The influence of natural conditions on the properties of wood
English oak grows on nutritious soils of the European part of Russia. This is one of the most durable species with positive performance properties, which has made it a valuable material used for house construction. The wood has a pronounced texture (a large number of heart-shaped rays) and a noble color - the core is brown with a green tint.
It is elastic, dense (690 kg/m3), strong, retains its quality when exposed to air, even after being underground or under water for a long time. When processed, it cracks moderately, chips easily, bends without effort, and is well impregnated with modern protective compounds. She is not afraid of fungus.
Bog oak, which has lain in water for a long time, has high decorative significance. Its wood is dark, almost black. After undergoing the etching procedure, the structure becomes voluminous and silky. This is a favorite material when decorating antique-style rooms. The panels are appropriate in living rooms made in a classic style.
Oak furniture style
Thanks to solid wood, it will be possible to recreate the desired atmosphere in each room. Furniture made of oak in classic, ethnic, and modern styles looks very beautiful. Natural solid wood always looks visually better than structures made from MDF and LDF.
From natural wood you can make comfortable cabinet and upholstered furniture. Clear lines, carved details or unusual fittings - all these design solutions will look appropriate depending on the chosen style.
Classic
Most often, furniture and oak flooring are found in classics. Laconic ornaments without flashy decorations and curlicues are welcome here. Preference is given to plain furniture with a straight silhouette and minimal decor. You can dilute the interior with products with rounded and oval backs, carved lines and curved armrests.
Wooden sofas are decorated with upholstery made from natural raw materials. Preference should be given to satin, satin, velvet and silk. Stripes, plain and grassy patterns are always appropriate here. In modern classics, there is an organic combination of plain bright upholstery and cabinet furniture made in brown and dark brown tones.
Provence and country
In the Provence style, oak furniture made in white or beige tones will look most successful. Most often, the surface and body of objects are artificially aged, which is why the effect of light wear gives the room greater ease, as in the French style. The fittings are processed using the patina technique; chrome and shiny parts are inappropriate here.
Preference in country style is given to products with the simplest possible design. When making structures, a minimum of decor is used and wood with rough processing is used. Benches, a simple dining table, a buffet with a distressed effect and kitchen cabinets, like in a country house, will allow you to recreate the rural flavor in the kitchen.
Modern
When arranging a room in this style, furniture with asymmetrical and original shapes is selected. Clear geometric shapes and curved lines are successfully combined here. Plant motifs can be seen not only in the upholstery, but also in the shape of the furniture. The legs of a table or coffee table can be decorated with patterns of flowers or plants.
When choosing products, you should focus on elegant models made in dark colors or a medium degree of saturation. You will find decorative forging in the design, as well as stained glass on cabinets and sideboards.
If you become familiar with all the features of oak furniture, it will be much easier for you to furnish your apartment or country house with taste. Using this type of wood is important for any room. The array has unique properties and is safe for health.
It is also important to consider the main color of the room and style. Oak furniture looks organic in both light and dark colors. When arranging a nursery, you should give preference to a ready-made modular system. In the hallway, a wardrobe and other cabinet furniture in the shade of bleached oak will look best.
Winter or summer oak wood?
To obtain high-quality building material, oak wood is harvested in winter. The trees “sleep”, sap flow slows down and excess moisture is concentrated in the roots, the number of pests is minimal, often there are none at all. A log frame made from it will give less shrinkage.
Summer is humid and there is a high chance of infestation with wood-boring beetles. But in the end, everything depends not so much on the harvesting season, but on compliance with the rules during the process itself, transportation and storage conditions. If the technology is violated, blue spots from wood-staining fungi will inevitably appear, and the process of rotting will also begin.
Is it possible to produce bog oak under artificial conditions?
Thanks to the development of innovation and the movement of technological progress, changing the natural characteristics, properties and performance of natural wood seems possible. Today, scientists are able to successfully imitate the stained wood color, maintaining aesthetic and durable characteristics, and achieving maximum moisture resistance.
Another option is staining oak at home. This option is simple and affordable and is ideal for those who want to get an unusual oak material with silver veins inside.
For this, stain is useful - a special mixture that imitates the color of natural moraine wood.
