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Blunting Effect Boring Common Names Common Uses Countries of Distribution Cutting Resistance Distribution Overview Drying Defects Ease of Drying Environmental Profile Family Name Gluing Grain Heartwood Color Kiln Schedules Mortising Movement in Service Nailing Natural Durability Numerical Data Odor Planing Product Sources References Regions of Distribution Resistance to Abrasion Resistance to Impregnation Response to Hand Tools Sanding Sapwood Color Scientific Name Screwing Staining Steam Bending Strength Properties Texture Trade Name Tree Size Turning Veneering Qualities		Scientific Name Quercus bicolor Trade Name Swamp white oak Family Name Fagaceae Common Names Cucharillo, Encino, Encino negro, Mamecillo, Oak, Roble, Roble amarillo, Roble colorado, Roble encino, Roblecito, Swamp white Oak, White oak Regions of Distribution North America Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP] Canada, United States Common Uses Cooperages, Core Stock, Crossties, Decorative veneer, Domestic flooring, Factory flooring, Figured veneer, Flooring, Foundation posts, Fuelwood, Mine timbers, Parquet flooring, Pile-driver cushions, Piling, Plain veneer, Poles, Posts, Railroad ties, Stakes, Sub-flooring, Utility poles, Veneer Environmental Profile Abundant/Secure Widespread Rank of relative endangerment based on number of occurences globally. May be rare in some parts of its range, especially at the periphery Globally secure Data source is Nature Conservancy Abundant Distribution Overview Found in Ontario, Quebec, Alabama, Connecticut, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Delaware, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Tennessee Valley, Illinois, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. It usually grows in wet soils of lowlands, including stream borders, flood plains, and swamps that are subject to flooding. It is often found in mixed forests. Heartwood Color Black Brown Yellow Pink Pinkish tinge Color and grain variation among boards are considerable, but it is lesser than in red oak Varies in color from light tan or pale yellow brown to pale or dark brown. Sapwood Color White Brown Red Width varies Whitish to light brown Grain Even Open Longer rays than red oak. Quartered veneers are flake figured, while the very popular straight-line figure is prominent in rift-cut veneer Texture Medium Coarse Medium to coarse Natural Durability Perishable Very durable Heartwood highly resistant to decay Logs are susceptible to severe attack by ambrosia beetles, and standing trees and logs are also readily attacked by forest longhorn or Butrespid beetles Odor Has an odor No specific smell or taste Kiln Schedules US=Upland T4-C2/T3-C1 US=Lowland T2-C1 UK=C Drying Defects Checking Internal Honeycombing Possible Collapse Ring Shakes Discoloration Surface checks Ring failure Honeycombing possible Gray sapwood stain End checks Defects include:uneven moisture, chemical stains, iron stains, and are attributable to wetwood (usually in old growth) Collapse Ease of Drying Moderately Difficult to Difficult Dries slowly Tree Size Tree height is 10-20 m Tree height is 20-30 m Product Sources Various species in the white oak group are mixed and marketed together. Supplies are abundant, especially in the form of veneers, at moderate prices. Blunting Effect Moderate Moderate dulling effect on cutting edges Boring Very good to excellent results Fairly easy to very easy Very good results Bored surfaces usually clean Bored surfaces are smooth Cutting Resistance Easy to saw Cutting resistance is generally medium but is variable. Cross-cutting and narrow-bandsawing are satisfactory Gluing Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Sometimes difficult Satisfactory gluing properties Mortising Very Good to Excellent Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Very good mortising qualities Movement in Service Fair to Good Stability - Medium Movement Moderate dimensional stability after seasoning Medium Nailing Pre-Boring Recommended Wood is hard Pre-boring recommended Planing Fair to Good Results Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Fairly Easy to Very Easy Good planing properties A cutting angle of 20 degrees is recommended Machining characteristics of white oak timbers