Brown Oak is an English White Oak which has been infected by a non-rotting fungus that causes to wood to darken. The wood is still solid and sound, and the only difference between it and its other European counterparts is its darkened physical appearance. This coloring allows for some truly stunning workpieces and can be substituted anywhere standard white oak is used.
It boasts cathedral grain when flat sawn. Quartered and riftsawn pieces will display oaks signature ray flecks and grain lines running the length of the board. White oak has a light to medium brown color which is accentuated to the darker shades with this variation, and straight but uneven coarse texture. It machines well with tighter grain pours than red oak and has no trouble with glue or finishes either. It responds well to steam building, and is strong, durable alternative to red oak with a marginally higher cost. This species of oak has also been extensively used throughout history for cabinetry, flooring, boatbuilding, and is the gold standard for many with regards to trailer decking. White oak has a Janka rating of 1350 and weighs 3.8 pounds per board foot.
VARIATIONS AND OPTIONS
4/4 refers to lumber that was cut at 1 inch thickness
15/16ths has been skip planed (a majority of the surfacing work has been done, there may be a few spots that are still rough, but the grain of the particular piece of wood should be visible)
13/16ths is commonly called finish planed. This should be ready for sanding and finish
Ripped 1 edge is lumber that has been run through a straight-line rip saw. This allows for easy squaring on a table saw.
Sanded refers to a select few lumber options that have been run through a belt sander and are 100% finish ready.
5/4 lumber was sawn at 1.25 inches in thickness.
6/4 lumber was sawn at 1.5 inches in thickness.
8/4 lumber was sawn at 2 inches in thickness.
10/4 lumber was sawn at 2.5 inches in thickness.
12/4 lumber was sawn at 3 inches in thickness.