Among the wood species used in construction, interior decoration and furniture production, oak occupies a special place. Its valuable performance properties make it available for various applications and allow it to be used in a wide range of carpentry work.
Brief description of oak tree
The lifespan of an oak tree is on average 300-500 years. The bark is dense, wrinkled in appearance. The leaves are carved, slightly elongated, rounded at the ends.
- Can grow in height up to 30-40 m.
- It begins to bloom at the age of 40-50 years, in May.
- Flowers – beautifully hanging, 2-3 cm earrings.
- The fruits are acorns that ripen in the fall, every 5-8 years.
They are smooth to the touch, with a beautiful rough “hat”, have a yellowish tint and small longitudinal stripes.
How to make an original children's table from oak: step-by-step instructions
If you have oak scraps, you can make an original children's table.
Table 3. Instructions for making a table
| Illustration | Description |
| Step 1 | From the available oak board scraps, you need to select 4 elements of the required size. |
| Two oak boards 90 cm long are cut and jointed to make a tabletop. |
| Step 3 | The boards are glued together, the required tabletop shape measuring 50 x 80 cm is cut out, and the surface is sanded. The height of the finished product should be 50 cm. |
| Grind the trimmings. |
| The parts are tinted with stain. |
| Step 6 | Decorative butterflies are installed and the ends of the tabletop are tinted. |
| Step 7 | The trimmings are fixed with dowels and glue. |
| Step 8 | Pre-made and stained legs made from oak round timber are fixed to dowels and glue. |
| Step 9 | The product is varnished. |
Expert advice
Table 4. Tips from a woodworking expert
| Illustration | Description |
| Tip 1: choosing an idea | The manufacture of solid wood furniture should begin with choosing an idea and forming an idea of the appearance of the future product. You can get inspiration from videos, thematic magazines and articles. |
| To visualize an idea, you can use special computer programs or sketch a sketch on paper. It is worth performing several options so that you can choose the best one. A sketch drawn by hand allows you to determine the shape and general appearance of the product. |
| Tip 3: calculating the number and size of parts | Product detailing includes a list of main elements, parts, their sizes, methods and places of fastening. The assembly sequence of the product is determined. First, the frame is assembled, then the supporting elements. After this, the remaining parts are built up. |
| Tip 4: Careful selection of material | When selecting material, not only the attractiveness of the texture, but also the direction of the fibers is taken into account. The type of wood cut is also taken into account. Radial cut material is recommended to be used for the manufacture of facades and front parts of products, since it is least susceptible to shrinkage, swelling and warping. |
| It is advisable to take the measurement several times - an error of 5 mm can ruin all the work. |
| Incorrect adjustment of cutting angles, poor adjustment of the width and depth of the groove, depth and thickness of the tenon lead to undesirable results - poor assembly of the product and mismatch of individual structural elements. It is advisable to have a sample piece. |
Video - Manufacturing technology of designer oak furniture
Usage
Medicinal purposes. Oak bark has found application in medicine. It contains tannins up to 20%, natural antiseptics, pectin, starch, tannin. Tinctures and decoctions that have an anti-inflammatory effect are made from the bark.
The bark and leaves are also used in the form of tinctures, tea or as an external antiseptic.
Construction and ornamental material
Oak wood has high strength due to its dense structure. A characteristic feature is resistance to moisture and various fungi. This is a good ornamental and building material.
The texture is beautiful, brown or yellow-brown in color, no additional coloring is required. It is recommended to coat the surface of oak products with transparent varnish.
The main characteristics of wood: density - about 700 kg/m3, high compressive strength (50 MPa), bending (95 MPa), tensile strength (118 MPa).
Oak wood is used:
- When constructing the main parts of wooden ships and underwater structures;
- During the construction of various structures;
- In cooperage;
- In the furniture industry;
- For the manufacture of parquet.
Winter oak is used in furniture, parquet, and carpentry production, and summer oak is used in construction and crafts. To give wood a more decorative appearance, staining is used (keeping oak in water for several years).
The color becomes darker, acquiring an aristocratic appearance. It is better to dry oak wood naturally, otherwise it may crack. Woodworkers use a decoction of oak bark to achieve the effect of ebony.
Landscape design
Oak is a sought-after element in garden landscape architecture. These noble giants are often planted in parks and decorate boulevards and alleys. The spreading crown, the rich palette of leaves, the power and royalty of the oak create an atmosphere of mystery and serenity.
In palace and manor parks of the 18th-19th centuries, oak was used as a tapeworm; it was usually planted in front of the facade of the house.
