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Member
National Wood
Flooring Association


CLEAR.GIF (807 bytes)

Sample is ¾-by-1½ inch
square-edge solid strip.
Top portion is finished
with water base urethane;
bottom with oil modified
polyurethane
.



Appearance
COLOR:
Sapwood is gray-white; heartwood is salmon red to orange-brown when fresh, and becomes russet or reddish brown when seasoned; often marked with dark streaks.
GRAIN: Mostly interlocked; texture is medium to rather coarse.
VARIATIONS WITHIN SPECIES AND GRADES: Moderate to high color variation.

Properties
HARDNESS (JANKA): 2350; 82% harder than Northern red oak.
DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Average (change coefficient .00300; 19% more stable than red oak). However, actual installations have demonstrated significant movement in use.
DURABILITY: Dense and very strong.


Workability
SAWING/MACHINING:
Sawing is difficult due to high density; requires frequent resharpening of tools. Planing is difficult due to interlocked grain. Can be machined to a smooth surface. Carbide tooling recommended.
SANDING: Sands well.
NAILING: Good holding ability, but due to hardness may require adjustment of angle of penetration and/or height.
FINISHING: No known problems.

COMMENTS: Light-sensitive; darkens rapidly upon exposure to sunlight.

Cost
(relative to plainsawn select red oak)
MULTIPLIER: 1.30

Availability
Readily available.



Information Provided by The National Wood Flooring Association

For information on wood species not covered on our web site
give us a call at 973-471-7171 or stop by our showroom.