Up to 1950-ties in Scandinavia and Central Europe wooden shingle roofs were the most common. In 17th and 18th century wooden shingles traditional making method was by slicing wooden blocks in thin staves.

For this method was used a special ax with which were split thin staves in parallel with the wood fibre. Revolution in shingle production took place at the beginning of 19th century due to the invention of steam engine. Smoothly sawn shingles prevailed manual labor and decreased need for chipped shingles.

As a result, wooden roofs served 70 years or more, depending on the tree species and shingles treatment. Wooden roof shingles are special with the fact that they can be applied to all types of roof forms, and can be used in both traditional and modern architecture.

In America oak shingles are almost forgotten material, but historically they have been widely used in western and eastern states. There are still opportunities to view 60 and 70-year-old roofs in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado and other states.

Even George Washington, getting acquainted with oak shingle longevity, chose this material for all Mt.Vernon buildings.

Head of USA wood product laboratory Michael Contezas explanation: "Oak was intensively used for the production of shingle until oak as a high-quality wood was requested in many other applications, thus the availability of oak for shingle production was limited. From that time in shingle manufacturing is used Canadian red and white cedar.

Ward Hatchings from the USA National Tree Product Association oak shingles strength explains as follows: "The white oak is unique in that the wood fibers are included in membranes „tyloses” which does not allow moisture to penetrate the fibers. Therefore, white oak for centuries was used in the construction of wooden ships that prove this wood qualification as a very durable wood species”. White oak shingles quickly overtakes a dark gray color. Life expectancy of these shingles, installing correctly, is larger than the red cedar shingles.

Tests prove that wooden roof keeps the loft of about 28°F cooler in hot summer, which in turn reduces the air conditioning system costs by 20%. By contrast, cells in wood products acts as a natural heater. And the best thing, as long as Mother Nature helps keep your house cooler in summer and warmer in the winter, you reduce CO 2.

Relatively less energy is consumed from fossil fuel dependent resources, such as coal or fuel-operated factories. And it is a wise move, because it is friendlier to our planet. Available special treatment with "dikants", it gives natural brown color, while maintaining a transparent texture. "Dikant" is not burned by sun and washed by rain, it protects tree against rot and microorganisms, increases ignition time ration and does not react with metals.

Oak shingles can withstand wind speed of 245km/h (68m/s). The first category - 100% heartwood, 100% parallel fiber and 100% pure (knots, cracks, defects).

Younger trees grow faster and absorb more CO 2. By contrast, old forests, which are close to the end of life cycle, absorbs much less CO 2. When using wooden shingles, the CO 2 is locked into wooden cells for decades. 

Oak shingles are absolutely environmentally friendly building materials. White oak shingle production causes the least amount of damage to natural resources, because during its life the tree has reached such girth that it can again be used in production.

To produce wood shingles, it is necessary to consume less power than other alternative industrial materials.