What
is Black Oak: That Remains the Question
In
one of our Q&A queries in the last issue of the eZine, a reader
wondered what exactly some "black oak" he had run across
was. In response, we heard from some other readers about their
experiences -- and their definitions. - Editor
"I
saw the questions about 'black oak' in the eZine 307. We occasionally
work with black oak, and our experience is that it is harder than red
oak. It seems to hold its finish well and is dimensionally stable, as
you might expect. I attached two photos; one is cutting the bar from
the log and the second is finished with Minwax® Early American stain
covered with polyurethane." - Thomas Lobb
"I
saw a question asking what is Black Oak. I have a stack of it in my
garage, [which] I bought from a friend. It is hard as a rock. Dulls
up my Delta planer blades just like that! Some of it looks like
'normal' oak, some of it is dark. I think it's unique! I just wish it
weren't so hard!! I'll use it up slowly due to the difficulty planing
a good piece from it." - Bob Mayfield
"About
'black oak': We have a species of oak in Southeast Texas (probably
goes by several names) -- I call it water oak. I think it is a type
of live oak -- keeps its leaves all year. It has streaks of black --
some wide, some narrow. Quartersawn generally has wider bands of
black than other types of cuts. Makes AMAZING looks in furniture and
can be difficult to work." - David Norris
"In
general, there are two groups of oaks: the red/blacks and the whites.
The red (Quercus rubra) and black (Q velutina) oaks
require two years to ripen the acorns, have sharp-tipped leaf lobes
(bristle-tipped), lack tyloses, and are very susceptible to oak wilt
and also include pin oak (Q ellipsoidalis), scarlet oak (Q
coccinea), and scrub oak (which apparently is a variant of the
black oak). In a lumberyard, these will all be red oak.
"The
white (Q alba) oaks mature acorns in one year, have rounded
leaf lobes, have tyloses, and usually resist oak wilt and include bur
oak (Q macrocarpa), swamp white oak (Q bicolor), dwarf
chinkapin oak (Q prinoides), and chinkapin oak (Q
muehlenbergii). These would all be sold as white oak.
Disclaimers:
The quoted scientific names may now be different from what I learned.
I have seen bur oak spelled 'burr' oak even in tree keys and texts,
but I believe the proper spelling is 'bur.' I don't believe any
forester or botanist would ever call a bur oak a black oak. Finally,
there are quite a few more oaks in the East and South I have not
mentioned." - Dave Siegler
How
to Align a Table Saw Fence and Blade
Also
in the last issue, there was a question about whether the rip fence
and the blade on a table saw should be parallel. Readers had feedback
about that as well. - Editor
"The
argument regarding the alignment of the fence to the blade on a table
saw will go on forever. However, I believe as many woodworkers do.
and that is 'TO ERR ON THE SIDE OF SAFETY' and set the fence a few
thousandths of an inch toed out from the back of the blade. I use a
dollar bill folded in half between the back of the blade and the
fence. This allows about .006" and will not affect the quality
of the cut and prevent jamming and kickback." - Paul A. Otto
"In
the Q & A section of eZine Issue 307, Dean Brumley asks the
question, 'should the rip fence and saw blade be parallel to each
other.' I am one of the old-time woodworkers and have to disagree
with Chris Marshall's answer. First, there are two kinds of parallel
relationships between the saw blade and the rip fence, horizontal and
vertical. In the vertical plane, the bottom of the blade and the top
of the blade should be 100 percent parallel to the rip fence. As for
the horizontal plane, the leading edge of the blade and the trailing
edge of the blade should NOT be 100 percent parallel. There are two
distinct reasons why. First, the trailing edge of the blade is
revolving in an upwards direction, therefore trying to lift the
workpiece. Also, if the trailing edge of the blade comes even in
slight contact with the workpiece, it can leave swirl marks.
Therefore, the rip fence should be slightly farther away from the
trailing edge of the blade than it is from the leading edge of the
blade. In my 50-plus years of experience, I have found that 1/64th of
an inch seems to work just fine." - M. Keith Green
Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie
Finally, the pie flavor that Rob
hinted -- merely hinted, mind you! -- could potentially sway his
State Fair votes -- also drew some comments. Interestingly, some
folks seem to love that kind of pie -- and others have never heard of
it. - Editor
"My favorite! Enjoy!" - Alan
Falk
"I
love rhubarb pie and yellow custard on it. I have never had a
strawberry-rhubarb pie. I will have to look out for that. My granny
in England used to walk out to the rhubarb bush and cut some stalks
and cook it up. Then we waited for the pie and hot custard. After
loading it with sugar so our mouths didn't pucker so badly, we could
eat it. That was back in the mid '70s, and I can almost taste it. My
little shop is getting geared up
for making crafts for Christmas. I start early so the mistakes can be
hidden or destroyed. Enjoy the woodworking show and the state fair."
- Robert Anderson