I have some oak boards given to me that may be a mixture of red oak and white oak. I am an extreme newbie and dont fullunderstant what grain patters are and what they look like. What is the best way to determine what this wood is so I can segregate it?
cut a piece of oak 1"x1"x4" with the grin going the 4" direction.
take hit off a cigarette, joint, whatever.
put you lips around the end of the test piece and exhale.
If smoke comes out the other end it is red oak, not white. Seriously.
You really don't need smoke, but it's just a cooler illustration that way.
The cellular structure of red oak has open cells that pass through the grain like a straw. In white oak the cell structure is closed and you can not "blow" through it. Incidentally, it is this characteristic that makes red oak unsuitable for exterior applications. Capillary action will transmit water a bit too easily/far onto the end grain.
Red also has a peach or pinkish cast to its fresh-sawn color. I find white oak to be grayish..
I dont smoke nor desire too. Will the water trick mentioned previously work? You could actually cut a 1 inch by once inch piece and be able to suck water through the end of it if the other end was touching water?
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