• Beware of Counterfeit Woodturning Tools (click here for details)
  • Johnathan Silwones is starting a new AAW chapter, Southern Alleghenies Woodturners, in Johnstown, PA. (click here for details)
  • Congratulations to Paul May for "Checkerboard (ver 3.0)" being selected as Turning of the Week for March 25, 2024 (click here for details)
  • Welcome new registering member. Your username must be your real First and Last name (for example: John Doe). "Screen names" and "handles" are not allowed and your registration will be deleted if you don't use your real name. Also, do not use all caps nor all lower case.
White Oak bowl. 7.5”h x 5.5”d
Michael Anderson

White Oak bowl. 7.5”h x 5.5”d

Concave profile White Oak bowl from a log that had been neglected in my backyard for a few years. I oriented the blank so the growth rings and the medullary rays would radiate upward. Thin at the rim and gradually thicker toward the flared base for a nice weight balance and stability.
Oak shows perpendicular grain lines....one of few woods that do show.
 
I prefer my bottoms not to be so flat. I roll the edges which help to lift the form a little.
Noted. I usually do as well. This time I wanted the base to flare into the ground, and rolling it over would interrupt that. It’s hard to see in the photo, but I did flatten the edge (about 0.5mm) to reduced the sharpness.
 
Are you sure about the "White Oak"?
I have worked extensively with both red and white oaks turned or flat work and the color and texture of the grain looks to me to be red oak and relatively slow growing for your neck of the woods. The radial rays are typical in both red and white oak but in quarter sawn boards the rays are and will show up much larger. If you could see the leaves the red oaks have pointed loebs and on white have rounded loebs
 
Are you sure about the "White Oak"?
It's interesting you say that. When I was cutting up the log, I initially thought it was a red oak species based on the slight reddish tint in the fresh wood. So, that's what I labeled it as. However, when I started working it, I took a closer look at the end grain, and was surprised to see nearly all closed pores:

aYcrTKy.jpeg


I took the gallery photos right after applying the finish, but I think I should have waited a few days. The color has browned significantly, and now looks a bit more characteristic of white oak species. (see the following photo). I'm sure over the next several days/weeks, the color will darken even more.

EavT14k.jpeg


I do have a few blanks that are quartersawn, though they still have a chainsaw surface. In the following photo you can see pretty darned large rays showing, even with the rough surface. I'm pretty excited to clean up the surface at some point. Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to look at the leaves. This log was from a tree felled in a tornado, and the foliage had been cleaned before I got to it.

rXxLIHV.jpeg


All that said, I'm 99% certain this is white oak, and I'm 100% certain that you have more experience with oaks than I do. That said, what do you think? Have you worked with species that fall somewhat in between white and red oak? Certainly the designation "white" and "red" is an oversimplification of the characteristics found in the myriad species available for woodworking.
 
Last edited:
It's interesting you say that. When I was cutting up the log, I initially thought it was a red oak species based on the slight reddish tint in the fresh wood. So, that's what I labeled it as. However, when I started working it, I took a closer look at the end grain, and was surprised to see nearly all closed pores:

aYcrTKy.jpeg


I took the gallery photos right after applying the finish, but I think I should have waited a few days. The color has browned significantly, and now looks a bit more characteristic of white oak species. (see the following photo). I'm sure over the next several days/weeks, the color will darken even more.

EavT14k.jpeg


I do have a few blanks that are quartersawn, though they still have a chainsaw surface. In the following photo you can see pretty darned large rays showing, even with the rough surface. I'm pretty excited to clean up the surface at some point. Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to look at the leaves. This log was from a tree felled in a tornado, and the foliage had been cleaned before I got to it.

rXxLIHV.jpeg


All that said, I'm 99% certain this is white oak, and I'm 100% certain that you have more experience with oaks than I do. That said, what do you think? Have you worked with species that fall somewhat in between white and red oak? Certainly the designation "white" and "red" is an oversimplification of the characteristics found in the myriad species available for woodworking.
The 3rd photo definitely looks to me like a white so maybe the color is different in the original photo then what I am used to.
The 2nd photo shows the dark tones that are commonly seen in white, so consider me full of it.
 

Media information

Category
Member Galleries
Added by
Michael Anderson
Date added
View count
1,158
Comment count
16
Rating
0.00 star(s) 0 ratings

Image metadata

Device
SONY ILCE-7M2
Exposure time
1/200 second(s)
ISO
1250
Filename
966659BA-E33D-4E6B-9BF5-B32A84990179.jpeg
File size
1.6 MB
Date taken
Wed, 28 September 2022 12:10 PM
Dimensions
3820px x 2547px

Share this media

Back
Top