Pin Oak - Page 2 - Woodworking Talk

dirtclod · 06-22-2008, 05:53 PM

We milled the top log today. It was very knotty. But it also layed flat while I through-and-through sawed the cant into 4/4 x 9.5" x 12'. The smell was borderline sickly sweet, allmost pleasent at times/close to a little smelly at others. It had wide nearly white sapwood with a well centered gray/black/reddish heart which made for a striking silhouette of an old tree trunk enbedded in each board. This was unlike other pin oak I've milled which looked like regular red oak only with wider growth rings and a smell that would make a skunk blush.

jeffreythree · 06-22-2008, 07:51 PM

Did it look a little like this pin oak. At least that is what I think it is based on twig id and the tree owner's memory.

dirtclod · 06-22-2008, 10:18 PM

The colors were different but I see simularities. The one on the left would be the cloest match. A closeup of the near end of it would help to confirm it. But yours looks like pin oak to me. Ours had a whiter/wider sapwood (probably due to its comparative youth/good growing conditions) and the heartwood was gray-green with some blacks, browns and reds mixed in. Ours had been laying on the ground in full sun since maybe December which may have affected the colors some.

**TexasTimbers** · 06-23-2008, 01:43 PM

If you want to see widely disparate colors in a single specie start cutting Pecan. You can cut 3 trees that look the same, then you can cut 3 more from the same area and they all three look different. And that's even making sure what you are cutting is Pecan. I have read where many millers get Pecan and Hickory confused. Once you knock the slabs off even the trained eye (me included) cannot tell the difference between hickory lumber and Pecan. You make the proper ID before you mill them.

Remember, Hickory nuts don't grow on Pecan trees, and Pecans don't grow on Hickory trees. Still, when a woodworker buys Pecan he is getting Hickory in most cases. Both genus's can have wide swings in color especially Pecan which is in the Hickory family. Also note, it is common and accepted practice for a hardwood supplier to sell Hickory as Pecan. I don't cotton to that but it has been done forever.

If you ever run across a Blackheart Pecan I want it. I haven't found one yet but I have a permanent open order for them. If you find one contact me. KaChing!

dirtclod · 06-23-2008, 07:01 PM

Oh you can't seem to get it on sticks fast enough in the heat.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TexasTimbers

Sometimes though, wood you would swear will not move will look like a boat keel the next day and wood you thought was going to fly away on it's own will be steady as she goes. If wood is anything it is not totally predictable . I've never cut into a Pin that didn't stink. So maybe the tension wood in a non-scented Pin Oak doesn't move.

Yeah Texas, just after we finished the pin oak we milled a small 16' hickory into 3- 3x8s. The pith-centered one behaved itself , the other two bowed about 3" per end. Good thing they are going to be used to support a loft. Some midspan manipulation should tame them.

I don't see pecans often but I'll keep my eye open for some black heart. Got some pictures?