On Sun, 10 Jun 2012 09:44:09 -0400, Ed Huntress
wrote:

On Sun, 10 Jun 2012 09:38:20 -0400, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:


"dpb" wrote in message
...
... If have the local mill option, just be careful if it's "oak" to
steer away from red oak--it does not weather well at all--white oak
will stand up well. Around here, anyway, Doug fir is at a premium
since it all comes from the West Coast. W/ the housing slump it
might not be as bad; I've not tried pricing recently.


Here in New Hampshire red oak lasts decades and white oak rots
quickly. I recently cut up a red oak trunk that has been lying on the
ground in the woods since the mid 90's. Roughly half the cross
sectional area is still too hard to stick a knife into. What rot there
is penetrated lengthwise much faster than across the grain.

Pressure treated Southern Yellow pine has nearly the same strength as
oak.
http://www.americantimberandsteel.co...d-fencing.html
Oak is stiff but it can be rather brittle.

Something is funny there about the oak, Jim. White oak is used in
boatbuilding because the pores will not wick water like a soda straw,
through capillary action. The pores in white oak are filled with
"tyloses."

Red oak has no tyloses and will wick water. Consequently, red oak
soaks up water, holds it in its pores, and rots easily. White oak does
not.

It's hard to explain your experience. There is a thousand years of
boatbuilding experience behind the preference for white oak.
And about the same length of Cooperage experience.