Oak that has red in the middle???

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Wormyone

New Member
Dec 30, 2013
89
North Carolina
So I got a load of oak and I noticed that the wood has a big red streak on it running from end to end...Anyone have any Idea what typer of oak this is?????
 
Most of the oak is red oak. Without a picture its very hard to tell.
 
Does it look like this?

box-elder-200x200.jpg
 
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Red oak does have red heartwood - but in the red oak I've dealt with I'd never think of it as a "streak" because at least half of the wood is that color. Just like in the picture you posted. The lighter color is sap wood - and quite often it's the lighter colored wood that is a streak - just like in that split about halfway up the left side of that picture.

If the red part in your wood is really just a thin streak, you might be dealing with some other kind of wood. Hickory, for example, has a dark red heartwood that often takes up quite a bit less than half of total piece of wood. I'd think of hickory as having a red "streak" But then split hickory doesn't look like oak otherwise.
 
Ya, me too when I read the OP it sounded like box elder.
 
If the bulk of the split is very light colored and no darker heartwood with red/pink steaks it ain't Oak it's Box Elder when fresh split. There is #%$#@$%$# seller in the area here that advertises all Oak, when in reality 1/2 or more is Box Elder. I can only imagine what his all hardwood consists of as technically Willow and Cotton wood are hard wood as compared to conifers.
 
Hope its not that elusive Box Elder oak:(
 
probably red. i was able to tell by the leaves (point if red oad, rounded if white) but i just cut some red as well and it has the red streaks also. i love the smell of that wood. i just split it so i'll wait until next year.
 
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