Chestnut Oak

[bjorn]

For all you oakster's out there:

I have been told that Chestnut Oak lumber has very little value because it is extremely unstable.  I can understand that to some degree, in that the tree doesn't tend to grow as straight and true as red or white.  But what about the Chestnut Oaks that do grow straight and true.  I have a significant number of these of good size.  My mill is coming in a few weeks.  What is the best use for this lumber?  

[Tom]

Bjorn,
I've been told the same thing.  I have Chestnut White Oak on my place that are as straight as an arrow.  I have sawed a few but hate to take them down because of the huge, double-thumbsized acorns that the deer, squirrels and other wildlife love.

What I have sawed has been stable and, although course, pretty wood.   It is a creamier sapwood than liveoak, a tinge of reddish brown in the heart where liveoak is gray, but saws a lot like live oak.  I don't think it saws quite as hard but it doesn't come apart too easily.  I have used the sapwood of some for mauls with good success.

I would suspect that it would make good flooring material.  I know it makes pretty furniture but the guys who build furniture out of the wood I saw don't like it.  They say it is too heavy.

Saw it right off of the stump and don't leave the boards in the open at all.  It will check quickly if the sun hits it.

[Ron Wenrich]

Chestnut oak gets sold along with white oak.  Really good chestnut oak will give much better yields than white oak.  There are no bud clusters like their often is in the true white oak.

Some of the nicest white oak I saw comes from chestnut oak that are growing on the better sites. It has straight grain, and not a blemish.

Stuff that grows in the rocks, usually doesn't have the quality.  It is also called rock oak.  Lower quality stuff goes into ties.

The place you could get in trouble is stave logs, where they specify white oak only.  They use them for making wiskey and wine barrels.  Rock oak would leak.

They did try to use rock oak as an alternative to white oak veneer back in the '70s.  It did not turn out to be a good alternative.

[Sawyerfortyish]

I agree with Ron I saw lots of itI mill mostly low grade and would prefer chestnut or rock oak over low grade red oak it saws out more solid.

[bjorn]

Well I sure look forward to sawing some.  I'll send pics once I get my mill.  I have lots of both the "Rock Oak", as well as nice straight Chestnut Oak.  Perhaps I'll dry some and make flooring out of it for the unfinished first floor of my house!  Thanks all for the input.