Oak colour variance - rot?

[ARW123]

I have just taken delivery of the remaining English Oak to finish replanking.

It's air dried (4 years) quarter and rift sawn, however a few boards show discolouration:




The boards are 11" wide and 23' long - these patches appear halfway up the boards affected.

In some earlier green stock for steaming timbers, similar but darker patches (smelling a bit sweet) proved to be the beginning of fungal attack and useless.

Could this be the same?

(There is no smell associated nor obvious evidence of a split with these patches).

[MiddleAgesMan]

In our oaks, that amount of discoloration would mean nothing. It's perfectly normal.

I know absolutely nothing about English oak, though.

[gondolier88]

Having used an awful lot of English Oak the last two years, I would say what you have there is perfectly normal. One point on what you may be using it for though- it looks like it's been sawn through and through, rather than quarter sawn, which could prove problematic depending on what application you have planned for it.

Greg

[ARW123]

M.A.M - thanks, good to know.

Gondolier - reassuring, thank you. Getting a bit twitchy about timber these days; too many dissapointments!

t looks like it's been sawn through and through, rather than quarter sawn

Ref: sawing:- I took three 3" thick planks one from the centre of the tree and one either side of that one and then had them resawn to 3/4"; I suspect this particular example is from the outer side of one of the outer two and therefore leans more to rift rather than the quarter. The least grain angle through any of the boards is about 35 degrees.

could prove problematic depending on what application you have planned for it

Will be used for hull planking (clinker) and finished to 1/2" thick.

[skaraborgcraft]

Looks fine to me too. Nice project you got going there! Cheers

[gondolier88]

1/2" Oak planks, sounds interesting...!