The Framers Forum

What are these marks? Would you avoid these for a job/should I ask my supplier to replace?

Thanks,
AMF

Medullary rays. They can be quite desirable on some furniture items, doors etc but quite distracting on frames. Nothing much you can do about it bar request avoidance when ordering

https://www.houseofoak.co.uk/blog/post/ ... n-oak-wood


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Absolutely knot (see what I did there?!). I think they're really special on the right piece. When you deal with the same old barewood timber every day, the medullary rays once polished can glimmer in the light and I save it for when there's one special piece. I tell the customer how unique it is. I wouldn't mix it with plain though obviously. You can always ask your barewood supplier to grain match you delivery which usually ensures an even colour tone at least between sticks.
Here's some I did earlier.

Medullary rays. Those would be described as prime cut oak.

Do as justintime suggests; set them aside and up-sell them to your discerning customers.

They appear on an incidental basis, when an oak log is planked. This is when they just shove the oak tree into the saw-mill and take out the greatest number of usable boards.

To deliberately cut out boards with the medullary rays showing is called quarter-sawing and that's where they have to keep rotating and re-positioning the tree trunk between each cut and that costs a lot more in time and wastage.
What you do get however is a beautiful fine and close grained timber, much sought after for high class furniture and specially selected picture framing.

Many thanks for all of the above, I’ve gone ahead and used it on the frame in question and will explain to the customer what the marks are, fingers crossed they like it!

Just to add that one of the questions I get asked by customers collecting their work, is if I like it. I duly say how great I think it looks and pick out a particular element of my design that I like and explain why. Don't underestimate the importance the customer places on your opinion.