Features of care
After installation, floor coverings and other finishing products must be impregnated with antiseptic agents to prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi. It is better to choose natural products based on beeswax.
Photo - Evelina Bilkis
Furniture bought in a store is already impregnated with the necessary substances. If you make your own products, you should apply synthetic antiseptics or natural oils annually.
In the hallway near the door, the floor is covered with a rug; frequent contact with sand and dirt will ruin the surface of the parquet.
Main varieties of oak
There are about six hundred species of this mighty tree. Of all the variety of oak trees, they all grow in the Northern Hemisphere, and only a few can be found in the Southern Hemisphere.
Petiolate (Common)
Grows in European Russia. A favorable environment is organic soil with minerals. The tree is light-loving, not afraid of winds, and tolerates frost and drought well. It grows in height up to 50 m. This species can live up to 2000 years. Average age is 500-800 years.
Fluffy
Habitat: Southern Europe, Crimea, Asia Minor. The curved trunk is the main difference from other varieties. It has a beautiful crown, quite voluminous. It grows slowly, reaches a height of 12 m. Deciduous type, thermophilic.
Grows in well-lit areas. Nearby you can find various mushrooms, including boletus and chanterelles.
Red
The homeland of this species is Canada. Leaves are bright red. Found in mixed forests. It also grows in hilly areas. The shape of acorns is round.
- Distinctive feature: properties against pathogens.
- The tree has high frost resistance and tolerates shade well.
- Growing quickly. It is valued in landscape design due to its spectacular crown.
It is actively used in the production of parquet boards, barrels, boats, and furniture.
maple leaf
Growing in the USA. The shape of the leaves of this oak resembles maple leaves, which turn red in the fall. The height of such trees is about 15 meters. On the verge of extinction, heavily guarded.
Rocky
Can be found in the Caucasus, northern Crimea, Scandinavia, and Great Britain. Favorite places are mountain slopes and rocky areas. Loves good lighting. Prefers calcareous soil.
This species attracts with its luxurious appearance, spreading crown, and longevity.
Virginia
The tree grows in the USA, Crimea, Caucasus (coast). Prefers acidic soils and swamps.
- The tree has a voluminous root system, so it is not afraid of winds and hurricanes.
- The crown grows well in width. The wood of this variety is particularly durable.
Black
This species grows in Western Europe and several American states. The trunk diameter is up to 1.0 meters. Grows near rivers and swamps. Virtually no maintenance required. It is easy to grow from an acorn. Widely used in the construction of houses. It is actively used in the production of furniture.
Serrated
Grows in Korea, China, Russia (Primorsky Territory). It grows quickly, can reach a height of 20 m, trunk girth up to 1.0 meter. Loves sunny places. It is protected because it is on the verge of extinction.
Mongolian
Found in the Far East, southern Sakhalin, Korea, and Mongolia. The lifespan of a tree is up to 700-800 years. It grows slowly. Tolerates wind, drought, and cold well. The wood is used for interior decoration, furniture production, and ships.
Chestnut leaf
Distribution area: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Northern Iran. The trunk can grow up to 30-40 meters. The crown is in the form of a dome. Excellent shade tolerance. It is highly resistant to frost. The species is listed in the Red Book.
Content
- 1 Basic values:
- 2 Antiquity
- 3 Northern tradition
- 4 Europe
- 5 Baltic
- 6 Slavs
- 7 Central Asia/Mongolia
- 8 China
- 9 Japan
- 10 North America
- 11 Bible / Old Testament
- 12 Judaism
- 13 Christianity
- 14 Magic
- 15 Heraldry
- 16 Emblems
- 17 Art
- 18 ad vocem
- 19 Literature
- 20 Notes and comments
See also:
Tree Acorn World Tree Mistletoe
Diseases and pests of oak
Despite its power, the tree is susceptible to disease. The main diseases of oak are bacterial and fungal, which damage the root and trunk system of the tree. These include pathogenic fungi and bacteria, such as: parasitic marsupial fungus, transverse cancer, bacterial dropsy.
The most dangerous pests include beetles, mites, and caterpillars.
Oak trees are often infected with powdery mildew. Depending on the cause of the disease, it is necessary to spray the crown with special preparations and make the necessary injections inside the trunk.
Interesting Facts
- There are many representatives of oaks that have received their own names, for example: Tsar Oak, Chapel, Granitsky (a landmark in Bulgaria, the tree is 2000 years old).
- The bark of some oak trees is used to make bottle caps.
- You can use acorns to prepare interesting and tasty dishes and a tonic drink (like coffee).
- Many elite cognacs are aged only in oak barrels, which gives them a delightful taste and aroma.
