Hi Marie
I would not use red oak, G it would be leaky, but Dan Bollinger said
that Sycamore is a very good wood to use for treen, because it stands
up well against the wet/dry cycles, I know beech is used a lot for
kitchen utensils, and my friend uses butternut a lot for his goblets.
So I would think almost any hardwood, hard or not should work, except a
few like red oak.
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Have fun and take care
Leo Van Der Loo