small wood gift...

10/22/04, 5:26 PM #1

Jonathan Ronnow, Sweden
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small wood gift...

Jonathan Ronnow, Sweden

>... so there I was helping one of the carpenters that are regular customers at our lumberyard/hardware store to bandsaw a 7 foot log of oak on our bandsaw. We split the log in half, and flatsawed one half into 2" planks, and rift?(90 degrees to the split cut) sawed the other half. The log was about 16" diameter...

Well, as we were done he pointed at the boards with vetrical grain and said "pick the one you want". Well I did. My first oak board! Feels nice, I wrapped the ends with shrink wrap, going to seal them and put it in the drying stack at my dads house soon.

Freshly sawn oak smells ugly....

Jr

Re: small wood gift...

10/23/04, 1:44 AM #2

Jack Guzman from Maine
Master Craftsman
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3,329 posts

Registered: 5/9/04

Re: small wood gift...

Jack Guzman from Maine

>What type of oak is that? I love the sweet smell of freshly cut red oak.---Jack

- - -

I am a carpenter by trade.Also a handyman/Jack -of-all-trades.I work around my neighborhood mostly helping people keep up their old houses.I have a fairly large woodworking shop in my house where I work with both hand and power tools. At the moment I'm focusing on Windsor chairs building.I will build most anything if needed. I'm always learning,adapting,changing trying to broaden my woodworking skills.I work mostly with hand tools in my shop but will use power if it is a better way to get the desired result. My wife,Donna,and I live in the woods of Maine with our dogs,cats,and birds. We have 5 grown kids and six grandchildren. Woodcentral has been central to my growth as a woodworker. I pass through this place every day.

Re: small wood gift...

10/23/04, 2:16 AM #3

Brad in Ottawa
Guest

Re: small wood gift...

Brad in Ottawa

>Funny, I was just about to post that I agreed about white oak having a less than desirable aroma.

I have a couple of nice boards of white oak that I can't stand the smell of. Until I read Jonathan's post I thought I might be the only one!

Brad

Re: small wood gift...

10/23/04, 2:31 PM #4

Jonathan Ronnow, Sweden
Guest

Re: small wood gift...

Jonathan Ronnow, Sweden

>I dont know the exact species, but the sap wood is creamy white, and the heartwood is medium brown with some darker streaks. Looks almost a little spalted, but I cant tell for sure. Its still sopping wet, just starting to dry on the surface. Its raining here so I expect it to start drying at a slow rate... which is good I suppose.

The smell? Like something starting to rot after taking a bath in vinegar.

Jonathan

Re: small wood gift...

10/23/04, 4:20 PM #5

Glenn Madsen
Guest

Re: small wood gift...

Glenn Madsen

>Some kinds of oak seem to smell that way. Varies by species and source. There are a whole range of oaks sold commercially as 'red oak', and they don't all have this characteristic smell.

I needed to make up a drawer front for a friend's project last evening, and noticed this same thing on running a blank across the table saw...

On the spalting... This same friend gave me a bunch of some kind of oak with a similar feel to it, only it had been air-dried for perhaps 10 years. I made some if it into a quilt display rack for my wife for Christmas last year. Simply wiped with linseed oil, then blonde shellac, and waxed. The colors are quite distinctive.

Don't be in a hurry to work with yours.

small wood gift...

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