i64 THE TIMBERS OF THE WORLD 



3. Japanese : derived from two closely-allied species. 



For decorative purposes commercial oak is supplied in the form of 

 boards and so forth of two kinds : wainscot or quartered oak, and plain 

 or bastard sawn oak. As plain oak is sometimes supplied in fulfilling 

 contracts demanding wainscot oak, it is necessary to have a clear know- 

 ledge of the meaning of the latter description. This can be acquired by 

 a consideration of the history of its manufacture and the origin of the 

 term " wainscot." 



Oak and other straight-grained European timbers cleave most 

 readily along the grain in the direction of the medullary rays, and this 

 is particularly true when these are broad and deep. In such a case 

 the splitting takes place along the deep rays which are thus exposed, 

 and produces the " silver grain " familiar in oak. When oak is thus 

 split into thin boards these are wedge-shaped (being thinner towards 

 the middle), and such are termed " clap-boards," and are still so known 

 in the United States. Their shape particularly adapted them for use as 

 shingles for roofs. The word " clap-board " itself denotes the mode of 

 preparation, as it means a board produced by cleavage (cf. German 

 word klaffen, to split asunder). For panelling, such boards were worked 

 on the face side, so that ancient oak panelling shows the clash or silver 

 grain broadly spread over the surface to an extent unobtainable by 

 means of the saw, except in isolated cases. Wainscot boards thus 

 prepared by cleavage were imported into England at a very early date. 



According to Professor Joseph Wright, the word " wainscot " is of 

 Dutch origin. The early Dutch form of the word is waeghe-schot, in 

 which weaghe (Old English, waeg ; German, Wege) means a wave, and 

 schot, a partition, a closure of boards. Thus, according to Professor 

 Wright, the " wave " refers to the wavy pattern on the wood (the silver 

 grain caused by the medullary rays). " Schot " may refer to the mode 

 of preparation, by which the wood was cleft or partitioned into boards, 

 or to the purposes fulfilled by these in the construction of partitions in 

 a house. Professor Wright states that in the seventeenth century, or 

 possibly earlier, waeghe-schot became wagenschot, as the first element of 

 the word was popularly associated with wagen (a waggon, a wain). This 

 verdict is of significance from two points of view : 



(i) It shows that the word wainscot was applied to a wood showing 

 silver grain, the oak, and that this was necessarily divided along the 

 medullary rays. 



(2) It denotes that the apphcation of the word wainscot to any kind of 

 wood not cut on the quarter, is illegitimate. 



Professor Skeat, however, says that the word is a corruption of the 

 Old Dutch waeghe-schot, wall-hoarding, from the Old Dutch waeg, a wall, 

 and schot, a partition. 



