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American White Oak Furniture

American White Oak, Latin name Quercus alba, is a popular American hardwood with Furniture Manufacturers across the world.

Author: Sean Spurr

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As well as the more recently fashionable use as hardwood flooring, American Oak has been used for centuries for manufacture of cabinets, doors, panelling, kitchen and bedroom furniture, as well as more traditional uses for ship building, barrels and casks. Its popularity is well deserved: the grain is mostly straight and regular, giving an even effect through out the piece, as well as being easy to work for furniture makers, and its light colour enables it to be stained to the ideal tone for the furniture required.

Being a hard, heavy wood it is perhaps surprising that American Oak is low in stiffness and can be bent into shapes desired, most often by steam bending. This quality previously made the timber ideal for ship building, but today this is more used for architectural uses as well as luxury staircases.

American White Oak grows mainly in the Eastern United States of American and Canada, although can grow commercially as far West as Texas and Minnesota. The tree reaches a height of around sixty to eighty-five feet (twenty to twenty five meters), but the trees true size is its in branch spread which can grow as wide as it is height. Having a light grey bark gives it the name White Oak, along with the light brown timber.

One special property of White Oak, not found in its red cousin, is being impervious to water. This has made the timber ideal for shipbuilding and wine barrels, and now makes it useful for outdoor furniture. This is due to cellular structures named tyloses that make a structure without gaps for water to pass through.

Furniture manufactures mostly buy American White Oak as a square edged, rough sawn board which has been kiln dried before being exported from North America. It is sold usually in thicknesses of 1” to 3”, although thicknesses greater than this are available, and is available in a wide variety of widths and lengths. Widths are usually 4” to 9”, although 10” and wider is available at higher prices, while lengths can be as long as 14’ but 8’, 10’ and 12’ is more common.

Timber products made from American White Oak are also used: panels made from staves of American White Oak are sometimes used by furniture manufacturers, particularly for cabinets and doors, while blanks, often two part but matched grain, are used for staircase spindles and newels.

Furniture styles made from oak include dark stained regal designs, designed to emulate royal courts, to light unstained designs which give a natural feel. Table and chair sets are popular, as well as full-oak kitchens, beds and bedroom chests and wardrobes.

The only negative qualities associated with American White Oak are its reactions to non-galvanised ferrous metals, such as iron, can stain and corrode the timber. It is recommended that an alternative metal such as stainless steal or brass is used. The timber also is not ideal for gluing, although this is not impossible.

About Author

Niche Timbers is an established timber merchants in the United Kingdom that supply American Oak to furniture manufacturers and other trades. They also supply the rare Pippy Oak as well as Oak Panels and many other hardwoods and timber products. If you are looking for high quality hardwoods, look no further than Niche Timbers. You can contact them in the UK on 01924 371313.

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