The important difference between RED and WHITE Oak

[@StumpyNubs]

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[@EastAsiaCreativeMedia]

one thing you failed to mention is how the pores of red oak absorbs wood finish differently . Please do an episode on that

[@AdamKirbyMusic]

You have been coming out with some of the top woodworking content for a while now. Useful information that's excellently presented.

[@-ZIO]

I agree. The content is really good stuff. Top notch lately

[@jswallingford]

Thanks for this! Literally about to start a project using oak. Now I can go to the lumber yard equipped with more knowledge. 👍🏻👍🏻

[@waynehanshue712]

Wow. Great video. You can also tell the difference by the shape of leaves. Pointed Red oak. Rounded white. Thanks for all your information. Have got lots of good tips from you.

[@mykidsdad9]

Thank you. Never knew exactly how to make the distinction.

[@samuelthedude]

WOW. I took a screen shot of your red oak and white oak comparison to demonstrate to my interior design clients. Great shot!

[@ToolswithSoAlz]

This is the type of information that makes you the best woodworking channel on KZbin.

[@ericgiesberg4179]

Ah, James I love you. I made an offhand comment about red vs white oak on your vids a few weeks ago. You came back with a great video. There are some other ways to check but as you point out they're practically irrelevant for most usage. I think ray lengths are usually my backup

[@MegaWeagle]

I love both red and white oak. I do tend to work more with red though because white seems to go up everytime I visit the lumber store.

[@amistadranch1598]

As a Brit working in the US I think its great that you can get certain oaks at reasonable prices. as mentioned before English oak costs an arm and a leg. Oh and by the way, i have seen thousands of English Oak tree's over the years but never have I seen one like the one in your video, wish I had, she looks like fun !!

[@josephgdraper]

Thanks for the education on white and red oak. In the 70's my dad and I built a pole barn with cedar posts and rough sawn (mostly green) white oak for everything else except the galvanized metal roof and garage door. I pounded lots of 16d, 8d and ring shanked roofing nails. We used a Black & Decker circular saw and a small McCulloch chainsaw for all of it. One inch thick seasoned white oak siding is very hard to drive a nail into, compared to fresh sawn. The splinters are mean. The board and batten white oak siding weathered to a gray color and is extremely durable. After I moved away, my folks stained the outside a classic weathered red barn color. It's still in good shape after more than 45 years.

[@MrMatt-qs2ck]

Thanks for the video! I've been woodworking for years and never found a video as helpful as this concerning red and white oak.

[@CaliberFiftyVideos]

This reminds me of the time I found out that Balsa wood is actually a hardwood, even though it is about a 3rd the density of pine. I love the look of projects done with long oak boards, regardless of the natural tint.

[@thewabisabicollective7170]

One of my favorite woods to use is quarter sawn white oak. The medullary rays( ray flecking) is just beautiful!

[@christophercastor6666]

Love the bubble blowing trick! Maybe I should pick through the stack and teach my nephews a new skill this summer!

[@geddysciple]

Great info! Though I still don't know which to pair with chicken and which to pair with red meat.

[@kaywarren6788]

Thank you! I'm not generally a fan of oak, I'm not into open pores messing up the look I want. May I suggest doing a series of these short bids about the pros and cons of different species? I'd love that!

[@Pauken11]

As far as outdoor projects, you should mention that oak has tannins in it, and will turn black when exposed to water, especially bottoms of legs on tables and chairs.

