Has anyone used oak for a fretboard?

Roland

I've got a piece of oak which is the right size for a fretboard. It's got nice looking grain. Oak is no heavier than maple, although it's not as hard. 

Has anyone tried it? Is there any reason why it wouldn't work?

Gagaryn

Roland said:

I've got a piece of oak which is the right size for a fretboard. It's got nice looking grain. Oak is no heavier than maple, although it's not as hard. 

Has anyone tried it? Is there any reason why it wouldn't work?

Think it would end up covered in divots - like you say it's not very hard.

sawyer

I think Brian Mays Red Special has a oak fretboard 

dtr

Saw this yesterday - http://www.notreble.com/buzz/2017/06/23/sandberg-announces-steamed-oak-fingerboards/

Maybe you should get the kettle on?

Kalimna

I suspect that the main reason why not (and happy to be corrected on this) is that oak has a fairly large grain size and may not hold the frets well. But i'm fairly sure bog oak has been used by a few manufacturers.

Adam

rsvmark

Are you sure. Normally it's as hard as nails

WezV

sawyer said:

I think Brian Mays Red Special has a oak fretboard 

probably the best known example, but its coated in a lot of crap to make it less like oak.

The main issue with oak is it can feel coarser than other woods.   if you find a nice quartersawn straight grained bit it should work fine. 

judge the bits of wood you have available