Oaks

Oak is the wood most people picture when they think of solid hardwood furniture. It is strong, heavy, and has the open, ring-porous grain that gives oak its classic look. Red oak runs warm and pinkish with very open pores, which makes it great for stain but poor for outdoor use. White oak has pores plugged with tyloses, so it holds up to water and has been trusted for boats, barrels and porch furniture for centuries. Live oak, the sprawling Southern tree you see shading old Florida neighborhoods, is one of the hardest and heaviest woods in North America and turns up mostly as storm salvage. We also file wormy chestnut here, since chestnut belongs to the same family as the oaks and shares its rot resistance. In our Fort Myers shop oak shows up as lumber, tabletops and the occasional big slab. Open each species below for hardness, finishing tips and what we have on the racks now.