Apply the product in two stages: the first time on the surface of the wood at a slight slope, making strokes across the grain, the second - along. During work, use a flat, wide brush - a flute, intended for applying stain and simulating imperceptible natural transitions of tones. This is the best tool, characterized by softness and at the same time elasticity of the pile. Stains are often used to imitate the “stained oak” shade of laminate flooring.
Features of working with oak wood
Drying freshly felled oak wood is a labor-intensive process, and one cannot rely only on its natural course. The slightest deviation will lead to the onset of internal cracking. In order for the result to meet all parameters, the moisture content of the board, log, slab, or timber is reduced gradually in two of the possible ways:
- chamber - the procedure includes heating with infrared radiation, direct drying until a given humidity threshold is obtained, and cooling;
- atmospheric - this is a process when raw materials, laid in a special way, gradually lose moisture.
In terms of color range and texture, a dry oak board is a level higher than wood with natural moisture. It is characterized by homogeneity, for this reason it withstands mechanical processing better. Its resistance to putrefactive processes increases, for this reason it is suitable for rooms with different humidity conditions.
You cannot simply hammer a nail or screw in a screw without damaging the surface. If you don't pre-drill a hole, the wood will split. Parts connected with glue hold well. Oak does not like oil - it forms stains on it; it is best to use a quick-drying varnish. Coloring is not recommended, the natural texture is already attractive. Wood with a large width of annual rings is more suitable for construction - it is characterized by wear resistance and immunity to damage.
Useful properties of oak and its characteristics
Oak is a material with an ideal chemical composition. It contains many healthy micro- and macroelements, phytoncides, which are released into the air and have an invisibly beneficial effect on the human body. Due to its composition and beneficial properties, oak is used as firewood in bathhouses and fireplaces. If you put them in the oven or fryer, you get an amazingly tasty meal.
As for performance qualities, oak is characterized by the following:
- high hardness and strength;
- moisture resistance;
- resistance to rotting, fungi;
- heavy weight;
- high density;
- excellent for gluing when assembling structures from several elements;
- slight resinity.
If you decide to buy oak furniture, you definitely won’t regret it; it will please you for a long time. And to choose a really beautiful and high-quality set or individual interior items, choose and purchase them from the Ecofurniture Bio company.
Where is oak wood used?
Finishing materials, in particular oak parquet boards, are in demand in the construction industry. Carpentry companies use oak wood to produce a whole range of products: edged and solid boards, slabs. The products do not lose their attractiveness over time and withstand severe climatic and operational tests. The material is in demand for the construction of various buildings - edged boards serve as a frame for wooden houses; its use is also justified for interior decoration.
Design and characteristics of oak furniture
Any oak furniture in the interior immediately attracts attention with its beauty and solidity. In addition, the material ensures the practical and functional operation of objects, regardless of their intended purpose. In terms of long-term use and preservation of original characteristics, oak furniture is difficult to find analogues. It is reliable, will easily last for more than 100 years, and always remains relevant, despite changing trends in interior design.
The wood texture with clearly defined “veins” gives oak furniture a special elegance and sophistication. You can choose any color according to your preference from a wide range of options from white to brown. This is an ideal option for both a home kitchen or bedroom, living room, and for the office of the head of a reputable company.
Bog oak as a material for creativity
I present to your attention a creative material that many are not yet familiar with - bog oak.
Bog oak is usually called a tree that, for a number of reasons, in its natural form ended up in an aqueous, oxygen-free environment and remained in this “new life” for a long time until it was removed back from the water or peat bog, or sand quarry from great depths.
During long staining, the oak takes on a different color, becoming blue-black with a violet tint and barely noticeable silver veins. Popularly this color is called “crow’s wing” or “anthracite”.
Origin of bog oak.
Bog oak is a unique material that nature spent thousands of years creating; it is mined from the depths of rivers and swamps, in places where oak grew many thousands of years ago. By the will of fate, he did not die in forest fires and was not overcome by disease. As a result of a change in the river bed, the oak tree found itself under a layer of water, where, due to the presence of certain chemical elements in its composition that made it possible to preserve the integrity of the wood, it lived for a huge period of time. And despite the many trials that befell him, he not only survived to this day, but also acquired a number of unique properties and features unique to him. Each bog oak has gone through its own individual, centuries-old path. Therefore, each copy is unique and unrepeatable.
