Oak is a hard and heavy wood with medium bending strength and has a high crushing strength. A good wood for steam bending. High resistance to wear. Oak represents almost 37% of total American hardwoods commercially used. Cut oak dries very slowly. Oak does machine quite well and can be nailed and screwed although because of its hardness may require pre-boring due to the hardness of the wood. Can be stained in a wide range of finishes. The wood is primarily straight grained with a coarse texture. Oak is used in furniture, flooring, millwork, paneling and cabinets. (Rollover images to left for bigger image)