Ok, it's time to throw down the science gauntlet. We like to hem and haw about what happens to our firewood if left out in the rain, seasoned or unseasoned, off the ground, etc... Anyway, I ran across this video. A shipbuilder is talking about the interior structure of both red oak and white oak, and he uses liquids to show the capillary action of both species. I found it astounding.
Cut a real thin end slice from some red oak and hold it up to the light - you can see right through it. White oak has Tyloses - junk in the pores. Black Oak - I don't have a clue. Live Oak is the preferred wood of choice for futtocks (the ribs of a wooden ship) or when you drop a hammer on your toe you can just say "Futtocks that hurts!" (We'll all know what you mean!) I watch "Rebuilding Tally Ho, from Sampson Boat Company - what an amazing undertaking. Tally Ho – Sampson Boat Co.