are reported to vary with species and rate of growth. Softer timber from slow-growth trees are generally easier to work Resistance to Abrasion High Highly resistant to wear Good for flooring Resistance to Impregnation Resistant sapwood Permeable sapwood Resistant heartwood Sapwood is moderately resistant Heartwood responds poorly to preservative treatment High natural resistance to decay allows the heartwood to be used outdoors without chemical protection. Response to Hand Tools Responds Readily Timber from slow-growth white oak trees are softer and are easier to work with hand tools Sanding Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Very Good to Excellent Results Responds well Screwing Fair to Good Results Good screwing properties Turning Very Good to Excellent Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Yields clean surfaces Responds very well to preservative treatment Veneering Qualities Veneers easily Steam Bending Very Good to Excellent Results Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Exceptional resistance to harmful effects of weather Defect free material bends to very small radius of curvature Proper precaustions should be taken to prevent chemical staining of steamed wood in contact with iron or steel Staining Fair to Good Results Reaction between tannins and liquid from some products, especially those with high water content such as bleach and water-based finishes, may turn the wood green or brown. Strength Properties Low stiffness Crushing strength = medium Bending strength (MOR) = medium Their machining properties are dictated by the rate of growth of the trees: trees that grow slowly tend to be relatively easier to work with hand and machine tools. Faster grown southern trees are reported to produce wood that is harder than wood from slower growing Appalachian trees. White oak is widely used for vats and casks for holding liquids such as wine and spirits because it is highly impermeable to liquids. Numerical Data Item Green Dry English Bending Strength 9996 17106 psi Crushing Strength 745 1166 psi Hardness 1588 lbs Impact Strength 49 48 inches Maximum Crushing Strength 4684 8193 psi Shearing Strength 1960 psi Static Bending 9338 psi Stiffness 1774 2008 1000 psi Work to Maximum Load 14 19 inch-lbs/in3 Specific Gravity 0.63 0.67 Weight 60 43 lbs/ft3 Radial Shrinkage 5 % Tangential Shrinkage 9 % Volumetric Shrinkage 16 % Item Green Dry Metric Bending Strength 702 1202 kg/cm2 Crushing Strength 52 81 kg/cm2 Hardness 720 kg Impact Strength 124 121 cm Maximum Crushing Strength 329 576 kg/cm2 Shearing Strength 137 kg/cm2 Static Bending 656 kg/cm2 Stiffness 124 141 1000 kg/cm2 Work to Maximum Load 0.98 1.33 cm-kg/cm3 Specific Gravity 0.63 0.67 Weight 961 689 kg/m3 Radial Shrinkage 5 % Tangential Shrinkage 9 % References Boone, R.S., C.J. Kozlik, P.J. Bois and E.M. Wengert. 1988. Dry Kiln Schedules for Commercial Woods: Temperate and Tropical. United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, General Technical Report FPL-GTR-57, Madison, Wisconsin. HMSO. 1981. Handbook of Hardwoods, 2nd Edition. Revised by R.H. Farmer. Department of the Environment, Building Research Establishment, Princes Risborough Laboratory, Princes Risborough, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. Kaiser, J. 1994. Wood of the Month: Oaks Loom in Designs, Folklore and Symbolisms. Wood and Wood Products, November, 1994. Page 52. Little, E.L. 1980. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees - Eastern Region. Published by Arthur A. Knopf, New York. NWFA. 1994. Wood Species Used in Flooring. Technical Publication No. A200. National Wood Flooring Association, Manchester, MO. Panshin, A.J. and C. deZeeuw. 1980. Textbook of Wood Technology, 4th Edition. McGraw-Hill Series in Forest Resources. McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York. Rendle, B.J. Editor. 1969. World Timbers, Volume Two - North & South America (Including Central America and the West Indies). Published by Ernest Benn Limited, Bouverie House, Fleet Street, London. USDA. 1987. Wood Handbook - Wood as an Engineering Material, Forest Service, Agriculture Handbook No. 72, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin. USDA. 1988. Dry Kiln Operators Manual, Preliminary Copy. Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin.