Oak is a very strong & beautiful hardwood. It tends to be more expensive than pine or hemlock, but less expensive than douglas fir. Hardwoods in general are not as stable as softwoods, which means they tend to twist and check more. Oak, in particular, is subject to surface checking - when a timber gets many little, tiny splits & cracks just on its surface. Heart checks are also prevalent in oak. Some of our clients just love that the oak is native to our area & our oak supplier provides us with great looking timber.
Timber is a natural product so natural variations in grain, color, checking, are to be expected. Knots of various sizes are also to be expected, even though some of the samples show below appear to be clear.
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