The first kiln load is finally out and on the racks. We loaded it last fall and waited much longer than usual for the sun to come out and help us dry it. So long, in fact, that I had completely forgotten that a large percentage of the plain and rift and quarter sawn wood in there was the curliest oak we have ever had. I naturally forgot to take my camera, so pictures will have to wait. But if you have a Craftsman era piece on your list and you want some special wood for it, come take a look.
We threw all cuts into one bin and will have a completely new price schedule for the curly stuff. I am trying to resist under-pricing the rare awesome stuff like I have so many times in the past, so the prices will seem high when compared to our regular $2-4 range for white oak, but when you compare it to all the other curly white oak prices you have seen... oh wait, maybe you never really see it. I haven't, and I look at wood everywhere I go. (I know, I know, I need to get out more).
Here they are:
PS $4.75/bf
RS $5.75/bf
QS $6.75/bf
Technically, this curly wood is from a burr oak log (Quercus macrocarpa), not white oak (Q. alba). All oak lumber is either white or red in the trade even though only two of the many species are Q. alba or Q rubra. So while burr (or bur) oak is a white oak, it is slightly different than the Q. alba we always use for our other white oak inventory. One difference I have noted is that in the QS cut, the medullary rays of burr oak tend to be thinner than the fat rays of Q. alba. They are just as long and make a striking look, slightly less wild looking.
If this curly stuff is like other curly oak I have tried to work, there will be tearout issues when jointing and planing, especially with deep cuts and dull blades.
