The type of wood you choose determines the beauty and strength of the finished piece and each has its own properties. Some common types of species.
Softwoods, Pine, Cedar,Fir, Hardwoods, Oak, Ash, Beech, Elm, Mahogany, Teak, Walnut.
Softwoods – aren’t weaker than hardwoods. Softwoods come from coniferous trees such as cedar, fir, and pine and tend to be somewhat yellow or reddish. Because most coniferous trees grow fast and straight, softwoods are generally less expensive than hardwoods.
Pine – is very easy to work with and, because most varieties are relatively soft, it lends itself to carving. Pine is commonly used in furniture because it’s easy to shape and stain. Pine generally takes stain very well (as long as you seal the wood first). Pine wood is widely used in high-value carpentry items such as window frames, paneling, floors and roofing, and the resin of some species is an important source of turpentine.
Cedar – The most common type of cedar is the western red variety. Western red cedar, as its name implies, has a reddish colour to it. This type of wood is relatively soft (1 on a scale of 1 to 4), has a straight grain and one of the most aromatic woods (hence, a cedar chest. drawer and wardrobe nuggets and coat hangers make clothes smell nice and deters insects such as moths ). Western Red cedar is mostly used for outdoor projects such as furniture, decks, and building exteriors because it can handle moist environments without rotting.
Fir – Often referred to as Douglas Fir, this wood has a straight, interesting and pronounced grain, and has a reddish brown tint to it. Fir is most often used for building; as it’s inexpensive and can be used for some furniture-making as well. It doesn’t take stain very well, so it’s best to use it only when in the raw or you intend to paint the finished product. Douglas fir is moderately strong and hard for a softwood, rating 4 on a scale of 1 to 4.
Hardwoods – Most woodworkers and wood turners love to work with hardwoods. The variety of colours, textures, and grain patterns makes for some beautiful and interesting looking furniture. The downside to hardwoods is their price. Some of the more exotic species can be too expensive to use for anything more than an accent such as in highly patterned marquetry.
Oak – There are over 200 species of oak in commercial cultivation. English Oak is know to the best quality and has been used for 1000’s of years. Oak is strong (hardness of about 4 on a scale of 1 to 5) and easier to work with when green. It is also resistant to moisture and is very durable. The wood is very resistant to insect and fungal attack because of its high tannin content. The grain has a beautiful “ray flake” pattern to it.
Ash – is a hardwood and is hard, dense, tough and very strong but elastic, extensively used for tool handles and baseball bats and other uses demanding high strength and resilience. Ash has great finishing qualities. It also has good machining qualities, and is quite easy to use with nails, screws and glue. There is little demand for the wood and therefore less expensive as other hardwoods.
Beech – Is a utility timber that is tough but dimensionally unstable. It weighs about 720 kg per cubic metre and is widely used for furniture framing and carcass construction, flooring and engineering purposes, in plywood and in household items like plates, but rarely as a decorative wood. It’s an excellent firewood, easily split and burning for many hours with bright but calm flames. Beech is also used to smoke hams, various sausages, and some cheeses.
Elm – Is valued for its interlocking grain, and consequent resistance to splitting, with significant uses in wagon wheel hubs, chair seats and coffins. Often long, straight, trunks were favoured as a source of timber for keels in ship construction. Elm was also prized by bowyers in the Middle Ages. Elm was also used to make longbows if yew was unavailable.
Mahogany – One of the great furniture woods, mahogany (also called Honduran mahogany) has a reddish-brown to deep-red tint, a straight grain, medium texture, and a hardness of around 2 on a scale of 1 to 5. It takes stain very well and looks great with just a coat (or 10) of oil.
Teak It is sometimes known as “Burmese teak”. Teak wood has a leather-like smell when it is freshly milled. It is particularly valued for its durability and water resistance, and is used for boat building, exterior construction, veneer, furniture, carving, turnings, and other wood projects. Teak’s natural oils make the timber termite and pest resistant. Teak is durable even when not treated with oil or varnish.
Walnut – With a hardness of about 4 on a 1 to 5 scale, walnut is a rich brown wood that’s easy to work with. Unfortunately, walnut is somewhat expensive, and finding large boards for big projects is getting difficult. In spite of this, walnut is still a great wood to work with and lends itself nicely for use as accents and inlays to dress up a project with wonderful grain patterns especially burr walnut.
by: Vladimir Radetzki
