CATALOGUE OF THE TIMBERS OF THE WORLD 169 



disadvantageous. The colour varies from a pale yellow brown through 

 various shades to a light brick-red. The wood of Q. alba " is of a pale 

 reddish-brown, straight-grained, moderately hard and compact, tough, 

 strong, and of fair durability. Being remarkable for its elasticity, planks 

 cut from it may, when steamed, be bent into almost any form of curve, 

 no matter how difficult, without danger of breaking or splintering. This 

 characteristic renders it especially valuable for shipbuilding purposes. 

 The wood opens very sound ; and as it shrinks but little, and almost 

 without splitting, during the process of seasoning, there is nothing to 

 prevent its extensive use in railway carriage-building, civil architecture, 

 and generally in the domestic arts. ... In the experiments that were 

 made, it was found white oak compared very favourably with all the foreign 

 oaks, but proved to be slightly inferior in strength to the English oak " 

 (see tables of experiments, p. 350 et seq.). So wrote Laslett in 1875, and 

 it would be impossible to give a better description. 



Of late years the logs have occupied a very important place, as they 

 yield strong timber of long length up to over 60 feet, and large squares, up 

 to 2 feet 6 inches, perhaps more, of clean, straight grain and good quality. 

 This, however, is neither of the same character nor of so high a standard 

 as the old shipments. It is used mostly in railway carriage and waggon 

 building. The timber is not very durable and should not be used in 

 England in those places where it is required to remain sound for a great 

 number of years, although much can be done to increase its durability 

 by a wise system of ventilation around those parts which are built into 

 walls. Unfortunate results with American oak beams were experienced 

 in its use for the roof and other places in the museum at Barnard Castle. 

 The especial qualities of toughness and elasticity, together with a plentiful 

 supply of long lengths of straight grain which can be easily obtained free 

 from knots, give the planks and waggon scantlings a very justifiable 

 popularity. An enormous quantity has been used for sills for windows, 

 this being principally due to the low price at which it has been provided, 

 as for such purpose it is doubtful if it is sufficiently durable. Planks and 

 boards for decorative work are obtainable in what is termed " plain " 

 or " quarter sawn." The plain boards are sawn so that the surface 

 shows the tangential section, while the quarter sawn displays the radial 

 (see diagram, p. 170). 



A boxed heart square is generally taken from the heart. 



It will be seen that quarter sawing entails greater cost and more 

 waste, which consequently makes it more expensive. Immense quantities 

 of these descriptions have been used in every kind of cabinet, building, 

 and decorative work. The product of the log is handled as it comes 

 from the saw and is selected into grades according to an inspection 

 regulation decided by the National Hardwood Lumber Association. 



