Common Name(s): Black sheoak, river black oak
Scientific Name: Allocasuarina littoralis
Distribution: Australia
Average Dried Weight: 48.1 lbs/ft3 (770 kg/m3)
Janka Hardness: 1,490 lbf (6,650 N)*
*Estimated hardness based on specific gravity
Comments: Usually a small to medium sized tree with a moderately fast growth rate, black sheoak represents a species with only moderate-to-high density wood in a genus that’s otherwise known for hard, high density wood.
Not closely related to true oaks (Quercus genus), the etymology of the common name sheoak is ambiguous. Both oaks and sheoaks share a similar ray-flecked appearance on quartersawn surfaces.
Note: This is a truncated profile page. If you have any helpful info or experience with this wood species, feel free to leave a comment below and I’ll do my best to integrate any relevant data when I expand the page. ~Eric
Images: Drag the slider up/down to toggle between raw and finished wood.
Identification: See the article on Hardwood Anatomy for definitions of endgrain features.
Related Content:
Any and all sheoaks I have worked with are absolutely beautiful, it can be a bit tough to work with, but it planes well enough if you do so in the right direction, always looks beautiful once finished (I always finish my pieces with a natural oil). Keep in mind that some people may call it very tough to work with, but as an Australian, most of our native hardwoods are considered very hard to work with, a lot of them being eucalypts, or what we colloquially call “gum trees,” hence the names; spotted gum, blue gum, red gum, etc.… Read more »
I read that sheoaks (or beefwoods, as they were called in the article) have scale-like leaves that sit flat against the twig, giving the appearance of scaly needles. But, as an American, I haven’t seen one in person, so I can’t tell for sure.
Hmm, not really. the leaves are more like pine needles. Long and cylindrical, segmented down the length of the needle. the come out perpendicular to the twig, but are much heavier than pine needles, so they can weigh down the branch a little, often causing a weeping habit. the growth habit varies across different sheaoaks but the leaves I’ve seen are almost all Identical