[@ixmakexfilms]

Working on a project right now with what i was told was white oak, but the pores are pretty open. it's creating all sorts of issues with my finish as the stain globs up in the pores, the oil finish stays wet in the pores. Tried sanding sealer and grain filler still an issue. I might just stay away from this wood until i get a very firm handle on finishing

[@FixingFurniture]

Great video James. A viewer of mine suggested your video after watching me select the wood to replace some broken parts on a glider rocker. I haven't used white oak in my workshop as it's not commonly used where I live (Greater Toronto Area). Thanks for educating me on the difference between red and white oak. Scott 🇨🇦

[@YouTuber-mc2el]

Did not know the difference in regards to the pour structure. I just finished cutting down two dead oak trees. One showed very light (white) inside the outer wood and the other showed very red in the same location. Both had light outer wood just inside the bark. Thought I had a red oak and a white oak. I will most definitely check the pour structure to see what I have. Thanks

[@petercharles6462]

A quick note on costs. I am a salesperson at a lumber/building material yard. White oak cost has skyrocketed in the last year, sometimes more than 5 times the cost of red oak. Apparently white oak became the "designer wood of choice" in 2020 and the demand continues to grow. We have several suppliers that are holding quoted prices white oak for only a week due to market prices.

[@papaacorn9479]

Just wanted to thank you for making these videos. I’ve learned so much from you. Thanks!

[@JeffGloverArts]

Thank you! There are very few options here (SoCal) without costing a kidney. Knowing the differences is very valuable to a hobby woodworker like me.

[@JeffGloverArts]

@@mikeygee4564 , unless I visit a premier lumber supplier, the walnut & oak here are very poor quality and expensive.

[@andrewsaunders8995]

Because of the pores old timers said that barrels made of white oak hold whiskey and barrels made of red oak hold nails.

[@jessicaembers924]

I love the smell of red oak when it's being sawed, and it looks way awesome with an ebony stain. But i want to try some white oak to build some speaker boxes. I've had red oak boxes before that destroyed themselves with warpage and expansion. Next time, i think i'll mount the front & back boards on a rubber gasket with wigglable screws and give them an expansion joint. Wish me luck? :-)

[@BadDadio]

I recently replaced my stair treads, runners, & risers with solid white oak. It had been a few years since working with oak and I’ve forgotten how much harder it is to work with than softer woods. One benefit was that I loved the wood smell while cutting. Flit was a fun project.

[@MMWoodworking]

Oak absolutely gives the gnarliest splinters. I started taping my left hand (A tip from one of your videos!) fingers when ripping a decent amount of oak. It feels like every time I get lazy I end up with either a splinter or the worlds largest paper cut.

[@stevehopkins5907]

This reminds me that I’d like to see a video about wood grain: how to read it, what’s the best grain direction for different kinds of projects/applications, the different milling options (quarter-sawn, for example), etc. If you’ve already made one, please provide a link.

[@thewabisabicollective7170]

Mr Hopkins, I don't have a direct link for you, but there's LOTS of good videos about exactly what you're asking in many luthier( guitar and other string instrument making/repairing) videos.

[@garyknight8616]

Very informative, thank you. Greetings from the UK where oak has a very special place in our history.

[@julesoyler4306]

Wow! I learn so much every video! Thanks!

[@ef2b]

Someone once told me that white oak can be more difficult to dry properly and, when done improperly, is prone to developing honeycombs in the interior. I learned this when a bunch white oak I had purchased was filled with honeycomb and asked this person how to cope with it. I want to go dig through your videos to see if you've talked about the different types of maple.

[@whocares6166]

Mind blown... I never knew there was that much difference . Informative and brilliant as usual 👊

[@newmonengineering]

I use strips of white oak where I need clean sharp hard edges kind of like your example. Great explanation.

[@brianhodgson9547]

I need to make a cross - i've been told white is best for external joinery - also, what is the best way to join oak together, what glues to use as this cross will be out in all weathers for YEARS ... also, the finish to use 👍👍👍

[@summerwind4590]

What is a good way to get red oak ready to finish, my plane is super sharp and taking nice shavings but the surface is rough because of the unfilled pores? I feel like sanding would be a good choice as it would help fill the pores with the dust.

[@makenchips]

Excellent explanation on oak! Better than a boring book with big word I cant ponounce or remember! Good going!

