Northern red oak (Quercus rubra)
Family: Fagaceae
Common names: American red oak, Black oak, Canadian red oak, Gray oak, Northern red oak, Red oak, Southern red oak
Distributed in: Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Iran, Slovakia, United Kingdom, United States, Yugoslavia (Eastern Europe, Mediterranean Sea Region, North America, Western Europe)
Common uses: Agricultural implements, Bedroom suites, Boat building (general), Boat building, Boxes and crates, Building construction, Building materials, Cabin construction, Cabinetmaking, Canoes, Chairs, Chests, Concealed parts (Furniture), Construction, Cooperages, Desks, Dining-room furniture, Domestic flooring, Dowell pins, Dowells, Drawer sides, Drum sticks, Excelsior, Factory construction, Factory flooring, Fine furniture, Floor lamps, Flooring, Fuelwood, Furniture , Furniture components, Furniture squares or stock, Furniture, Handles: general, Hatracks, Heavy construction, Joinery, Kitchen cabinets, Lifeboats, Living-room suites, Millwork, Mine timbers, Musical instruments , Office furniture, Organ pipes, Parquet flooring, Piano keys, Pianos , Plywood, Posts, Pulp/Paper products, Railroad ties, Shipbuilding, Vehicle parts, Veneer
Product sources: Northern red oak (Q. rubra) and southern red oak (Q. falcata) are the primary sources of commercial American red oak, but their timber is often mixed and marketed together with that produced by other members in the red oak group without distinction. Supplies of red oak are plentiful, and the species is considered to be one of the most commonly available domestic hardwoods in the US. Oak in general, and particularly red oak, is the most popular timber for furniture, followed by cherry, pine, mahogany, ash, pecan, hard maple, and walnut.Red oak is also a popular export to other countries, and is one of the most popular American oaks used in Europe.
Environment profile: Rank of relative endangerment based on number of occurences globally.
Tree size: Tree height is 10-20 m
Colors: the heart isReddish brown, Yellowand the sapwoodWhite to yellow, Whitish to grayish brown .The grain isStraight, the textureUniform
Natural durability: Non durable, Perishable
Odor: No specific smell or taste
Kiln Schedules: US=Upland T4-D2/T3-D1
Drying Defects: Ring failure, Slight surface checking
Ease of Drying: Thick Stock Requires Care
Blunting Effect: Moderate dulling effect on cutting edges
Boring: Fairly difficult to very difficult
Carving: Very Good to Excellent Results
Cutting Resistance: Easy to saw
Gluing: Satisfactory gluing properties
Mortising: Responds readily to mortising
Moulding: Very poor (25+% of pieces will yield good to excellent )
Movement in Service: Very poor (25+% of pieces will yield good to excellent )
Nailing: Pre-boring required, Wood is heavy and hard
Planing: Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult
Resistance to Impregnation: Resistant sapwood
Response to hand tools: Works well with hand tools
Routing recessing: Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult
Sanding: Yields clean surfaces
Veneering qualities: There is slight to moderate drying degrade and the potential for buckles and splits, Veneers easily
Steam bending: Very good
Screwing: Pre-boring recommended, Screwing yields good results; Turning: Very Good to Excellent Results
Polishing: Very Good to Excellent; Staining: Very Good to Excellent;
- Numerical data Metric
- Numerical data English
- Strength properties
- References
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Item |
Green |
Dry |
Metric |
Specific Gravity |
0,56 |
0,62 |
|
Density |
|
689 |
kg/m3 |
Bending Strength |
609 |
965 |
kg/cm2 |
Crushing Strength |
47 |
78 |
kg/cm2 |
Hardness |
|
522 |
kg |
Impact Strength |
134 |
119 |
cm |
Shearing Strength |
|
122 |
kg/cm2 |
Stiffness |
100 |
119 |
1000 kg/cm2 |
Tangential Shrinkage |
8 |
|
% |
Radial Shrinkage |
3 |
|
% |
Weight |
753 |
673 |
kg/m3 |
Maximum Load |
0,91 |
1,05 |
cm-kg/cm3 |
Toughness |
|
541 |
cm-kg |
Static Bending |
289 |
571 |
kg/cm2 |
|
| | | | Item | Green | Dry | English | Bending Strength | 8672 | 13730 | psi | Crushing Strength | 681 | 1117 | psi | Density | | 43 | lbs/ft3 | Hardness | | 1152 | lbs | Impact Strength | 53 | 47 | inches | Maximum Crushing Strength | 3933 | 6804 | psi | Shearing Strength | | 1738 | psi | Static Bending | 4116 | 8134 | psi | Stiffness | 1430 | 1701 | 1000 psi | Toughness | | 470 | inch-lbs | Work to Maximum Load | 13 | 15 | inch-lbs/in3 | Specific Gravity | 0.56 | 0.62 | | Weight | 47 | 42 | lbs/ft3 | Radial Shrinkage | 3 | | % | Tangential Shrinkage | 8 | | % | Volumetric Shrinkage | 13 | | % | |
Weight = high Hardness = medium Crushing strength = high Bending strength (MOR) = high
Anatomical differences which correspond to important botanical differences in the trees allow oaks to be separated into two main classes, red and white. Red oaks are found mainly in eastern Canada and the United States. They are made up of several very similar species which include American red oak or Northern red oak (Q. rubra ); Southern red oak (Q. falcata ); Spanish oak, Swamp red oak, or Cherrybark oak (also Q. falcata ); Shumard oak or Pin oak (Q. palustris ); Nuttal oak (Q. nuttallii ); Scarlet oak (Q. coccinea ); Canyon live oak (Q. chrysolepis ); and sometimes Black oak (Q. velutina ). Red oak is regarded as one of the most beautiful woods to work with because of its grain pattern and character. Smaller rays give the timber a plainer figure than white oak, and its open pores make it less water-tight. Red oak is comparable to white oak in strength, and both are used in steam bending applications. Red oak is, however, less decay resistant than white oak or European oak. Also, red oak acorns are more bitter in taste than white oak acorns.
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