# Curly Oak?



## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

I got some rough cut oak and planed it down. When this came out of the planer, I was very surprised. It's completely flat, however it looks 3 dimensional. I have never seen oak like this. The board is 9 feet long and 6" wide.

What do i do with it? I need oak to make some more end tables, but I won't be using this. It's too pretty, and it won't match the rest of the wood


----------



## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Cant say ive seen anything like it but looks cool to me!


----------



## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

Another question, is this even oak? I was in the oak pile at the mill, and it smells like oak when I planed it, but I have never seen anything like it.


----------



## JayT (May 6, 2012)

I can help on the identification. Just send the board to me, and once it has been positively identified, I will be forced to build something with it and never send it back. Sound like a deal?

It sure looks like oak, but I also can't remember ever seeing any with a wavy/curly grain structure quite this defined. I'm sure you will come up with a project that this would be just the right piece to finish it off.


----------



## PurpLev (May 30, 2008)

looks like red oak - nice grain pattern but like you said, it's hard to match it with other boards, I would keep it until you find a perfect use for it where it can shine


----------



## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Beautiful Board,I'd hold on to it until a special project comes to mind.


----------



## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

I'd like to make a flybox out of this for my dad for fathers day, but I'd have to plane it down to a half inch (no band saw for resawing) it seems like a waste of wood turning a quarter of this into chips. I'll just hang on to it until the right project comes along.


----------



## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Ya know, i had the boys save me a piece of red oak handrail off a job we were doin and i could have sworn i saw some curly in it. Im gonna dig it out of the tool crib and plane it down tonight. Maybe they're long lost brothers from the Curly family?


----------



## TrBlu (Mar 19, 2011)

Any type of wood can have a curly effect. The curl is caused by an abnormal wave in the fibres.

I would go back to the lumber yard and search that stack again. If there is one board, there is more.

You must find a special project for that beauty. Set it aside, until a good idea comes to you.


----------



## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

I think I will. This board was not with the oak though. It was actually sitting on top of a huge pile of soft maple that just came out of the kiln. I grabbed it because I needed another board after tallying up what I had selected and realized I was a few BF short. It was the right size and saved me a trip upstairs where the oak is.


----------



## Nomad62 (Apr 20, 2010)

I've sliced up bunches of "soft" maple, and that was what I thought it was when I saw the pic; but photos are sometimes hard to read. Maple will be flat and smooth, oak will have a texture to it, somewhat of a "pore" look. Compare the one to a known good oak sample to be sure. Either way it sounds like you got a good buy on it.


----------



## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

I'm sure it's not maple, and about 99.9% sure it's oak. It's very wavy and the grain is really lose


----------



## Dusty56 (Apr 20, 2008)

It's Curly Red Oak…I've seen and handled plenty of it over the years : )
I also have some that is still in the rough and is 14"wide…..saving it for something special .
I also had some White Oak with figure in it and some called it Tiger Stripe , others Curly , and another said it was Flamed. Take a peek and decide for yourself : )
http://lumberjocks.com/projects/49488


----------



## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

I've seen that before, it is uncommon, but not rare. I'd save it for drawer fronts.


----------



## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

"Im Chris, this is my brother Curly, and a this is my other brother, Curly". (Name that 80's sitcom reference)

Joe if you didnt post this i may have never taken that "old handrail from the nursing home were demolishing" piece of 6/4 oak home. Thanks! Indeed curly oak does exist:


















(no hijack intended)


----------



## LukieB (Jan 8, 2012)

I've seen this before as well, I have a pretty nice stash in the lumber shed. I used to work at a cabinet/millwork shop that did a disgusting amount of oak. And when I saw pieces like that…(kind of, not quite as pretty as that one) they found their way to the "scrap Pile"....and then my truck. Still not sure what to do with them. Can't wait to see what you do with yours. Keep us posted.


----------



## WDHLT15 (Aug 15, 2011)

Looks like it could be ash. Does it have prominent medullary rays that you can easily see on the end grain? These rays are what create the fleck in quartersawn oak. If they are not easy to see with the naked eye, it is ash. I am not seeing the speckled pattern that you get with flaswawn oak, but then again, it might just be the resolution in the picture.

Check the end grain for prominent rays. Either way, it is very beautiful!


----------



## pvwoodcrafts (Aug 31, 2007)

Curly red oak, one of my favorites. I've done several kitchens using it for the door panels and drawer fronts. I just completed two sets of 3' x 7'8" cathedral double entry doors with curly oak panels. Very nice to work with.


----------



## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

WDHLT15 - thanks for the tip. In comparing the side and end grain, it does have the prominent rays that are present in some other red oak I compared it to, so it is safe to say this is red oak.

Now this board goes back in the rack for the next couple of years while I increase my skill level enough not to ruin it


----------



## WDHLT15 (Aug 15, 2011)

I could stand to have a whack of that, for sure. I love curly wood.


----------

