Gluing The wood has satisfactory gluing qualities. Nailing The wood is heavy, and must be pre-bored. Screwing Screwing characteristics are reported to be good, and the wood holds screws firmly. Sanding The wood is reported to sand readily to produce clean surfaces. Staining The wood has good staining qualities.
Large pores tend to produce strong contrast in staining.
Consistent use of a batch of either quarter sawn or flat sawn stock for a given project is recommended since prominent rays can render seams in edge-glued stock very obvious. A darker colored stain preceded by a light colored filler is reported to produce the 'lime' look, and high tannin content allows the wood to be treated with ammonia to yield a nearly black or 'Jacobean' finish. The timber is reported to be often used for steam bending. The wood works well with hand tools, as long as they are kept very sharp. Comments Anatomical differences which correspond to important botanical differences in the trees allow oaks to be separated into two main classes, red and white.