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SHEOAK
some of the pictures I have found have been labled "lace" sheoak and some have not, but I have been told by a knowledgeable person that ALL sheoak is lace sheoak. WHOA ... just was informed by an Australian that this is NOT true at all and further research confirms what he said, NOT what my original source said. Sheoak is a tree species and "lace" is a figure pattern that occurs in about 1 out of 100 sheoak trees. The "1 out of 100" seems more anecdotal than hard statistics, but certainly the lace figure is fairly rare.
I'm fairly certain that the confusion is caused by the fact that while "normal" sheoak is an attractive wood, lace sheoak is a real standout and is what most people associate with the name sheoak.
Sheoak is NOT, by the way, related to oak at all, that's just an accident of the name.
my samples:
small piece and end grain
end grain closeup of the piece directly above --- this clearly shows the relatively massive rays (perpendicular to the grain) that allow sheoak to have such an interesting surface pattern when rift cut or quartersawn.
small piece and end grain --- this piece has been oiled, which as you can see deepens the color, especially on the end grain.
No color correction was used --- the color is quite accurate, but compare the relatively uninteresting figure here to that shown at the bottom of this page in the turning sample which is from the same piece of wood as the first sample shown here.
web pics
planks not labled "lace"
both sides and a closeup of a plank labled "lace"
planks, all labled as "lace"
lacy sheoak plank; both sides and closeup
two lacy sheoak planks --- both sides of each and a closeup of one of them
"light" sheoak
"dark" sheoak
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pics provided by Todd Levy of what he classifies as "lacy" sheoak, although it does not seem to have the lacy figure shown in most of the other pics here of lacy sheoak.
sets of pen blanks that have all been oiled and waxed --- the enlargement of the first of these really shows nicely some particularly attractive characteristic grain pattern of the lace figure
bowls made from lace sheoak
6" lace sheoak bowl by Steve Earis
lace sheoak knife handles
A single turning sample showing various facets of sheoak grain. No color correction was used and the color is just slightly more red than the wood. The polyurethane finish (several coats) really serves to bring out the color and the grain contrast in this very interesting wood. As in many woods with prominent rays, if you give it a high gloss finish then the grain contrast shifts dramatically as you move the wood --- the parts that are light become dark and the parts that are dark become light.