The poison phenol and chemical compounds of tanning oils come out along with water, the texture of the wood becomes denser. Wood after water does not need to be treated with anything, since it has no value for parasites, which is a huge plus. Also, if during life the tree was sick, then a very fast and irreversible process will occur at the bottom of the river, the wood will simply turn into dust, and a healthy tree will lie for centuries, accumulating polyminerals and the positive energy of life and, most importantly, the energy of water.
In general, bog oak amazes the imagination with the history of its creation. Seeing a dried, centuries-old stained tree, you admire the path it had to go through. Particularly striking is the outer layer, consisting of rough plates of natural black coal. You can’t help but think about how much energy was boiling in this tree deep in the water or earth during its second life? How could the outer layer of wood turn into coal without being on fire? And why, already processed, even in the form of a simple polished part, does it radiate soft, gentle energy when touched? After all, it has long been noted that those who come into contact with bog oak are forever captivated by its deep power, beauty and uniqueness.
From my own example, I was convinced that a tree under water can “burn”, becoming overgrown with a layer of coal. In the village where I happen to live at the moment there is a small river along which the red alder tree grows or, as it is commonly called here, “Eloshnik”, wooden spoons are still carved from it, and Semyonov spoons and Khokhloma painting in their time were famous throughout the Soviet Union.
Every time I went out to fish, I saw the trunks of melted Eloshnik in the water and not long ago I decided to get several samples of this stained wood, since I had read earlier that alder has the same staining properties as oak, iron particles settle in it. What a surprise I was when I managed to pull a small trunk ashore, which had been lying in the water for a long time. After clearing the top layer, I discovered a layer of coal. This paradoxical phenomenon actually occurs!
*I’ll write about the stained Eloshnik later, until I’ve studied its properties, let it dry on the shore.
The value of bog oak.
Bog oak is a unique, rare and incredibly expensive wood. It is used to make luxury furniture, parquet flooring and even jewelry, which are extremely strong, unique and durable. It is valued all over the world and its fashion is everlasting, like the fashion for gold and diamonds.
Like gold and platinum from metals, diamond from minerals, bog oak is the most valuable and difficult to obtain of all wood materials created by nature over many centuries and millennia. Its reserves are limited and irreplaceable.
There is no other wood in the world that is equal to bog oak in terms of cultural, historical, religious, and aesthetic parameters. Natural bog oak has long been valued in all countries. Products made from bog oak were recognized decorations in the most exquisite palaces.
But the main value of bog oak is the positive energy charge accumulated over thousands of years by the unique material in different worlds, in the most incredible conditions. By the way, the magic flute from W. A. Mozart’s opera is carved from thousand-year-old oak wood. The magic flute then turns into gold. And cities such as St. Petersburg and Venice still stand on stilts made of oak or larch.
As for the price of this lumber, it reaches half a million per 1 cubic meter. And if we take as an example trunks that are 7-8 thousand years old, then the price will be several times higher, if the volume allows, since very few such trees have been harvested. Once I was asked about the approximate cost if you make carved backgammon + chess to order, I answered that the price of the issue only for the purchase of material would be about 30 thousand rubles, while my reserves are only enough for small crafts, which carry the experience of many years of training in secret knowledge.
Interesting facts: extraction of bog oak is possible only in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus; it is not found anywhere else. During perestroika, they stole everything they could from our country, the bog oak did not go unnoticed and some of our natural heritage went abroad. In America, each bog oak trunk has its own “name” and a unified register is maintained for the manufacture of any products from them.
From the memories of tender years: I remember exactly in the 90s the Japanese offered to clean up a section of the Volga River at the foot of Nizhny Novgorod (then still the city of Gorky) on the condition that they would take for themselves everything they found at the bottom... I don’t remember in what form They were asked to forget this idea, but they never got to the treasure of the river. But in addition to the “piece of iron” there is a lot of melted wood, this was one of the main goals of the would-be encroachers from the land of the rising sun. Later I learned that not only the Nizhny Novgorod authorities received similar proposals, but also in other regions.
Properties of oak.
