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I trolled through and found all the posts about QS white oak, but almost nothing about Red Oak (Quercus rubra). I was at my local woodpile this morning and stumbled on a really incredible flat-sawn piece, with all sorts of figure, grain and heart-sap transitions going on. Serious on-the-spot WAS.

I understand (and could see) that it is not as closed-grained as white oak, but other than that - do you suppose it would work OK in a laminated back/side layup?

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The member formerly known as erikbojerik....

Red oak is usually straight grained and easy to work with.It does have very large pores, you can actually stick one end of a board in water and blow bubbles from the other end.I would think the open pores would hold glue well unlike maple.Furniture makers love it.

I've used a lot of red oak for furniture and I like it a lot. Nice to work with and glues well. No experience with it on instruments tho.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I made a Red Oak steel jumbo for a Merl Travis picker 10 years ago and it's all he'll use !
And he has tons of Martin dreads.!
It bent easily and and has not cracked .

Like stated =Pores go to China!!!

Mike

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Mike Collins

I made a Red Oak steel jumbo for a Merl Travis picker 10 years ago and it's all he'll use !
And he has tons of Martin dreads.!
It bent easily and and has not cracked .

Like stated =Pores go to China!!!

Mike

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Mike Collins

Red oak works great for acoustics, but I'd stick with QS stock.

You can blow bubbles thru red oak vessels not because of the size, but because it lacks the tyloses white oak vessels contain.

I can't comment on red oak's acoustic properties, but I think I see some people encouraging you to try it. Maybe I'm just reading something into the responses. Anyway, I CAN tell you for certain that red oak bends very well, and it is incredibly abrasion-resistant. (Think flooring). I encourage you to try it, and let us know how it goes. Best wishes and good luck. I bet you will succeed!
Patrick

Just hold your nose while working with it. Fresh cut Red Oak smells like dog poo.

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Expectation is the source of all misery; comparison the thief of joy.
http://redrivercanoe.ca/

It sounds like it would work great for solid body electrics... but the oak I have seen they're heavy...

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

Ditto on the smell, Red Oak is stinky.

Peavey used to make two solid-body instruments with oak bodies (I don't know whether they used red or white oak). T40 was a 4-string bass, and T60 was a 6-string electric guitar.

--Steve

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---Steve

I don't think it smells like dog poo at all (and I am grinning now)--but it DEFINITELY smells like red oak. An appreciation of the aroma can be acquired. It never bothered me. The thought of all the sanding I would have to do is always what bothered me (I DID say it was incredibly abrasion-resistant) What the heck. Run a piece through your table saw. If the aroma doesn't offend you, then go for it!
Patrick

I used to play a Peavey T-40 twenty years ago in a country band and that was the heaviest guitar I've ever played. I miss that old guitar though.

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"After forty-nine years of violin building, I have decided that the search for a varnish is similar to the fox hunt. The fun is in the hunt."
Jack Batts Maker and Repairer of Fine Violins

Were those made out of real wood? The bass player in my son's band played one of those.

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Waddy

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