Slab wood ID. Is this oak?

[Fred Wright]

Got several pieces of this stuff Saturday at the mill. Dunno what it is, looks like oak grain but haven't seen the dark curtain pattern in oak before. Feels too heavy for maple.

Thoughts?

 

[babybart]

Hickory?

 

[sunfish]

Does not look like Oak.

 

[Oldmaple]

Oak, probably white. Second picture (end grain) shows it being ring porous (typical of oak) rather than diffuse porous like hickory and maple.

 

[Jed1124]

swamp white oak

 

[Ikeholt]

Missing the rays for oak. Bark is a little thin, but I'd guess Ash.

 

[Wood Doctor]

Bark seems too coarse for ash. I would lean toward swamp white oak. Fabulous firewood when dry. The heartwood is so dense it might sink in water.

 

[TRTermite]

Oak, probably white. Second picture (end grain) shows it being ring porous (typical of oak) rather than diffuse porous like hickory and maple.

I agree I think this is a white oak or a similar species of what I term of the appalachian oak not a red oak as it is a bit light to be burr or chinquepin specie Just my 'PINION,

 

[TRTermite]

Missing the rays for oak. Bark is a little thin, but I'd guess Ash.

Are you referring to the tiger striping as "RAYS" you would find in Quarter sawn Lumber? The center pic sort of shows figure but the sap wood doesn't reveal as much and I think this log was medium size and to small for figure to stand out strongly.

 

[flotek]

The first picture sure looks like oak . It has that grainy texture look to it

 

[farmer steve]

going white oak Fred. the burr piece of limb is textbook WO. plus the grain in the last pic. sure wish we had the scratch and sniff other forums have.

 

[Circle B MN]

White oak

 

[hupte]

white oak or swamp white oak

 

[sunfish]

If it's White Oak, It's a different verity than the White Oak we have here.

 

[Wood Doctor]

If it White Oak, It's a different verity than the White Oak we have here.

In all, I have read that there are about 250 species of white oak and 350 species of red oak that have been identified worldwide. About one-third of them have been found at one time or another in the USA.

 

[sunfish]

In all, I have read that there are about 250 species of white oak and 350 species of red oak that have been identified worldwide. About one-third of them have been found at one time or another in the USA.

Yes, I know.

Looks more like Ash than Oak.

 

[Wood Doctor]

Yes, I know.

Looks more like Ash than Oak.

Well, here is a mature ash tree:

Bark seems a lot different than OP's slab bark, but there are also several ash varieties. Usually ash does not reveal heartwood that is much darker than the sapwood. I've ripped 14" wide ash that has a uniform light color all the way across. IF OP has a good nose, he can tell the difference between oak and ash by the smell, perhaps better than we can here.

 

[lone wolf]

Hickory?

You serious I cant tell?

 

[Fred Wright]

Thanks, folks.

The wood didn't have much aroma at all when I picked it up. Perhaps because it had been rained on the night before. Now that it's dried somewhat I can smell it, it does smell like oak. Walk outside when the breeze is right, it's definitely noticeable.

This is my first with white oak. All I've ever worked up was red. I can spot red oak but this stuff kinda had me baffled. There was no shortage of it out there.

 

[Wood Doctor]

Thanks, folks.

The wood didn't have much aroma at all when I picked it up. Perhaps because it had been rained on the night before. Now that it's dried somewhat I can smell it, it does smell like oak. Walk outside when the breeze is right, it's definitely noticeable.

This is my first with white oak. All I've ever worked up was red. I can spot red oak but this stuff kinda had me baffled. There was no shortage of it out there.

View attachment 479834

I used to be able to get all the slab wood I wanted from the local saw mill and use it for making firewood logs. That usually included both red oak, white oak, ash, maple, etc. That supply died when the mill started selling wood chips for landscaping mulch. All the slabs from logs are now being run through a huge barrel shredder/chipper and then color dyed. That's the way it is these days.