Oak is one of the most energetically powerful trees in central Russia. Oak in Rus' has always been considered a holy tree, a tree associated with masculine energy and power.
Oak stabilizes the energies of the human body, cleanses the biofield (especially the upper chakras), and fills it with powerful, even, fiery power. The power of oak is akin to the energy of the liver. It helps increase activity and eliminates congestion. The energy of oak has a particularly beneficial effect on the liver itself, on the cardiovascular system and urinary tract, and increases the activity of germ cells (sperm and eggs). Promotes the birth of healthy and strong children.
It conducts the energy of the planet Jupiter into our world and is directly related to the zodiac sign of Sagittarius. These energies determine world processes, the destinies of people and nations, and allow people who have fully mastered them to control their own destinies and the destinies of others. Therefore, oaks are considered sacred trees not only in Russia, but also in all countries where they grow. In practical magic, more is used of its ability to open a person to the Cosmos and information from near-Earth space. Oak stabilizes the energies of the human body, opens and cleanses the subtle bodies and upper chakras, fills us with powerful and even fiery force. These properties are used in medicine. Oak is a conductor tree that connects a person with the world and the Universe. In general, oak increases a person’s strength and energy. Contributes to the growth of his authority, provides protection during magical and religious ceremonies, helps to understand the deep meaning of current events, develops the innate ability for synthesis, and often fuels inspiration in creative individuals. In Ancient Greece, the oak tree was dedicated to Zeus and Hercules. It is a symbol of mental and physical strength, as well as longevity. The oak branch symbolized the strength, power and nobility of the family; oak wreaths were awarded to the bravest warriors. Large specimens of oak were considered statues of Zeus. In Ancient Rome, the oak tree was dedicated to Jupiter, and acorns were called Jupiter's fruits. It was customary to reward a person who saved the life of a Roman citizen with an oak wreath, called the “corona civica.” Among the Slavs, the oak symbolized strength, power and was dedicated to Perun. It was called the Perunov tree.
The Oak Grove is Perun's Grove, where it is not allowed to even break a twig or small twig from the Sacred Oak.
Oak Grove is the first nature reserve where there were no foresters, no guards, no inspectors.
The Thunderer Perun coped with such work very successfully. This order was observed on the land of the Rus-Slavs until recently, while our Ancestors lived in harmony with their own Nature. According to pagan ideas, the strength and freedom of the Rus Tribe lived in Oak. Even our Ancient Wise Magi warned us that if the Sacred Ancestral Oak was cut down, then the entire Family would suffer a difficult fate, including oblivion and death.
Why do I primarily work with this type of wood...
In my work with bog oak, I use certain symbolism, which I carefully select for each product, be it Runes or alchemical signs. The oak lived two lives: its own in the form of a growing tree in the fresh air and, once in water (an oxygen-free environment), it starved in a completely different world for it. When bog oak is removed from the water, it receives a Third Life in the hands of masters of their craft. Having lain for several thousand years at the bottom of a reservoir and passing thousands of tons of water through itself, an enormous amount of energy accumulates in the oak tree, and with the proper application of Sacred symbolism, all this energy begins to act in the right direction.
The products presented by me (Amulets, rings, cubes) are carved from oak, extracted in the Nizhny Novgorod region from a sand quarry from a depth of 10-15 meters. In accordance with radiocarbon analysis by scientists from the Russian Academy of Sciences (Russian Academy of Sciences), the age of staining of this specimen is 3500 years (plus/minus 50-100 years).
I can’t make furniture from this material yet - you need a lot of wood, and it is VERY expensive in itself (once I was asked about the approximate cost if you make carved backgammon + chess to order, I answered that the price of the question is only for the purchase of material will be about 30 thousand rubles), incl. So far my supplies are only enough for small crafts, which carry the experience of many years of learning secret knowledge.
PS To my surprise, bog oak in the dried state is much lighter than ordinary dry oak, and this despite the presence of many iron particles in it! By the way, if you look at bog oak in the bright Sun (and not only), then without any extra work you can see the reflections of myriads of iron particles in its composition, as an example: imagine the color of a car “metallic” (fine metal shavings are used in the paint) after washing and professional polishing, there will be something similar.
