Source of cheap oak

[Arnie Eaton]

I have a copy of the plan for the neat boat wheel that Kevin Green designed. It calls for 18 small pcs of oak about 3.5" by 9", all 1" stuff. I was about to buy some at the local lumber yard when I had a better idea. We have three cabinet shops in the area so off I go to each of them. Sure enough between the 3 I found enough scrap pcs in their burn piles to get all I need and then some. Saved about $20 bucks. One place had 1X2 pieces over 12 feet long. must of been 10, 12 of them. Food for thought.

[Guest]

One point of note, Most oak in cabinet shops is red oak. In a lot of cases, will not be that great down the road, unless proper care is taken with the finishing and maintainance of it. If finished clear, in many cases it may end up with numerous black spots if left to its own demise. If not, and its under the bottom of inclosed in lockers, it may have a tendancy to rot. Sugar maple, another cabinet wood, will do the same thing. Much burl maple is used in the industry as a nice veneer finished clear, but most of that is for interior finishes.

[Frank Hagan]

Red oak will develop black spots when anything iron touches it ... in fact, you can "ebonize" red oak by putting it in water with steel wool. The amount of iron can be small; red oak in contact with soil will develop the spots.

So the trick on something like red oak trim is to make sure you keep it covered with multiple coats of finish. It is pourous too, which is why it rots easily; interestingly, it is fine for things like keels if kept in salt water all the time, but not in places where there is a wet-dry cycle.

I would think a wheel would be OK; just keep it varnished well. I have my companion way hatch made of red oak, and I have had to refinish it a couple of times, but it still looks OK.

[Arnie Eaton]

I should have mentioned that this wheel will be only for show, hanging in my shop. I have a 26" pro wheel for my vacationer.