Oak story continues-parl 4

tirely throughout the heartwood, sometimes developing a striped pattern. Although always popular, such brown oak is expensive and rare. Veneer suppliers are the best source.

T HE BEST oaks grown beyond the I shores of the Americas come from the British Isles, Europe and Japan. In these places ancient craftspeople began working with oak before they even knew the Americas existed. And a few of the oaks they used centuries ago are still among the most prized in the world.

From Romanesque times to the baroque period, oak was the most commonly used wood in Continental Europe and the British Isles. European oak (Quercus robur and pendurcerlata and many variations) grows throughout Britain and the Continent with a southern range extending from Spain to Austria and Tirkey. English oak is probably the most famous of these because of its association with the history and literature of that century. Despite its great popularify, English oak varies in qualiry. It generally weighs from 40 to 50 pounds per cubic foot and has a straight but sometimes coarse grain. The sapwood and heartwood are generally not distinct. The oaks of Ireland follow a similar pattem.

Among the British oaks, the British brown oak is most prized. A red oak obtained from certain frees which have been attacked by a fungus (Fisnlina hepatico), its heartwood assumes a reddish-brown color that sometimes deepens into rich brown tones. This pigmentation can extend panially or en-

As early as the Thdor period, in order to build their Royal Navy, the British began importing oaks from Russia and from the Baltic region. Baltic oaks generally come from the same species as the British oaks. It is harder, yet less strong. It comes in smaller dimensions and is difficult to dry.

A milder, more even-textured oak grows in central Europe, but an inferior timber grows further to the south. The oak of southem Germany and Austria usually displays a uniform yellowish-tan color and an even grain. But the Italian oaks yield a hard, strong, light-brown lumber that lacks elasticity. The Tbrkish oak is hard, while the Spanish and Portugese oaks are dark, porous, relatively soft, and have a plain, uniform grain. All of these European oaks are rare and generally unavailable except in veneers. The best European hardwoods were cut out centuries ago, which explains why the Europeans are the world's greatest importers of American red and white oaks.

British lsles, Europe and Japan grow best oaks outside U.S. English oak quality varies brown oak most prized... Baltic oak harder ... Japanese oak good for furniture many oaks really not oaks.

Throughout this century depending upon economic conditions, Japanese oak has been imported by the countries of Europe and the United States. The best timber comes from elevations above 1000 feet on the northern island of Hokkaido. The lumber is light-colored and softer than American oak. This has made it attractive to the fumiture manufacturing industry. The limited size of logging equipment used in Japan has meant that Japanese oak has been available only in lengths up to eight feet. The Robert Dollar Company of San Francisco began bringing Japanese oak to America in 1906. Within a few years this new lumber product triggered a fumiture manufacturing boom in California. Despite various import restrictions over the years, Japanese oak was regularly shipped to the West Coast until the American dollar was devalued in 1972. After that Japanese lumber could no longer compete with our domestic product.

Along with these true oaks that grow overseas, a few species that don't even belong to the oak family are also sold under the name of "oak." These include Thsmanian oak, Chilean oak, and a variety of Australian woods -- Queensland oak, beef oak, honeysuckle oak, satin oak and Australian silky oak. These socalled "oaks" often resemble the real thing only in the eyes of an ambitious lumber merchant. When compared to American oaks they are generally unstable, difficult to dry hard to work and plain in appeanmce. Before buying foreign woods called "oaks," experienced lumber people recommend finding out the botanical name to make sure it really belongs to the oak family. Buyers should beware of any wood that has to mask as an "oak" in order to gain acceptance in the marketplace.