Anyone tried fuming Oak?

I've fumed lots of white oak and English brown oak over the years but I never had any luck with red oak. Try it with a sample board first, preferably using blueprint ammonia (28%). Let it fume for at least a day and see if you get any of the characteristic graying (which turns rich brown when finished.) If  you decide to go for it, you'll have to make a big enough tent, probably using 6mil poly.

Let us know how it works out. If fuming doesn't work, you can always stain the table to the desired color. 
Ellis

Thanks Ellis.  I tried fuming some scraps with household ammonia and it worked fairly well.  I wet some similar scraps with strong tea and let them dry and fumed them and it worked much better.  I will continue playing.

Barry Irby wrote:

Thanks Ellis.  I tried fuming some scraps with household ammonia and it worked fairly well.  I wet some similar scraps with strong tea and let them dry and fumed them and it worked much better.  I will continue playing.

Love the idea of supplying your own tannin. That I will have to try sometime. Thanks!

Ellis

You can rust it black then finish with epoxy to fill all the grain.  Punters like easy to clean smooth glossy surfaces, all of which Red oak is a big fail at.  Funny how it looks great when cut with shaves as a green wood project.  

I was glad to see the end of the 80s when everything was open grain, tiger stripped (planer marks left in ) red oak, or whenever that was...

Or another option would be to look at the Brian Boggs catalog, and make some red oak chairs to go with maybe a cherry, or walnut table they would prefer.

If you go the epoxy route make sure it is good stuff, non-yellowing, chrystal clear.  After the waterfall tables, everyone is selling something, I wouldn't trust just anything.