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How to Choose an Oak Office Desk

What is Oak?

Why would you consider an oak office desk? Oak is a hardwood tree. It is a favorite of woodworkers because the finished product can be the most beautiful piece of furniture you will see. Most American colonial furniture and those built by early English craftsmen are oak.

An oak office desk will have qualities of durability, strength and hardness. It is a heavy dense wood, showing great qualities of shock and wear-resistance. The grain and color of oak lends itself well to all kinds of furniture. The ray-like grain patterns of oak are said to reflect light. Patterns in the wood of an oak office desk are sure to be distinctive.

Oak has many species. There are variations within these species. There is English Oak and American Oak. Then there are the American Red Oak and American White Oak varieties.

Which Oak Office Desk Is For You?

It would be hard to spot the difference if you do not have a background. The variations within species will give different characteristics to oak furniture, depending on which specie was used. To help you choose your oak office desk, here is an overview of types:

European Oak – Century old churches and ships were made of this wood. Quality furniture in the 16th century was made of this wood. The pale golden yellow color of European Oak mellows to a deep brown with age. They are very hard to come by nowadays. Instead, there is a variety of English oak used to make the oak office desk and other furniture. Brown English oak is a popular variety. When looking at these, always check the nails. High tannin content will eventually corrode steel and iron nails in an English oak office desk. Galvanized nails or wooden joinery techniques such as doweling or dovetails are advisable.

American Oak – This is more affordable than the European variety, mostly due to the charges in shipping. Although the characteristics of the wood will vary with each specie, all oak wood types are well known for durability, hardness, and strength. If you see an antique oak office desk, chances are it is made of American oak. The tree is seen to be widespread throughout the hardwood forests in the eastern part of the country. It comes in two distinct varieties, the red oak and the white oak.

Red Oak – These are more abundant than the white oak varieties. In an American red oak office desk you will notice the rough open grains, and the straight line ray patterns. The color will range from white to a light brown for the sapwood; and a pink-red brown for the heartwood. Its name is derived not from the color of the lumber, but from the leaf color as it changes in autumn. The slow growing big red oak is mostly seen in North American forests.

White Oak - This variety is called the classic American oak. It closely resembles the European oak in color and texture. The ray-like patterns of a white oak office desk will be noticeably longer than the red oak. The texture ranges from medium to coarse. The grains are more closely grouped and therefore the wood is less reactive with water and moisture. The colors range from light to dark brown. The wood, quite akin to European oak, will react to iron and needs the same specific joinery. Wood supply will be chiefly from the South (the southern Appalachians, the south Atlantic, and the central states); with some of the timber coming from the east such as Maine to Texas.

Where to Buy Oak Office Desk

High end furniture stores will be sure to have an oak office desk and other oak office furniture in stock. These very same stores will sometime offer an oak office desk at lower prices during special sales such as end-of-year clearance sales, floor sample sales, or the occasional closeout sale. Then there are alternative venues such as in an antique sale, garage sales, and at auctions.

Gaining widespread popularity is shopping online. Online stores are convenient and might actually cost you less when buying oak office desk and other office furniture.