J 7 U • "" TORJgT J'RODUCTS LABO RATORY t FORES I SERVICE U. S. DEPARIMKM 51 AGRICULTURE VENEER CUTTING AND DRYING PROPERTIES WATER OAK MM li u, By common usage the terra water oak includes 'hot only Quercus nigra but also willow oak (Q . phellos ) and laurel oak (Q. laurifolia ), and may include such other species as overcup oak (Q. lyrata )7 The species are conmon throughout the southern and southeastern States, being found chiefly along the borders of streams and swamps and in the rich bottom- lands of rivers.— Water oaks as a group are relatively fast in growth rate. There- fore, the grain pattern of rotary- cut veneer may be somewhat coarser than that of the more commonly used oaks. In color the wood has a somewhat brown-gray cast. In density and in their various mechanical properties, the water oaks are not greatly different from most of the other commer- cially used oaks . As with the other oaks, the green or wet wood will stain to a blue-black color when held in contact with iron for any length of time. Water oak veneer may be used for containers of various kinds, in- cluding fruit crates, wirebound boxes, shingle boards, and the like. Some water oak has also been used in making up plywood panels for general utility, for which purpose it is well suited wherever its color and grain are acceptable. Plywood made from selected veneer may also be suitable for furniture construction and for such special products as plywood flooring .£ Selection, Handling, and Preparation of Logs for Cutting Veneer- cutting tests were made on four different lots of water oak logs obtained from widely separated locations in the south The logs were fairly representative of both good and poor quality for the species (table 1). On the basis of the defects observed in the logs, it appears that the main defects to be avoided in veneer logs are grub holes (often visi- ble on the cut cross section of the log), knots, sweep and crook, exces- sive butt swell (sometimes badly fluted), and irregular cross-sectional outline of the log. iBetts, H. S. The Oaks. American Wood Series. Forest Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture. 19^5- ^Fleischer, H. 0. The Utilization of Water Oak fc- BT. Lumberman, Vol. 173, No. 2177. 19U6- Eeport No. D1766-1 f May 1950 1 Maintained at Madison 5, Wisconsin in cooperation with the University of Wisconsin Agriculture ■ Madison Some water oak bolts end-checked badly as soon as they were cross- cut. Others end-checked during storage. Protective end coatings were helpful for logs that were stored.^ Keeping the storage period to a mini- mum was also definitely helpful. The best cutting was accomplished when the wood was heated at l80° to 200° F. At these temperatures the veneer could be cut smooth and tight. However, excessive end splitting as well as some internal split- ting occurred in the logs whenever the heating temperature was l60° F. or higher. At these temperatures the bolts occasionally broke out of the chucks as a result of excessive splitting, or in some cases the chucks turned in the bolt ends. When cutting unheated bolts, on the other hand, it was possible to produce usable but badly checked veneer, and occasional hard knots nicked the medium- temper lathe knife. The optimum heating tem- perature therefore appeared to be 1^0° to 150° F., at which temperature end splitting was not objectionable and the yield of split- free veneer was higho Cutting at this