- The image of oak is often mentioned in folklore, fairy tales, proverbs, folk traditions and beliefs.
- 80 years of married life - an oak wedding.
Antiquity
Moreover, in Ancient Greece, large specimens of oak were considered statues of Zeus
In the Greco-Roman tradition it is dedicated to Zeus (Jupiter). Every year the wedding of Jupiter and Juno was celebrated in the oak grove, and the participants in the ceremony wore wreaths of oak leaves. A wreath of oak leaves was awarded for saving a human life and for winning the Pythian Games. The oak is the emblem of Cybele and Silvanus, and in Greece - Philemon, as a symbol of commitment to marriage and marital happiness. Dryads were oak nymphs.
Tree dedicated to Jupiter and Sibyl. According to legend, the club of Hercules was made from oak (8). The fact that the oak is sacred to Jupiter may be explained by the ancient belief that the oak attracts lightning more than any other tree.
In the folk ideas of antiquity, oaks were considered as living creatures, the habitat of special nymphs (patrons of trees) - dryads (from the Greek drys - oak), associated by their origin with the oak genus.
Cybele, Juno, and other mother goddesses were associated with the oak tree, and the dryads were nymphs of the oak tree. According to Greek legend, Hecracles (Hercules in Roman mythology) had an oak club;
In Dodona, the priests “read” the will of Zeus in the rustling of the leaves of the sacred oak tree.
Another myth tells about Philemon and Baucis, an old couple who were given longevity by Zeus and Hermes for their loyalty and love for each other. The old people loved each other so much that they asked the gods to let them die on the same day. After death they turned into oak and linden.
In Greece, an oak branch symbolized the strength, power and nobility of the clan; the bravest warriors were awarded oak wreaths. Bowing before the oak tree, the Greeks dedicated it to Apollo, the patron of the arts. In Ancient Rome, the oak was dedicated to the main god - Jupiter, and acorns were called Jupiter's fruits. The famous Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder wrote that oaks “have not been touched for centuries, they are the same age as the world, they amaze with their immortality, as one of the wonders of the world.”
Therefore, it is no coincidence that in antiquity the oak was considered sacred and was associated with the god of lightning and sky Zeus (Jupiter). In the sacred grove there was an oak tree of Dodona, the rustling of its leaves was listened to, believing that this was how the will of Zeus was conveyed. In Ancient Rome, there was an oak grove on Lake Nemi, ruled by a forest king, dedicated to Jupiter, and an oak wreath was a sign of the dignity of ancient Italian rulers.
Dedicated to Zeus, Jupiter and Hercules, the oak played a huge role in Greek mythology: oracles were depicted under the canopy of sacred oak trees that surrounded the altar of Zeus.
In ancient Rome, a wreath of oak leaves was given to soldiers who saved the life of a comrade during a battle. Such a wreath later became an emblem of freedom, courage, and bravery.
The inhabitants of ancient Arcadia were called “descendants of the oak tree.” “What family are you from, where did you come from? After all, you didn’t grow out of an oak tree, as in the old fairy tale!” (“The Odyssey” by Homer) - with these words Penelope turned to her returning husband, without recognizing him.
The Thracian women who killed Orpheus were turned into oak trees by Bacchus (Ovid's Metamorphoses). Aeneas, who killed Macentus, bequeathed his sword, shield, spear and helmet with armor to the gods, nailing it all to an oak stump (“Aeneid” by Virgil).
A golden oak branch with mistletoe growing on it is an attribute of the Cuman Sibyl. The same branch, dedicated to Proserpina (Greek Persephone), allowed Aeneas to pass through the gates of the underworld of the dead, and then return with impunity to the world of living people (“Aeneid” by Virgil).
The oak log served as a stand for the sacred fire of the Vestals and for home hearths in Ancient Rome, in which oak logs burned. Ash from oak firewood was usually used to fertilize fields.
Home of nymphs: dryads and hamadryads. Erichthon, son of Triopas in Thessaly, ordered his servants to cut down the sacred oak tree in the forest of Ceres. In this oak tree lived the beloved nymph of the goddess. Ceres cruelly punished the blasphemer, sending him eternal hunger (“Metamorphoses” by Ovid).
“The oak tree, which sways with its top in the heavenly expanse, has spread its roots in the depths of gloomy Tartarus” (“Georgics” by Virgil).
