"The
boatbuilders first requirement was for oak and very special oak at
that. Most of the wood in a boat is curved and, while you can bend oak
after steaming, it is impossible to bend very heavy pieces. So
shipbuilders have always valued grown crooks -- oak that has grown
crooked. One of the reasons why so many park trees were planted in days
gone by is because an oak growing crowded in a forest will grow up
straight and clean, with few of the treasured crooks. An oak growing
free in a park sends out huge branches and these twist about and have
plenty of crooks in them."
from THE FORGOTTEN ARTS by John Seymour
