White oak is a classic and timeless cabinet material. It is one of the most dense, strong and scratch resistant of the hardwoods. White oak trees have a closed cell structure which gives the wood a water and rot resistant composition that is ideal for wine barrels as well as ship building because it resists leaking. This dense, strong composition and structure also makes white oak cabinet doors an excellent choice for kitchens and bathrooms where wood is exposed to steam, water, food and daily use.
Influential designer and furniture maker Gustav Stickley used white oak in his Craftsman style cabinets during the Arts and Crafts movement. Craftsman furniture focused on functional, long-lasting, well-made furniture rather than overly-ornamented, lower quality, factory-made furniture. The durability and strength of white oak made it a perfect fit for Arts and Crafts furniture.
The best martial arts weapons and wood agricultural tool handles are also predominantly made from white oak because of the resilience of the wood and the relatively low chance of splintering if they are broken on impact.
Why War Ships Were Made of White Oak?
The USS Constitution, the oldest warship still afloat, was built using white oak, and repairs are made from a special grove of white oak trees in southern Indiana called the “Constitution Grove.” The ship was nicknamed “Old Ironsides” because in 1812, cannon balls were seen to bounce off her hard, white oak hull, and British sailors thought the ship’s sides were made of iron.
We love this beautiful and very durable material!
Special Hardware Considerations with White Oak
When adding hardware, woodworkers should be aware that non-ferrous metals (brass, stainless steel,etc) should be used with white oak because ferrous (iron-containing) materials can react with white oak and cause corrosion and staining.
What is Rift White Oak?
Rift White Oak is manufactured by milling perpendicular to the log’s growth rings at a 30 to 60 degree angle, which produces a fairly consistent, straight, linear grain pattern. Some buyers prefer rift white oak’s straight grain pattern to plain cut white oak’s grain pattern with cathedrals and variation depending on the material’s proximity to the center of the log (closer to the outside of the log yields more cathedral grain pattern).
Rift white oak is considered more stable than plain sawn white oak because the straight grain is less prone to warping and cupping over time and with changes in humidity levels.
There is more waste when milling lumber for rift white oak, which increases the cost of Rift White Oak lumber and the cabinets made from it.
View samples of TaylorCraft’s white oak and rift white oak cabinet doors and cabinet examples here
TaylorCraft Cabinet Door Company is located in central Texas and ships cabinet doors nationwide with industry leading 5-7 day standard lead time to the verified cabinetmaking trade.
Cabinetmakers, contact TaylorCraft today to quote a custom cabinet door job. We look forward to hearing from you.