Dedicated to Zeus, Artemis the huntress, Hercules-Hercules, Cybele; the Phoenician god of the underworld - Melkart,
In Dodona and Epirus in ancient Greece, it was in the noise of the crowns of oak trees dedicated to Zeus that the clergy heard the voice of the Supreme God and interpreted it. In addition, pigeons lived in the crown of the mighty tree - their flight was also a subject of interpretation, as was the echo in the depths of the hollow, the murmur of a stream near the roots. “Odysseus was at the sacred oak of Dodon, so that in the rustling of leaves he could hear the will of Zeus: how should he return to his native Ithaca - along the shores or rule on the open sea?” (Homer's Odyssey).
According to ancient Greek legends, the mast of the ship "Argo", on which Jason sailed for the Golden Fleece, was made of oak and warned the hero and his comrades about the dangers that threatened them. Oak is a shrine and sacred tree. In Colchis, the Golden Fleece hung on oak branches and was guarded by a dragon.
Oak tree photo
Judaism
In Jewish tradition, oak is the tree of the Covenant and divine presence.
About one of the sacred oaks of old Beirut, J. Fraser wrote: “This is a sacred evergreen oak growing not far from the edge of the abyss. The population hangs scraps of their clothes on it, believing that this can cure diseases. One of its roots forms an arch, and people suffering from rheumatism or lumbago crawl under it to receive healing. Pregnant women do the same in the hope of an easy birth. On the twenty-first of September, men and women, separately from each other, dance and sing all night at this tree. The holiness of this oak is so great that one skeptic who dared to cut off a branch from it, according to legend, had his hand withered” (Fraser, 1985).
The ancient Jews also had sacred oak trees. It was even forbidden to cut dry branches on them. It is known that various rituals took place under the shade of sacred trees, including religious prostitution. Some of these oaks survive to this day in Palestine in the Jordan Valley (Fraser, 1985).
Among the Jews, Patriarch Abraham treated the angels going to Gomorrah at a spring under an oak tree.
Christianity
In the 15th century, the Lithuanian prince Vladislav Jagiello searched for pagan sacred trees in the forests of Lithuania and destroyed them.
Pagan groves and individual trees were destroyed at one time in Palestine, and “the beautiful country of Palestine, “flowing with milk and honey,” turned into a desert” (Bolsunovsky, 1914).
According to some beliefs, Christ was crucified on an oak cross.
In Christianity - a symbol of Christ as strength, manifested in trouble, firmness in faith and virtue. According to various sources, the cross was made of oak, holly or aspen.
The Prussians had a sacred oak tree called "Romovo". When Bishop Anselm of Ermelan ordered it to be cut down, the local residents refused to do so, and the bishop had to cut down the pagan monument with his own hands (Bolsunovsky, 1914).
In ancient times, long before the Christian era, the Celtic Druids worshiped the oak, and then the veneration of the oak, like many other pagan beliefs, entered Christian symbolism, as a symbol of the veneration of Christ and the Virgin Mary. Oak was one of several types of trees from which the cross of the Lord was believed to be made (see Holly, Aspen). Because of its hardness and endurance, the oak tree has become a symbol of the strength of faith and virtue, as well as the fortitude of Christians in the face of adversity.
the bishop in the act of baptism, when his foot stands on a fallen oak, symbolizes the conversion of the pagans (BONIFACE).
The oak log was lit with merry ceremonies at Christmas in early Christian times.
Oak coffin. Deeply religious Christians often buried their dead in oak coffins, hollowed out from a single trunk or log. The first loud readings of the Gospels were held under oak trees.
Who is it suitable for?
Such a tree will help a career woman move further in her business.
Oak has masculine energy, which is why warriors, veterans and careerists should turn to it first. The tree favors those who are active, who do not give up, who are healthy and who love glory, but does not tolerate the weak and those who complain. For a woman, aggressive energy is more likely to harm and destroy normal relationships with the opposite sex. However, if love and family are not a priority, then a girl can come for help to move up the career ladder, strengthen her character and gain independence.
The exception is women who were born under the sign of Sagittarius - esotericists advise to come to a growing tree every year shortly before their birthday to visualize their desires and goals. A mighty oak will give you strength to realize your dreams and tell you how not to make mistakes. For small children, as well as old people, it is better to choose another plant for recharging, since the thunder tree will not consider them worthy.
Heraldry
Strength, power, beauty.
Oak (sometimes acorn) - (coat of arms, motto) of Pope Sixtus IV, as well as Julius II (Giuliano della Rovera), patron of Leonardo da Vinci, who created his fresco painting of the Vatican and placed this coat of arms there.
The oak tree (or often the acorn) is the emblem (impresa) of Popes Sixtus IV and Julius 11 of the Rovere dynasty. The latter was the patron of Raphael, who executed for him the frescoes in the Vatican Stanzas, where this emblem can be found.
