# pin oak vs red oak



## nblasa

I'm sure that this question has come up before, but the search feature was no help. Does anyone have a useful way to distinguish between red oak and pin oak? (other than cutting down the tree) The leaves are so similar that I have a hard time distinguishing between the two.


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## dat

from what I remember a pin oak kinda has a more squared trunk than a red oak, but I'm just going om memory from cutting firewood


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## ETWW

Here's a link to a good description of the difference between the two.

http://www.ehow.com/how_8233381_identify-oak-vs-pin-oak.html


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## McBryde

Pin oaks have pointed leaves and red oaks have rounded leaves.
Just remember P is for Pin and Pointed and R is for Red and Rounded.

E


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## nblasa

McBryde said:


> Pin oaks have pointed leaves and red oaks have rounded leaves.
> Just remember P is for Pin and Pointed and R is for Red and Rounded.
> 
> E


I thought white oak had rounded leaves.


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## TexasTimbers

A pin oak is in the red oak (lobotae) section. Red oak species have pointed lobes. White oak species have rounded lobes on their leaves. When you ask how to tell the difference between "a red oak" and a "pin oak" be sure you know which species of red oak you are trying to identify. 

Is it northern red oak? Southern red oak? Is it a shumard oak? Blackjack oak?


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## nblasa

Yeah, didn't know how ignorant I was, so thats nice to realize :yes:. I live in Illinois and I have been told that pin oak is no good for woodworking because of all the knots from dead branches. I don't know much about species, and I'm just trying to figure out which of my trees would be worth milling. I'll make a point to do more homework next time, just trying to take the easy route by asking you guys. Thanks for all the input.


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## dat

I kinda like knots in lumber, it makes a plain old board stand up and holler for you to look at it


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## HomeBody

Red oak branches sweep upward, white oak outward, and pin oak downward. 

I've had pin oaks in my yard for many years. The reason that pin oaks have drooping branches is because they can't shed their leaves during a drought. To conserve moisture, the lower branches droop to lessen the evaporation rate of the ground around the tree. They also have a shallow root system which makes them good for transplanting.

I had the biggest pin oak in Macon County IL in my yard until it was hit by lightning twice. We had to take it down. It was cut up for firewood but I saved one small piece for nostalgia. I wasn't into wood that much back then. Here is what it looks like quarter sawn. I don't remember seeing any pin knots, but this was from a 36" dia. tree. Gary


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## nblasa

thanks for all the input guys. Since posting this thread I've realized that there is so very much that I just didn't know, and I'd like to learn more. Does anyone know of a good book or website with info for people who want to learn more about milling lumber? I'd like to know more about identifying different species, which ones are good for projects or furniture, and what to look for in a tree when deciding if it would be good for milling.


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