temperature did not adversely affect smoothness but did result in more looseness in the veneer, even with the best cutting technique . Heating in multiple -bolt lengths and cross cutting to veneer bolt lengths after heating was found to be advantageous for producing a higher percentage of split-free veneer. Debarking of veneer logs was difficult when they were heated at 1^0° to 150° F., whereas it was relatively easy at l80° F. or higher, Mechani- cal debarking equipment would, therefore, be helpful with this species. From these tests it seems that water oak veneer logs 8 feet long or longer might well be heated in water at 150° F., for the following periods: Average log diameter Required heating time Inches Hours 12 5 18 2k 2k 50 30 85 This schedule can be approximated, from the practical standpoint, by laying aside the logs of larger diameters for heating over the weekend. 5 —Southern Forest Experiment Station. Prevention of Deterioration in Stored Southern Hardwood Logs, New Orleans. 19^9 • Report No. DI766-I -2- Lathe Settings The lathe settings- given in table 2 were found suitable in most cases for producing good water oak veneer. Veneer Drying Most of the green water oak veneer had a moisture content of from 70 to 100 percent. The drying schedules in table 3 produced good results in drying veneer to a moisture content of 8 to 10 percent in a laboratory model progressive type veneer dryer. Because of local variability in moisture con- tent within the log, it was sometimes necessary to increase the drying time as much as kO percent. In a large mechanical dryer operating in a commercial plant, the veneer was dried to an average moisture content of 5 percent. The time required at 315 ° F. for 1/15- inch veneer was 16 minutes, and that for l/7-inch veneer was ^h minutes. Tangential (crosswise) shrinkage during drying to 5 percent moisture content was 12 percent of the green width, and that to 8 to 10 percent mois- ture content was 10 percent, In general, the veneer dried well in the mechanical dryer at all drying temperatures investigated. Some honeycomb and collapse occurred in the thicker veneer (l/8-inch) cut from bolts heated at l80° F. or higher, and numerous hair-line checks developed in veneer of all thicknesses regardless of cutting or drying conditions . In kiln drying the water oak veneer, it was found necessary to use re- lief stickers or finger racks to permit shrinkage and yet prevent excessive wrinkling and buckling. Veneer Yields Observations were made at a commercial plant of the cutting of 8,538 board feet (Doyle rule) of water oak and willow oak logs. The logs were of relatively low quality. Consequently, considerable waste developed because of the necessary trimming, spurring, and clipping. In this case a total yield of 6,990 board feet of veneer was obtained. All of this veneer was used in making three-ply, h- by 8-foot plywood panels, a large proportion of which were grade 2 on the best face. Gluability The gluing properties of the species have not been completely inves- tigated. Considerable quantities of veneer have been glued into plywood, however, by both hot-press and cold-press methods, and no special difficul- ties have been encountered. It has also been used in plywood in combination with sweetgum. —Fleischer, H. 0. Experiments in Rotary Veneer Cutting. Proceedings, Forest Products Research Society. 