Oak Timber - Decay? Bark?

[markyuk]

Apologies if this isn't the right place (or forum!) and for what may be a very silly query.

 

A quick question about this bit of oak - mostly for my education than anything else as I'm no tree or wood expert.

 

Is the paler wood on the edge 'sapwood'? Why does some oak hardly have any whilst this piece seems to have lots?

 

What do people do with the sapwood (other than steer clear of bits of timber with it on ) leave it? treat it? cut it off? On sanding it it feels very soft.

 

Thanks in advance and feel free to pass me the dunces hat...

[sloth]

Yes it's sapwood. There's variations between species, growing conditions and even within the same tree. Can't comment on what to do with it in a woodwork sense though, other than to say the sapwood will rot quickly outside...

[agg221]

Yes, the white bit is sapwood. The sapwood is the 'living' part of the tree so tends to be thicker in healthy, open grown trees in good soil in their prime and thinner in cramped trees in poor soil which have died slowly. It also varies with species - sweet chestnut is usually only 1/8" while a 2' walnut can sometimes have no heartwood at all. I wouldn't say that is particularly wide for oak.

 

Sapwood is not durable. On oak it will often rot away, even on standing dead trees. The whiteness and softness on that bit strongly suggests decay is quite advanced. It might be possible to stabilise it by soaking it in acrylic resin but generally the best option when it's like that is to remove it. Hacking it off with a hatchet or a chisel and then removing the rest with a horse rasp across the grain or a sanding disc on an angle grinder is the easiest way I have found.

 

Alec

Edited July 1, 2017 by agg221