Red oak

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Red oak

Photo and data from Forest World

Common Names

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Northern red oak
Red oak
Gray oak
American red oak
Canadian red oak

Common Uses

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Cabinetmaking
Musical instruments
Joinery
Furniture
Bedroom suites
Cabin construction
Canoes
Chairs
Chests
Desks
Dining-room furniture
Dowell pins
Dowells
Drawer sides
Fine furniture
Floor lamps
Hatracks
Living-room suites
Office furniture
Parquet flooring
Radio, stereo, TV cabinets
Rustic furniture
Stools
Tables
Wardrobes

Species Distribution

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REGIONS:

Eastern Europe

Mediterranean Sea Region

North America

Western Europe

COUNTRIES:

Austria

Canada

Czech Republic

France

Germany

Iran

Slovakia

United Kingdom

United States

Yugo

Physical and Environmental Profile

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Environmental Profile

Northern red oak is reported to be generally
widespread, abundant, and secure globally, although it may be
rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery
(Source - The Nature Conservancy - Rank of relative endangerment based primarily
on the number of occurrences of the species globally ).

Distribution

This species is reported to occur in
New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario,
Prince Edward Island, and Quebec, all in Canada.
 In the United States,
it is reported to grow in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware,
Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts,
Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi,
North Carolina, Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Iowa,
Illinois, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio,
Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee,
Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin, and West Virginia.  
The species usually forms pure stands and prefers moist, loamy, sandy, rocky,
and clay soils.
 Northern red oak is reported to be a popular shade and
street tree because of its dense foliage and good form.
 It is one of the most fast-growing oaks, is reported to regenerate easily,
can tolerate the climate in cities, and can endure cold weather.
 Red oak is also reported to be planted as an ornamental tree in Great Britain.

Product Sources

Some material from this species is reported to be available from sustainably
managed or other environmentally responsible sources.  

Northern red oak (Q. rubra ) and southern red oak (Q. falcata ) are
reported to be 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 reported to be 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 reported to be the most popular timber for furniture, followed by cherry, pine,
mahogany, ash, pecan, hard maple, and walnut.

Red oak is also reported to be a popular export to other countries,
and is one of the most popular American oaks used in Europe.

Tree Data

Northern red oak trees are reported to be typically smaller than White oaks (Q. alba ).
They reach a height of about 60 to 90 feet (18 to 27 m),
with a trunk diameter of 12 to 36 inches (30 to 90 cm).

Sapwood Color

The sapwood is whitish to grayish or pale reddish brown.

Heartwood Color

The heartwood is pinkish to light reddish brown or light brown.
The wood may also show a pronounced cast of flesh color.

Grain

The grain is usually straight and open.
Plainsawn lumber usually exhibits a plumed or flared grain appearance,
while riftsawn members show a tighter grain pattern and low figuring.
 Quartersawn red oak boards often have a flake pattern which is sometimes referred to as
tiger rays or butterflies.
 Grain and color variation is usually pronounced and is dependent upon the origin
of the wood and the growing season in that locality.
 Upland red oaks, which tend to grow more slowly,
generally have a more uniform grain pattern than lowland red oaks.

Texture

The texture depends upon the rate of growth of the tree.
Red oaks grown in the north are less coarse textured than the
faster-grown red oak from the southern states.
 Red oak rays are generally shorter,
narrower and darker in color than White oak rays.

Natural Durability

Red oak is reported to have little resistance to attack by decay
causing organisms and other wood destroying insects.

Resistance to Impregnation

The wood is reported to be resistant to preservative treatment.

Blunting Effect

Blunting effect on cutters is reported to be moderate.

Planing

Red oak is hard, but it is reported to respond readily to sharp tools
in planing to yield clean, smooth surfaces.
(Percent of perfectly planed pieces = 91).

Turning

Turning qualities are rated as good, and turned surfaces are generally clean.
(Number of fair to excellent pieces out of one hundred = 84).

Boring

Although it is ring porous, Red oak is reported to have good boring properties.
(Percent of bored pieces with fair to excellent results = 99).

Moulding

Moulding properties are reported to be very poor.
(Number of good to excellent pieces out of one hundred = 28).

Mortising

The material is reported to respond readily to mortising, with very good results.
(Percent of pieces with fair to excellent results = 95).

Gluing

The wood has satisfactory gluing qualities.

Nailing

The wood is heavy, and must be pre-bored.
(Percent of pieces free from complete splits = 66).

Screwing

Screwing characteristics are reported to be good, and the wood holds screws firmly.
(Percent of screwed pieces free from complete splits = 78).

Sanding

The wood is reported to sand readily to produce clean surfaces.
(Percent of pieces with good to excellent sanding results = 81).

Staining

The wood has good staining qualities.
Large pores tend to produce strong contrast in staining.
 Consistent use of a batch of either quarter sawn or flat sawn stock
for a given project is recommended since prominent rays
can render seams in edge-glued stock very obvious.
 A darker colored stain preceded by a light colored filler is reported to produce the 'lime' look,
and high tannin content allows the wood to be treated with
ammonia to yield a nearly black or 'Jacobean' finish.  

Steam Bending

The timber is reported to be often used for steam bending.
(Percent of unbroken steam bent pieces = 86).

Response to Hand Tools

The wood works well with hand tools,
as long as they are kept very sharp.

Strength Properties

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 reported to be comparable to white oak in strength,
and both are used in steam bending applications.
 Air-dry bending and crushing strengths are high.
 Hardness is rated as medium, and weight is high.
 Red oak is, however, is less decay resistant than white oak or European oak.
 Also, red oak acorns are reported to be more bitter in taste
than white oak acorns.

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Reference Sources

Numerical Data Source

USDA. 1987.
Wood Handbook:Wood as an Engineering Material.
Agriculture Handbook No. 72. United States Department of Agriculture,
Forest Service, Madison, Wisconsin.

Descriptive Data Source

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

Canadian Forestry Service. 1981.
 Canadian Woods - Their Properties and Uses.
Third Edition. E.J. Mullins and T.S. McKnight, Editors.
Published by University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Canada.

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.

Jackson, A. and D. Day.  1991.
 Good Wood Handbook - The Woodworker's Guide to Identifying,
Selecting and Using the Right Wood.
 Betterway Publications, Cincinnati, Ohio.

California Department of Forestry.
 Comparative Physical & Mechanical Properties of
Western & Eastern Hardwoods.
 Prepared by Forest Products Laboratory, University of California at Berkeley,
Berkeley, California.  n/d.

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.

USDA. 1988.
Dry Kiln Operators Manual, Preliminary Copy.
Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin.

Kaiser, J.
 Wood of the Month:  Red Oak - A Plentiful Species.
 Wood & Wood Products, December, 1992.  Page 50.

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 Wood Flooring.
 Technical Publication No. A200.
 National Wood Flooring Association, Manchester, MO.

Arno, J. 1988.
Quercus rubra - Northern red oak.
In A Guide to Useful Woods of the World. Flynn Jr., J.H., Editor.
King Philip Publishing Co., Portland, Maine. 1994. Page 309-310.

Record, S.J. and R.W. Hess. 1943.
Timbers of the New World.
Published on the Charles Lathrop Pack Foundation, Yale University Press,
New Haven CT.

Cypress Woodworks/2001

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