Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Why Has Oak Furniture Been Popular For So Long?


It is hard to think of a timber that is more illustrious than oak. Oak is often used for furniture – it has been used throughout history because of its dense heavy structure and the attractive grain it has. Its properties of toughness and durability are prized and well known. What else do you know about oak?
The oak tree is a member of the genus Quercus. This genus is native to the northern hemisphere. There are broadly two type of oak the Red oak and the White oak, and there are over 400 different species. Red oak has a coarse grain and is darker in color than white oak. Red oak is often used for flooring, especially in the US. White oak is considered superior for furniture and cabinet making, as it has a finer grain, less porous, has a nicer color and is much stronger.
The grain of white oak is longer and has attractive silver flecks in it that are the result of medullary rays in the growing oak. The rays can be more clearly seen when the oak is quarter sawn. Quarter sawn oak has been prized since the Middle Ages and was used in the British House Of Commons, The rays are the pathways for the nutrients and can be clearly seen running across the grain and add to the character of the higher quality oak. There are many distinct grain patterns known as flake figures, fine lines, watery figure, pin stripes and leafy grains.
Oak contains a lot of tannin. Tannin gives a bitter aftertaste, helpful in the production of red wine; hence a lot of wine was stored in oak casks. Tannin also protects the oak against infestation of parasites and mould. Different species of oak give different characteristics for wine and many producers have to choose between American and French oak for the flavor they require.
Oak takes a long time to mature – anywhere from 15 -150 years,depending upon the type. Acorns will not appear until the oak is mature, but can take many more years to start growing. Oak was readily available across England and Europe for many years, but as consumption increased and the trees were not replanted it has become less common and more expensive. The quality of oak within a type will vary with the growing conditions. Oaks with the finest grain are usually those grown slowly on well drained soil. These slow grown oaks are the easiest to work with and are more stable in different levels of humidity. The US produces more oak than any other nation at present. Oak accounts for over a third of all hardwood produced in the US
Oak is a dense heavy wood, this makes it good for hand carving as you can get much more detail in a dense piece of wood. It is also very heavy, the old pieces were bulky and very heavy, more modern pieces are made of less wood, but can still be very heavy compared to woods such as pine. Green oak is easy to split making it simple to get the timber into pieces for seasoning. The qualities that oak has are amazing. Oak wood has hard open grain, it is strong, durable and heavy, white oak especially can retain its strength even when in moist conditions. Today many items are made with oak veneer which is applied over other timbers typically composite wood. Oak veneered furniture does not have the same characteristics and features as solid oak furniture, so be sure to choose the type of oak furniture correctly.
Today oak is still grown and prized as a hard wearing wood for furniture. Oak is used for all kinds of furniture from oak bedroom furniture to oak office furniture. There is much more to the oak than just great furniture and acorns! For more information visit Oak Furniture Guide