[@JkCanvas]

Great information. Learned a a lot. I have some oak that was purchased at an estate sale and not sure which it is. Now I can go look at the grain and find out. Thank you James.

[@michaelrickert7999]

"Northern" red oak is the cultivar in northeast Iowa. It is a fine wood for interior woodworking. The price for northern red oak on the stump is very low now at $.35 / bd foot.

[@blackvenges]

Thank you! I always learn valuable information from your videos.

[@jameshubbard4966]

That Cracker Barrel quip had me dying. I’ve never agreed with anything more. Fantastic video as always.

[@tomswift6198]

Cool. Never heard about that thing with the hollow pores before.

[@awlthatwoodcrafts8911]

Awesome information. That's why I love watching your videos. BTW, my daughter got me some ISOTunes for Christmas, before last. I love 'em.

[@pitsnipe5559]

Good lesson, thanks. How about one on hard vs soft maple?

[@jimblack6733]

I use a lot of red oak as it is plentiful here in Missouri. A lot of the white oak in my area gets cut up for staves. Lots of awesome whisky barrels made here…

[@mothman-jz8ug]

After many years in a shop making cabinetry, I retired. In the time between my full retirement benefits (some sources not available until later age... I worked part time for a logging company. I was primarily driving a truck, but worked in the yard on a limited basis. (BTW: I also had many loggers in my family growing up and had worked in the field for a short time after graduating from high school.)The owner loved getting into some good white oak, since prices for logs was second only to walnut. Regardless of species, oak was lumped into two "species" as far as lumber producers go. That is white oak, which is white oak, and red oak which is any oak other than white oak. Again, the saw mill specs, not mine. In my many years of wood working, I always considered white oak comparatively boring wood, where many finished products looked like fake wood due to the utter lack of variation. But the oak I would choose IF it was available, is chestnut oak. Finding such a thing is virtually impossible, since it is lumped in with the everything except white oak group, and pieces are seldom found in any useful quantity. For anyone not familiar with this species, the sapwood is typically a light, creamy color, while the heartwood is often as dark as black walnut. Also, due to the tree's growth habits, L-O-O-G, straight grained, clear boards can be produced. James, if you happen to have any chestnut oak available, please show it in a future video so viewers can see the attractive grain and the gorgeous coloring of this wood.

[@ar5909]

Interesting - here in the UK I’d always been taught that white oak is better indoors due to a tendency for lower moisture content and less warping, and red oak for outdoors.

[@MCsCreations]

Great tips, dude! Thanks a lot! 😊 Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@TheWoodFly]

DUDE: While I like your under-stair bookcases, the staircase is REALLY cool. Oh, and thank you for the education on wood species. I have used both and on the left coast, red is far more common. Just completed a set of outdoor rockers and used WHITE for greater external durability vs the morris chairs for the family room which are red.

[@starhawke380]

Thanks, this was quite informational and well produced. I was unaware of the pore difference.

[@erichelton1888]

Since white oak has closed pores, is it a good choice for endgrain cutting boards? Maybe not the best choice (cherry, maple, walnut, etc.), but good enough?

[@dennisyurcik5961]

Excellent info. Thanks for making this distinction.

[@johnopfer8065]

Great video. Especially the blow-thru demo. Can you comment on the two species’ ability to take stain.

[@robertbankhead8661]

Always a fan of White Oak, thanks for the refresher as to why, also never heard of chestnut Oak, how about a brief on that as well

[@Foxholeatheist]

White oak also takes well to steam-bending, making it a popular choice in wooden boat building.

[@dubya13207]

The tree tutorial I got in scouts used a mnemonic that is accurate as far as I know: red oak leaves correspond to “red skin” with sharp-tipped arrows, white oak leaves have rounded [old-timey] bullet-shaped leave tips like “white skin” bullets. Obviously this carries some baggage and should be learned in proper context, but it’s useful for identification anyway!

