Roast Oak

Hey, just brought some roasted oak and was wondering if anyone has used it before because I was thinking of using it for making necks but didnt know it would be strong enough. Any opinion or links?

Roasted acorns?

Kidding - what's Roasted Oak? Is it torrefied like they do with maple?

I've had roasted chestnut....delicious!

Haha. It's oak which has been roasted/baked and become a rich brown colour. But it is quite brittle. Is that common of oak?

Pics?
BTW, Crafty Fox, did you use the requisite open fire and James Frost nipping your nose?
:0)

I've been curious about the roasting process. Does anyone know if there is a link which describes the process?

Torrefaction is basically just heating wood in a kiln to remove moisture, make it denser, harder and more stable, and to remove any biologic activity.

It has been used in quite a few applications; to turn raw wood into a high-density, clean-burning fuel, to provide an alternative to chemical treatments for lumber to be used outdoors, and more recently for guitar applications.

Suhr was one of the pioneers of using torrefied woods. Here's what they say...

"Roasted Maple - A new innovative feature, the Roasted Maple necks are cut from Maple wood blanks that are "baked" in high-tech oxygen-free ovens at a temperature of 250 degrees Farenheit by our wood supplier. This process removes moisture and all kinds of other organic "impurities" that affect the stability of the wood and make it much more rigid while adding a deep and warm amber color for a natural vintage look.

Due to this process, we now offer limited lifetime warranty on figured Maple (like Museum Grade Birdseye and Flame) necks instead of the 90-day warranty we had been offering on non-Roasted Birdseye Maple necks. Besides rock-solid stability, there is a tonal difference in the Roasted Maple as well. The sound is tighter and punchier while still retaining the Maple natural warmth in the midrange. Roasted Maple is highly recommended for touring musicians who value neck stability while traveling and for those who want a bigger and punchier sound as the neck contributes around half of an electric guitar's tone. Plus, it looks super cool!"

First, sorry for the lame Jack Frost joke, I realized after Jack isn't short for James....D'oh!
Second, wouldn't an oak guitar be fairly weighty? I think it would look cool, but how much would it mass out at?

Oak is quite heavy but not significantly more than maple, so as long as it's being limited to just a neck it shouldn't be too bad.

Pics?
BTW, Crafty Fox, did you use the requisite open fire and James Frost nipping your nose?
:0)

Yes, I'm all too familiar with Jack Frost and Associates; I'm originally from Scotland!

Reading about the Torrefaction process, I'm wondering if you could use it for fretboards. Maybe using woods normally considered too soft; does it harden the wood? I think it would.

Oak roasting on an open fire, jack white nipping at your nose.