Red oak is one of the commonly used veneers in the U.S. furniture industry but this oak is very different.  After slicing the log into veneer, the sheets are placed in a chamber filled with dense smoke which reacts with the tannins in the wood cells causing a darkening effect. There is a fair amount of difficulty in maintaining control over the darkening process since each log is unique. The right temperature, length of time, and concentration of smoke yields exceptionally well toned veneer suck as those shown below.