I just re-sawed a small log from a tree that came down during one of our hurricanes here in Florida. I have always been told that this type of tree is called a water oak. It is deciduous and I believe is native. They are all over.
The wood is beautifully spalted and lovely, but quite light in weight, and seems very soft. I can scratch it with my thumbnail. Not like any oak I have seen before.
Does anybody know anything more about this wood?
Thanks, Harvey
eclipsme wrote in news:rvO4g.32666$Kh5.28876 @bignews8.bellsouth.net:
There's a dozen or more very similar oaks that inhabit north Florida. All of them are evergreen (drop their old leaves in the spring after the new leaves come in). They grow pretty quickly. They differ from live oaks in not producing massive horizontal branches.
In my experience, Florida oaks produce very dense, heavy, hard to work wood. They're red oaks, not terribly durable, tend to smell awful when cut, and don't usually have attractive figure. They're good for pallets, and not too much else.
I'm guessing your wood has started to rot (which makes sense if it's spalted). Might be good for turning if you can stabilize it afterward.
John
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