Blackjack Oak Woodworking
Native to Texas, this species of Oak is known for its dark heartwood. Beautiful and somewhat rare in the world of turning. 7 blanks included in this set. I select and hand cut each blank from larger stock. Shape and Distribution Blackjack oak is a small to medium-sized tree which can grow to heights of 50 feet, but is usually much smaller. The trunk is often gnarled, with a diameter of up to 1 1/2 feet. The crown is rounded, with lower branches hanging downward. The blades are made from an old planer blade, the locknuts are pink ivory, and the handles are made from a dense, blackjack oak sapling. Each scraper has a 14-in.-long handle with a head that measures 4 in. Wide by 5-1/2 in. A medium to large tree that can reach a height of 60 feet and a diameter of 16' to 24', but is usually much smaller. Its stiff, drooping branches form an irregular, dense crown that often contains many persistent dead twigs or branches.
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The blackjack oak, Quercus marilandica, is a tree in the red oak grouping of oaks. It was first described and named in 1704 in the colony of Maryland. The scientific name created for it in latin means “from Maryland”. The common name of the blackjack oak could not only be a reference to the tree’s almost black bark, but to the tree’s tough features that allow it to “beat out” other trees in survival. The blackjack is known as the symbol on the flag of pirates. It is also the short, leather-covered club that was once commonly used by peace officers and night watchmen. There can be much significance in a tree’s name.
An interesting encounter with this tree by early settlers helps illustrate how tough this oak was. The Cross Timbers region of Texas and Oklahoma is a transition zone from humid eastern woodland forests to drier western prairie grassland. In this region and in this period, frequent prairie fires encouraged the formation of an almost impenetrable barrier of dense undergrowth, with scrubby but occasionally large blackjack oaks and post oaks. These oaks were seldom more than 40 feet tall, but could be found 50 to 60 feet tall. Washington Irving described his 1835 passage through this area in his A Tour on the Prairies as “…like struggling through forests of cast iron.” The tough nature of this native tree has helped it grow where other trees can’t.
Blackjack oaks have been documented to live as long as 230 years. Slow- to medium-growing, they grow best in sunny locations. They like well-drained, acidic sites with rich soil. However, they adapt readily and grow most commonly in poor conditions with dry, acidic, sandy or rocky soil. Tolerant of fires, if top-killed they sprout vigorously from root sprouts. Trees from these root sprouts can make viable acorns in as little as 4 years. Perhaps the blackjack oak’s greatest threat to survival is man, as these trees are often replaced with faster growing trees that are considered more useful.
The champion blackjack oak in Atlanta is listed as measuring 67.5 feet in height, 75 inches in circumference, and 57 feet in spread. There are several near my neighborhood and one is perhaps 40 feet tall. This oak’s short, stout and often contorted branches form a narrow, compact, round-topped or open head. Twigs are stout, stiff, and grayish-brown. They are hairy at first but become smooth later. Buds are also hairy and reddish-brown, narrowly cone-shaped and pointed. The bark is almost black, and deeply divided into small square or rectangular plates that feel rough.
Leaves on the blackjack oak measure 4 to 8 inches long and wide, and are widest toward the tip. All varieties of blackjack oak have leaves that are simple, leathery, and have 3 (rarely 5) broad lobes that are very shallowly incised. The lobes have bristle tips where veins end at the edge, but the bristles may wear off. The upper leaf surface is dark- or yellowish-green and shiny, and the lower surface is pale yellow-brown or yellow-green, with brown hairs along the veins. Petioles are attached alternately on twigs, and may be ¼ to 1 ½ inches long. They are medium thick, stiff, and pubescent with tiny brown hairs. Foliage in autumn is yellow-brown with splashes of red, and persists through winter.
Male and female catkins found on the blackjack oak are yellow-green and 4 to 5 inches long. Pollination occurs in April and May by the wind. Acorns produced are about ¾ inches long, ovoid, and have a stout point at the tip. They are light yellow-brown, faintly striated, and have a thick, red-brown cap that covers 1/3 to 2/3 of it. The cap has loose, hairy scales and no fringe cover. Acorns mature in September-October of the second year, typical of oaks in the red oak family.
The blackjack grows slowly, and is considered scrubby and unattractive for use as a specimen or ornamental. It is usually considered too small to mill for lumber. Due to the wood’s twisted grain, it is difficult to split. However, it produces a hot flame and hot coals, and is considered excellent to use in wood burning stoves, for smoking meat, and in making charcoal. The wood spits when burning, and is not recommended for fireplaces. This is because the wood’s vessels are blocked by tyloses, unusual for wood in the red oak group. This characteristic also makes the wood resistant to rot when in contact with the ground, and because the wood is also hard, heavy, strong and brittle, it is excellent for use as fence posts. Native Americans reportedly used the bark to treat dysentery. Acorns are an important food for deer, birds, and other animals.
Though the blackjack oak has little commercial value, it deserves credit for its ability to grow in places where few other trees can compete. It has a respectable history doing this, and it helps sustain important eco systems. The tree’s native range is through the southeastern and central United States, from Long Island in New York to Florida, and westward to east Texas and Oklahoma. As this tree and similar ones are replaced with faster-growing and more commercially useful trees, the profits earned will be our loss.
The blackjack oak (Quercus marilandica) is also known as the Jack oak, black oak, and barren oak. A small deciduous tree that grows 20 to 30 feet (maximum 90 feet) with a trunk diameter of 1 foot or less. It is similar to the post oak which also grows with blackjack oak, but the leaf lobes are more pronounced and not bristle-tipped.
Blackjack Oak Uses
Habitat: Found in upland woods of southeast Iowa
Hardiness: Varies with the species of oak tree, ranging from zones 3 through 9
Growth Rate: Slow to Moderate
Mature Shape: Broad, rounded
Height: Varies with species. Often maturing between 50 to 75 feet tall. Capable of growing upwards of 100 feet.
Width:40 to 70 feet. Varies with species
Site Requirements: Best growth in moist, well-drained soils. Adaptable to adverse soil conditions.
Flowering Dates: Spring
Seed Dispersal Dates: Fall
Seed Bearing Age: 20 years
Seed Bearing Frequency: Acorns produced vary from year to year, with larger crops occurring during 'mast year,' every four to ten years.
Seed Stratification: Two to three months at 40° F or they can be set out in the fall for natural stratification and germination in the spring.
The leaves are 4 to 8 inches long, 3-lobed, bristle-tipped, taper to a rounded base, obovate in outline, thick petioles less than 1/2 inch long, top is dark yellow-green, beneath is paler with a tawny colored down.
Blackjack Oak Woodworking Shop
Acorns are 3/4 inch long, with a shallow cup shaped like a goblet, and somewhat hairy. The nut is ovoid shape, yellow-brown, and striated. The twigs are thick, dark red-brown and hairy, and the trunk is almost all black with deep grooves and scaly plates.
The blackjack oak is known for growing in barren, dry, sandy, or clay soils. Its range extends from southeastern New York to southern Michigan and Nebraska, south to central Florida and eastern Texas. Blackjack oak can be found in the upland woods of northeast Iowa.
Diseases that Affect Blackjack Oak