19*+9^ Report No. DI766-I -3- k CO CO H o\ o • o M o o • <• p cd 00 CO cd <-\ rH o • •\ >S gg 1 bD e> r-\ cd o • t3 -P P> H Pi O CD o u rQ fl Sh CO o > cy 1 CD u 3 -— ° o ft Pi o CO CO bO 03 o Jh Sh •H CO > >> S-J ^ 03 CD OJ bO o CO o bD P p cd Pi 3 cd Ih CO Pi K\ cd • bD > H cti •H P> •s r .^ •H Sh ^ CD OJ Sh • O t3 P rH Cd CO 0) PQ bO > CO O o H > ti CO ft Sh P> d d •H o3 o -p > o pi ^ CD CO •H u a v - -p o cd TJ r^^ O oh d H -c- u cd o p rA^ O o a rd rC! PI nrf O ft q a of aj H hTN OJ O • S w .. .. <• •■ •• •• •• •• M .. 00 o. 0. 0. •• 0. •• .. o. o. .. u • U Tl -d cd o a Xi cd Sh rH P> rO o p> rH < •H ft Jh g Pi PS Pi H o T3

s a co 0) fn 1 D— Pi H p> H a3 Pi -d • rH O CO P> CO o •H CD Pi bD VO o H Jh bD CO o Jh t§ rQ Cd roy a H Pi o ft O o 03 O H OJ H •H rH o > rH a TJ H s bo m rA OJ -P oi«J p> CO Ih •rH ft ■H o O fii O o 1 CO CO co !m C -p o ■P o o hD p rov p> ft a bD P 1 03 p p p> •H XI ir\ P 1 cd O O pi tj p (D • MD MD c*- H u OJ o r^ •P CO PI O PI cd a o* H| H H OJ OJ o CO ITNO PQ H CO ., .. .0 0. .. 0, 0. .. 0, .. .. ,0 oo •• 0. oo oo OO 0. .. .0 0. CO oo • • .. • 03 o . A H , Hi ^— N Sh • CD B • O CD o CO •\ bO o o rH o d p> Xi 03 • o • -d O Sh o 03 U oo o - >5 CO > a ^ rH CD *^^ 1 o P> bD H > pi > OJ H t3 o o •H O CO H CO — 1 o3 * — , I Pi bD o • r— 1 rH p CO > rH 03 -sh s * rH H Pi o • cd CO > •H 03 Sh OJ l •H o • 2 rH 03 CO rH O «H • Eh bO c— OJ O -P ^i ° c c* > ! ft P> >4 ■H o -P xi o • e P> CO >s Sh Sh Pi +3 o o bD o o ■d Pi bOP 1 rH O 03 p p -^t •H xi • • o o Pi -d p Pi -P H rQ p I cd o cd a cy H| r-i H VD H H CO ° • o p^ 1 Sh O •• .. • • c. 00 ■ o • .. OO o. oo CO oo oo oo J. oo 0. .o .. o. 0. .. .. .. oo o i .. oo ,. o. 00 bD CQ - cd Pi o CO CQ PI •H o •

.- — V M T) w o 1 o • H CD H CO o3 CD O Pi o o p> >s a i Pi > c o -p C5 •H bo o3 . . bD cd p ^! o -p •H cr •H CO c rC o pi . *\ -1 Sh -3- o <+H • o o -p Pi H I 1 -P Pi a X) cd Sh o CD "^~^, 1 O • o rH cd C, Pi co •H Sh o O u > OJ H TJ o ■> ' ■r! P« P> O Sh •H •» •H cd i Pi CO CO • Tj Sh o< T H •H ■H ^ ft *v — 1 o3 s LfA s ^ o rH -p bO • Pi P> P ft H O r*i •H Sh rH -p •H PI o • cd cd > Sh CC 1 ft rH a P o S bO cd CO O ft •H • o Pi CO 4J ' o CO •H •H H O -=fr +J u CO P • • CO •H CD cr ■H 1 Sh p a > rH Pi P> o ^-v^ Cti c • -p t-J bD Pi 4- cd T3 cd h a Sh CO 03 • p H OJ > Pi O 3 • o Pi O C Sh Pi X o o O rl • Of -=t OJ l "^~^ •H o • o ^ •H rH > ui bD W w rQ O |X| p s a? r HI -J- H ir\ rH H CO • * P cd Sh cq oo oo 00 oo oo • • • a • • p Pi P •H O > PI 1 a; PI H rH p cd >> • o o -P • • •H • • cd cd •H cd H • • H • =H • p o rH rH CO '3 p H co • CO CD H • Xi •\ o • CO rH bD cd -p Pi cd bO • bO •N a Jh > o •H (h O +J p> •H CO T^ fn bj ) s o - o bO rH •H CD •H to Pi O H bD 0) P ft § CQ a a) ft T3 rH *\ •H P> •H cd O H -P *r- X o O P> ^ P U O -p ft Pi rH aj d 4- o O -H CD rH CD d CO o PI P> ■H cd a Pi CO Sh o 3 4^ Jh O rg H Pi bO r* (U •H -H -P o <+H •H o F- P -p pi CD bO Go CD fl ft o ft PI co o o o 4J O B u E pi pi O ft P o •H •H cd o O > > X o o co co fe PI P ft CO H O < < H H H Oil Report No. D1766-1 Tab le 2 . - - Lathe settings used for water oak veneer Veneer : Knife angle : Horizontal : Vertical thickness : nosebar opening : nosebar opening Inch Degrees- Minutes : Inch : Inch 1/20 90-15 0.013 : 0.01+5 1/16 90-00 .016 .055 1/8 ; 89-^0 .027 .115 i/6 ; 89-35 : .028 : • 155 Table 3 .-- Drying schedules for water oak veneer Veneer thickness Inch Temperature in dryer : Time in dryer Report No. DI766-I k UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 3 1262 08924 4676