Well first of all it’s quite attractive when finished, I really like the figure of the grain and the medullary rays are particularly attractive in white oak.

It’s a multifunctional wood, it’s well rot and bug resistant so when finished correctly it holds up well outdoors, it’s hard and durable enough to use as tabletops or other surfaces that get a lot of wear, and especially when quarter sawn it’s quite stable.

It’s not as blade meltingly hard as maple or hickory and not as gooey and resinous as pine. I quite like how it smells as you cut it, reminds me a lot of bourbon (in fact white oak is why bourbon smells the way it does). The grain is large but straight and even, there aren’t many surprises halfway through a cut where you suddenly hit something dense. It is definitely a hard wood but it’s not too tough on tools.

It finishes beautifully; Freshly sanded it’s pale tan with a slight pink cast to it but it takes on a very nice gold when oiled or varnished and the medullary rays from fascinating patterns.