in the world, It’s used for wine and whisky barrels, boats, timbers, paneling in government buildings, church pews and interiors, furniture and on and on. These days, I get more requests for rift than Qtrd. All the large orders are for Rift and the smaller orders are for the flake figure. Years ago, it was all for quarter sawn flake to be used in Mission Oak Furniture. I still get calls for the flake to used in restoration jobs to match old interiors. The old growth or tight grained logs give the most flake pattern in the lumber and the highest quality lumber.
Spessart Oak “Quercus Petrea” is the highest quality White Oak lumber in the world today. It is tight grained, light in weight, and easy to work with. In my opinion though, we had the best White Oak, “Quercus Alba” in the world right here in America before it was all cut down with no thought of tomorrow. I have worked with both and I know the difference. Trust me. Old Growth White Oak has been my life and Quercus Alba was and is the best we ever had until we over cut it. I still have a very limited supply in stock. Imagine what the virgin stands must have been like.