[@wouterbaake7386]

Pneumonic as in something to do with your lungs? Or mnemonic as in something that helps you remember?

[@dubya13207]

Thanks @@wouterbaake7386, I fixed it. It didn’t feel right but spell check only helps so much!

[@rdr6276]

Great video! Ok, so I'm building a skin on frame canoe and just epoxied in 25 ribs made of...... red oak. It was the only oak I could find locally to bend into ribs. I didn't realize how easily it rots until after I epoxied it all together. Any suggestions on sealing the ribs so they don't rot? The canoe won't always be in the water or outside but I understand red oak draws moisture.

[@DennisRamos]

Thanks for this info! This is something very few people, if not, no one will tell me the detailed difference between these 2 woods. Looking forward to more educational clips from your channel, James! Big thanks!

[@mariushegli]

I have nothing to say really, but I appreciate your content, and wish to help with the yt-algorithms.

[@GiorgiyShepov]

Love your work, thank you for what you are doing.

[@Povweekly]

You need a podcast so when I can’t watch I can listen and soak up some of your knowledge

[@hayabusaboy21ls]

Dang stumpy, why you gotta call out cracker barrel like that?

[@DarrensWorkshop]

Wow James. I'm impressed with the number videos you are producing. Well done.

[@SundaiLove]

Loved this video!

[@ColinForBooks]

thanks! helps me expand my wood types knowledge from very poor to less very poor!

[@olddawgdreaming5715]

Thanks for sharing this information James. 🙏🏻🙏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👍👍👋👋

[@nrage1]

Really appreciated this video. Great explanation.

[@gordroberts53]

Very helpful James!

[@robandsharonseddon-smith5216]

Yet again a really helpful video. Thank you.

[@paul756uk2]

Now, I stand to be corrected on this as I'm not an authority on timber but here in the UK I've always distinguished the 2 as American white oak and European oak.

[@thomasedition4024]

I have some white oak from my wood moulding company and it’s filled with the same holes and some of my pieces allow me to blow air through them does that mean it’s not true white oak?

[@NaserAlOqab]

If you finish red oak with a few coats of poly, can you use it outdoors?

[@bobcashman]

Good information. However, to the best of my knowledge, Tyloses are not resin. They are primarily if not completely cellulose and lignin. Prolific in White Oak (Quercus Alba) and other "white" oaks -- they also are found in other species. Red oak (Quercus Rubrum) apparently has Tyloses in some situations, I think due to other factors like bacteria or disease that may promote their growth? Definitely stretching my memory banks on that front. I don't recall ever seeing them in red oak personally but I recall reading about it long ago.

[@mikeamboy7292]

I built a kitchen island for my wife. Pulled a bunch of lumber from the barn and once I begin cutting I realize I have both. The wife wasn’t interested in getting back in the barn with me so I built it out of both. Extra care when staining took care of the difference. Interesting though. This lumber has been in the barn for years. Carpenter ants have done a number to the red oak. Didn’t touch the white oak or the ash.

[@lincolndickerson1293]

Because I don’t want everything I build to look like it belongs in a Cracker Barrel Resturaunt.. lol. The video is packed with great information but the quips you slip in are hilarious!

[@ryanevans8182]

What a great video! Thanks.

[@jh1562]

Hey Stumpy love the content you put out it’s quite interesting, but I don’t think I’ve seen a video from you about wood shapers? Just curious because I use them everyday in the shop I work at to make cabinet doors and was curious if you had any knowledge you had to offer

[@jh1562]

And I just thought of some follow up questions on that like fences, whether to buy or make your own and proper safety techniques to practice on these machines

[@theWendigo1928]

Correct me if I understood it correctly? When you say "dense" is that determining the strength of the wood? Which in other words White Oak is alittle more stronger then Red Oak?

[@talltimberswoodshop7552]

Great tutorial! Thanks, James.

[@rtkville]

Good one! Thank you!

