Believe it or not, the problem with one of America’s most prized interior design products, is too many people are drinking whiskey. That’s the informed opinion of Mike Miller, East Coast Sales Manager for the Frank Miller Lumber Company, a large supplier of white oak to customers around the world. Mr. Miller knows more about white oak than most other people we’ve encountered in over 40 years purchasing high grade wood.
The problem
Rift is a form of white oak planking and veneers beloved for its striped woodgrain and blue-green and gray hues perfectly suited to contemporary design tastes. But, the unusual cell structure of white oak has made logs scarce. This cell structure makes white oak impervious to moisture and, therefore, the perfect planks for whiskey barrels. Other wood species are so porous fermenting whiskey would leak through. Today, the veritable explosion in craft whiskey and bourbon distillers is leading to a worldwide shortage of good white oak. To compound the problem, white oak is also decay resistant, making it popular for outdoor building projects, another drain on supply. Now a perfect storm is also conspiring to hold down the supply of white oak logs. As Mr. Miller noted, “Changes in weather patterns, especially the wet winters we experienced in 2014 and 2018 have made it hard to harvest white oak logs, cutting the available supply even further.”
Further limiting supply is the rift-cutting process, itself. Rift planks are cut from quartered white oak logs in a tilted process making every cut perpendicular to the annual growth rings. This process yields the distinctive striped grain pattern, but means only about 40% of any log is used to create planks. The rest is waste.
Low yield saw mill process. High demand from other industries. Difficult logging conditions. It all adds up to a limited supply of choice rift white oak planks. Supply gets tight, prices go up. However, even with high prices, rift white oak can be a hard commodity to find. If your job can be done with a thin veneer over an mdf, plywood, or particle board surface, the search is easier. However, veneers are not an option in projects where panel edges are exposed, detailed profiles are desired, or durability is imperative (hardwood flooring planks).
The alternatives
This lack of availability has forced many designers to look for alternatives and, fortunately, there are ways to mirror the cool contemporary look of rift white oak. When using darker stains, rift-cut red oak is almost identical to rift white oak in pattern.
If, however, you want to stay with a lighter stain, rift-cut ash is a good alternative solution or plain sawn white oak will provide the same color. Both are slightly easier to find and more economical than rift white oak.
Another alternative wood species that would provide a cooler hue, is hard white maple. The grain pattern is much more subtle than oak, so you won’t be able to match the striping pattern, but the color of the wood is usually even lighter than white oak giving it a cool, contemporary look.
Ultimately, we know that no one should have to compromise, so when the call arrives for rift white oak, we will do whatever we can to source the best rift white oak lumber available. It may take more time than expected, but as the saying goes, “good things come to those who wait”.