Replies

1. 
   rob_ss | Sep 24, 2022 03:30am | #1

   Yikes!
   You'll be there all month sanding that.
   I'm not a user of red oak so can't say for sure, but if it is getting worse with sanding it may be some rotten wood.
   It does look to be a solid piece of timber, but it's best to ask the maker.
   Fixing that properly would involve removing the top and planing it to remove the scratches. If they are really superficial and you don't mind a small ding, you may be able to feather it out some with a card scraper.
   Worst case scenario would be to fill with some epoxy.

1. 
   zismycat03 | Sep 30, 2022 11:55pm | #9

   Thanks to you all! I will ask the builder, but I think some of the responses sounds correct. I believe it is solid based on all your responses as it should have been planed a little more. I can see if the builder will do that again. Thanks!

2. 
   esch5995 | Sep 24, 2022 06:19am | #2

   I'm loathe to identify woods and issues based on a low res picture I'm viewing on my cell phone, but what you are calling scratches may be ray flecks which are characteristics of oaks and part of the wood structure. While more commonly seen on quatersawn boards they do appear occasionally on flatsawn wood. Your boards also display some characteristics of white oak not red, but red and white are generalizations of the many species of oak each with unique identifiers and it's beyond my ability to say based on your picture.

3. 
   _mj_ | Sep 24, 2022 06:22am | #3

   Looks like rotary cut plywood to me. The corner at the top right of the photo tells the tale... no corner joint or grain change that I can see.

   If he used piano hinges screwed into the edge you may be able to flip the panel over.

4. 
   gulfstar | Sep 24, 2022 07:17am | #4

   Can you show us a picture of the edges at the end of the panel ?

5. 
   john_c2 | Sep 24, 2022 01:29pm | #5

   It looks to me like those are marks remaining from roughsawn lumber. That would make it solid wood. That absolutely should have been planed away when the piece was being made.

   You could sand it away, but it will be very noticeable, forever. If it's solid wood, have the woodworker remove it, run it through the thickness planer, and sand after. One pass through the thickness planer should remove that.

6. 
   eddo234 | Sep 24, 2022 03:26pm | #6

   Even on a phone it looks like plywood, with a solid 3/4” square edge, on the left in the photo. Look at the surface near the top to see the bookmatched grain. And what does the end of the “board look like? Is there banding there or does it look like, well, the end of a board. I say it’s plywood.

7. 
   Donji | Sep 24, 2022 05:32pm | #7

   I would probably consider a wax filler be it solid or veneer.

1. 
   mark_0h | Sep 24, 2022 11:32pm | #8

   If I am seeing the scratches properly in the lower left, it looks like the wide one near the top has exposed a substrate suggesting veneer. Grain pattern also appears book matched in a typical plywood pattern. I can’t see any glue lines or obvious seams. To me it looks like veneered 3/4” plywood. As others have suggested, best way to check is to look at the end of the board. If you can see end grain it is solid wood. If you see side grain, it’s edge banded plywood.

8. 
   zismycat03 | Sep 30, 2022 11:56pm | #10

   Hi All!
   Thanks for the comments. I think it is solid wood and I believe that it was left over marks from it being cut and it should have been planed off. I'll ask the builder. Thanks again!