Toasted/Torrefied Oak

Hi guys,

Just wondering if anyone has any experience with 'Toasted Oak' (American Hardwoods) or Torrefied Oak or Cambia Oak (Britton Timbers) - all just different names, depending on supplier, for thermally modified American Red Oak?

The claims are that by heating the wood at very high temperatures in a low oxygen kiln (to stop the timber combusting) down to 0% MC and then reconditioning it back to 6 or 7% it stabilises the wood and also darkens it (toasts?). It also becomes outdoor durable apparently.

I am about to build some exterior folding doors and windows and was planning on using Sapele, but no one seems to have any atm. So I was considering using this timber. Or maybe Jarrah, but it's a bit too red for my taste.

Anyone have any experience or, failing that, opinions?

Cheers, Dom

Can't say I have seen or used Toasted Oak, but I wonder if you considered using Western Red Cedar? Goes well outside, and is very light weight?

Sounds like a variation of Shou Sugi Ban to get around the limitations of that technique on hardwoods. You could always try to recreate the affect using Shou Sugi Ban, fancy japenese name for burning wood to give it a weathering layer. It's best done with open celled soft woods.

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Originally Posted by Midnight Man

Can't say I have seen or used Toasted Oak, but I wonder if you considered using Western Red Cedar? Goes well outside, and is very light weight?

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No I haven't. Will give it some thought. I'm also looking into NG Rosewood. Durable, low movement/good stability nice colour, reasonable density and hardness etc and cheaper than toasted oak. The only difficulty is availability of required lengths / section sizes.

Cheers, Dom

Quote:

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Originally Posted by pkroeze

Sounds like a variation of Shou Sugi Ban to get around the limitations of that technique on hardwoods. You could always try to recreate the affect using Shou Sugi Ban, fancy japenese name for burning wood to give it a weathering layer. It's best done with open celled soft woods.

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Yeah it does. The main difference I can see is that the Torrefied wood is effectively burnt right through, just not as harshly as the surface is for Shou Sugi Ban. Both burn away the sugars etc that lead to rot / decay but one is righr through vs on the surface only.

Cheers, Dom

I've used their Cambia White Ash before at my old work; it definitely seems more stable when machining, no idea about outdoor performance though. It will also make you smell like a campfire.

I used the Cambia as the main body for a box.

It was great, but it felt like it was a little dry... like chiselling a lump of coal.

Machined great, but hard to get fine detail.

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