Yellow oak

[steamboat]

Hello all.
Does anyone know why my oak is yellow in patches and what to do about it. After a bit of research I think it’s probably a fungus that is attacking the wood, the stuff I have read say the staining will eventually fate and disappear, is this true and if not is there something I can do to get ready of the yellowing?

 

[EddieJ]

Is it definitely oak and not chestnut?

 

[moz]

Is this sawn timber or do the patches appear once planed? When you say 'yellow' is it that some patches are lighter than others? Any chance of some pictures?

John

 

[bjm]

There is an explanation for yellow staining in oak. From the abstract it is a fungal problem but as I no longer have access to this journal (and I ain't paying either!) I can't offer any advice based on their findings. You could try meths or acetone (nail polish remover) to reduce the staining (not sure you will remove it completely?)?

Brian

 

[Benchwayze]

Someone asked me this once.
What he thought was a fungus were the medullary rays on a nice piece of quarter-sawn!

 

[steamboat]

It’s definitely Oak, 90m4 of it, and its not medullary rays. I will take a few picture of a box I recently made before I realised it had the staining
thanks all

 

[Anonymous]

Sorry I can't help with why but I do know what you mean and it's not always that clear to see until you get some finish on it. Can't you just machine/cut it out, normally I just keep an eye out for it and bin that section.

Just had a dig round the workshop and it's sods law I can't find any now I want a bit, was gona put a pic up.

I'm sure someone will be along with the in's and out's

 

[rileytoolworks]

Had this recently on a job. Had to replace 14 doors on a media unit as it had yellow staining. Couldn't see it until a finish was applied.
I spoke to the rep from the timberyard and he was dumbfounded. Best he could do was say it was tannin pooling from improper kilning.
If it's the same thing, there was no way we could remove/minimise it.

Adam.

 

[steamboat]

Thanks for all the replies to my question.
I have been doing some research and as an ecologist and not very good mycologist I can confirm that it’s defiantly a fungal infection, thankfully its not weakening the wood it just leaves a yellow stain. I phoned Venable brothers (suppliers of Oak) for their advice; they said there isn’t really anyway of getting rid of the staining so a stain would be best. I contacted Fiddies and the suggested a Napth a stain. I then contacted AG woodcare who put me onto TRADA a timber research organisation who were stumped as well so it would seem I have been very unlucky.
So my conclusions are:
Keep the wood as dry as possible, though storing 90m3 of Oak is a bit tricky
Use an oil finish that penetrates into the wood leaving it a bit darker such as teak oil
Work through a few stains until the yellowing is covered.
The two pictures of the sides clearly show the staining the picture of the top is for comparison as it is fine

hope this helps someone

 

[moz]

Thanks for the pictures. Bad luck. It does look like the effects of a fungus caused by faulty drying, i.e. humidity too high in the kiln and/or not enough air movement. If you don't want to darken the colour through staining, have you considered bleaching first? You may be able to even things out with a wood bleach and then stain to the shade you want. Something like this

https://vault2.secured-url.com/frenchpo ... leach.html

There seem to be various problems around with oak nowadays caused by an inappropriately short turn around. When you ask suppliers they more often than not seem completely ignorant of what you are talking about since few dry their own wood any more. If we rejected more of it, we might start to get somewhere though when it's already together there isn't a lot you can do. Have I understood correctly, you have 90m3 of the stuff?! If it were me, I would be pointing out that the timber is faulty and sending it back. I think any faults that were features of the living tree have to be accepted but not those caused by a cock up in the drying schedule.

John

 

[marcros]

Thanks for all the replies to my question.
I have been doing some research and as an ecologist and not very good mycologist I can confirm that it’s defiantly a fungal infection, thankfully its not weakening the wood it just leaves a yellow stain. I phoned Venable brothers (suppliers of Oak) for their advice; they said there isn’t really anyway of getting rid of the staining so a stain would be best. I contacted Fiddies and the suggested a Napth a stain. I then contacted AG woodcare who put me onto TRADA a timber research organisation who were stumped as well so it would seem I have been very unlucky.
So my conclusions are:
Keep the wood as dry as possible, though storing 90m3 of Oak is a bit tricky
Use an oil finish that penetrates into the wood leaving it a bit darker such as teak oil
Work through a few stains until the yellowing is covered.
The two pictures of the sides clearly show the staining the picture of the top is for comparison as it is fine

hope this helps someone

Did you manage to disguise this yellow stain in the end?

I have just got some qsarter sawn oak, with a few yellow patches in. I can probably cut them out, but am interested in knowing whether it can be lost in the finish.