[@tilleyroadaffairproduction6752]

Hi there, thank you for all your great videos. I have recently found a stack of Door jamb kits at my local building store. These kits are not used anymore according to the guys in the lumber yard and so they have been sitting in the warehouse collecting dust. I have used them on a wall in my house as a designer and decorative feature and it looks fantastic. I am thinking of getting some more, as they are very cheap (.90$ a square foot.) but I want to change the colour and and wondering if you have any advice on staining this type of wood. It is as you say very inconsistent colour wise, Some pieces are very red and others lighter.

[@xoxo2008oxox]

Friend gave me 12 of 5/4 "pin oak" boards for helping him with millwork-before the lumber crisis. I thought it was white oak...until I watched your video. I grabbed a small section I cross cut, and blew through it! Dang the pin oak is actually red oak! Then I look it up on wiki and, pin oak is Spanish Swamp oak and...of the red oak family! BTW, the tree was well over 80' high and enough lumber to build a garage..out of red oak!

[@jimcooney9019]

thanks for sharing the video

[@Icehso140]

Identification of family...pointed leaves = Red Oak. Rounded lobes on the leaves = White Oak. Since "round" and "white" have the same number of letters, I can easily remember which is which. I was told a while ago that you don't want to make a whiskey barrel out of red oak, often called "Holey Oak" around here because there's a town called Holyoke nearby.

[@TrevorVonSeggern]

Wow that actually helps a lot, thanks!

[@stephenwilliams163]

Thank you! I've been building a lot of stuff with off cuts from an oak flooring mill. It will be good to tell the difference between the two woods. I've been going off of tint alone this whole time.

[@williamparker6649]

Well done👍

[@castletown999]

I once built an outdoor bench out of red oak recycled from old kitchen cabinets. It was a disaster! After just one winter it was falling apart. After two it simply collapsed in a heap. The end grain had soaked up water like a sponge and he wood had rotted out from the inside.

[@patrickdunn8918]

Great info on those important details, although I’m new to this I did the same thing on an oak project, that you did on that beautiful bookcase 👍👍

[@JesseFFT]

I may or may not have used red oak to make a few components of a bench project I was doing for a client. I only need a few aprons and stretchers and I ran out of white oak. I resorted to white oak and after staining, they were completely unnoticeable. I couldn't even figure out what pieces were white oak and im the one that built them.

[@LeicaCat]

FYI: even thought it’s is spelled the same, “primer” is pronounced “pry-mer" when referring to the protective adhesion layer between paint and a substrate, but is pronounced similarly to the word “dimmer” when referring to an educational introduction.

[@thewabisabicollective7170]

Love learning little things like this. Thank ya, sir!

[@wraith2440]

This is very useful. Thanks very much.

[@zlancenyc]

I also find that red oak can vary in color a bunch from the same tree, having cut up a large tree I have really dark bottom part and it's lighter on the top.

[@geoffreyraleigh1674]

Never knew that! Thank you for the upload. Great channel.

[@tomevans4402]

I have red oak floors, didn’t know untill I had some termite work done, yes they ate the oak.

[@yimhui855]

Very informative! First time to your channel. The way you present it is very easy to understand. Do you know which white oak has the milky color and which areas are they from?

[@traillesstravelled7901]

Love oak! Red from the box stores, Live and scrub from the side of the road/ cut down trimmed etc. Heck, road side firewood has produced some great little chunks.

[@Newova5]

I wonder what you think of live oak in woodworking. Any thoughts?

[@chipsterb4946]

Excellent, fact filled video. The odd thing to me is that white oak here in Maine is virtually worthless on the stump except as firewood. Even in that market, red oak is preferred. Must be those open pores …

[@BirdzofaFeather]

Great video! What if you have a furniture piece you want to re-stain and can't see the end grain? Is there a way to identify which one you have?

[@daleleibfried8648]

Great explanation 👌