This variety of maple can take the abuse of being walked on and holding furniture without any indentations or scuffs. Medium density fiberboard, more commonly known as MDF is another engineered wood product that is similar to HDF, or high density fiberboard, but with a lesser overall density. The differences in fiber density make MDF more suitable for different uses than Hardboard. For example, MDF has greater acoustic and insulating properties, so it is sometimes used in applications where that is desired, such as the inside of a speaker.
In general, MDF is not a desirable product to use in woodworking. It can be difficult to work with, and many people are concerned about the chemicals the engineered wood product may leach into the environment, specifically Formaldehyde. MDF is one of those things you should know about in case you ever encounter it, but in most cases you would probably not want to use it if you can avoid doing so.
Perhaps one of the most loved hardwoods, oak is a very popular choice for woodworkers, especially in building furniture and high quality heirloom pieces that can last for generations. The two main varieties of oak wood you will encounter are white oak and red oak.
Red oak has a more reddish hint of a color to it, and is typically what is most readily available at the majority of lumber stores. Red oak is slightly softer than white oak, which makes it a little bit easier to work with when building.
White oak is a very hard hardwood and is an excellent choice for hardwood flooring. Oak is also resistant to rot and decay, so with the proper treatment and sealing can be used in outdoor applications.
One important thing to know about working with oak is that it absolutely must be acclimated to your shop before working with it. Oak is prone to swelling and shrinkage depending on the temperature and moisture conditions, so it is important to take this into consideration, especially when using for flooring or if making containers such as wooden buckets that would hold water. Oak is easy to stain, and so it is a wonderful choice for a number of different stained finishes.
You can also paint oak, though most woodworkers would agree that it would be a waste, especially when you could use similarly strong woods that are less expensive if you are planning to paint over and cover up the beautiful natural wood grain. Oriented Strand Board, more commonly known as OSB is a type of engineered wood product that is often used as an alternative to plywood.
The wood is made using strands of wood which are arranged in a cross-hatched pattern to combine with resin and go through a thermal heating process. The boards are generally uniform in size and thickness, but it has a very distinct texture to it. OSB can often be painted, but the texture of the wood strands will be hard to avoid. You will often find that OSB is considerably less expensive than plywood.
For this reason, OSB is commonly be found in new construction of residential homes. Many people use it as sheathing for floors, walls, and roofs. OSB is also used in constructing cheap laminate furniture. In most of these cases, the OSB is covered with a veneer. Only in places where the end grain is visible is it possible to know it is OSB, such as in the photo example shown here. While these furniture pieces may be inexpensive, they are definitely a lesser quality than those built with natural woods.
A simple tap of a hammer can cause poorly designed laminate furniture piece made of OSB completely collapse.
For this reason, most woodworkers would never use it for building furniture, opting instead to work with real wood. While it is never a first choice for fine woodworking, OSB certainly can be useful and cost effective for a number of utility purposes.
OSB should not be intended for exterior use. These boards will often start to break down after prolonged exposure to the outdoor elements. Pine is a very common and versatile softwood which has many practical applications. Pine typically is considered to be economical, sustainable and durable, which makes it a popular choice for a number of different projects.
Most pine trees grow very tall and quickly and they are often grown in sustainable forestry conditions, which means more trees are planted than are ever cut down in any given year.
There are several species of pine, all of which have various different characteristics. Southern Yellow pine, as the name implies, may have a more yellow hue to it than the white or sugar pine varieties. White Pine and Sugar pine are sometimes also referred to as clear pine.
With pine, you can decide whether to stain it, paint it, or simply finish it with a clear coat of protectant sealant. Pine behaves very well for staining a wide variety of colors and tones as long as you properly prepare the wood beforehand. Most pine is best suited for indoor use only, unless it has been specifically treated to be used in outdoor applications, as in the case of pressure treated lumber, which is also covered in this list of types of wood.
Plywood is an engineered wood product, though it is made with real wood. Plywood is made by adhering multiple layers of veneer together and compressing them. Plywood is available in a variety of different thicknesses, with quarter-inch, half-inch, and three-quarter inch sizes being the ones you will most likely encounter at home improvement stores. Most plywood used in construction is made of fir, pine, or spruce. Pressure treated wood is typically yellow Southern Pine wood which is made to be rot resistant and pest resistant through a chemical process.
You will often see pressure treated lumber used to build decks, patios, porch railings, and other outdoor structures. Due to pressure treated lumber being rot resistant, it is often possible to reuse old pressure treated wood to use for new building projects. If you do decide to use pressure treated wood in your projects, be sure that you use either new wood or wood which was manufactured after the year Pressure treated lumber used to be quite toxic, even containing poisonous heavy metals such as Arsenic.
There is much controversy over whether or not pressure treated lumber is safe to use in raised garden beds used to grow food. Poplar is a popular and economical hardwood to use for a number of different building projects and applications. The wood is very light in color, and may even appear as white. It does not have a very distinguishable nor necessarily attractive wood grain, so poplar is often painted or used in places where it is not visible.
Of all of the hardwoods, poplar is a very soft wood, which makes it easy to work with, but also means it can be very easy to indent or knick while working with it. Poplar is less prone to warping or movement.
Since it is not exactly the prettiest of woods for this reason it is often used in parts of furniture that are not visible, such as drawer slides or the inside pieces of dresser frames. Poplar is also often used in model building, as well as for many wood crafts. It is readily available at most stores that sell lumber as well as available in smaller pieces at hobby and craft stores that sell wood for craft projects. Rosewood is an exotic hardwood, which often contributes to the expensive price of popular musical instruments.
Brazillian rosewood is common, although it can also come from Madagascar or Asia. Many people are concerned about illegal logging and deforestation practices that may occur in harvesting rosewood, so for this reason many people may choose alternative woods in their projects. Rosewood is also a known irritant for many people, especially with prolonged exposure to the saw dust that may happen when cutting the wood. If you are working with rosewood, it is very important to use the proper wood safety precautions.
SPF lumber is not a specific species of wood, but rather a generic term to include Spruce, Pine, and Fir, which is how the acronym SPF came to be used and known. All of these woods are softwoods that have similar properties and characteristics, though there are noticeable differences to the well trained eye. SPF lumber is most commonly used for interior construction framing and utility purposes.
Because lumber is a commodity, often times the type of wood you actually get as SPF will largely depend on current supply and demand conditions. SPF is best used for utility purposes or for framing interior walls. The wood is generally not able to withstand the harsh conditions of exterior use unless it is chemically altered and pressure treated.
In most cases, SPF is usually used in cases where the wood will not be seen or exposed, such as is the case for framing. This wood can typically be sanded smooth to be painted but usually is not ideal for staining, since blotchiness is common. SPF lumber is generally very inexpensive, but sometimes it can cost more in the long run when trying to use it for finer woodworking projects, especially if you need to take a lot of time making the wood usable for what you want to build.
When working with SPF lumber in woodworking, you will likely want to purchase more than you think you need, simply because this wood can occasionally be unpredictable. It has a straight and subtle grain. When spruce is permitted to grow to its peak maturity, it can have excellent accoustic properties that make it desirable for the construction of musical instruments such as pianos, guitars, and other string instruments. Historically, spruce has been used to build aircraft and boats.
The first airplane built by the Wright Brothers was constructed from Spruce. Teak is an exotic hardwood native to the Asian rainforests. It takes a very long growing cycle, with the average tree needing 60 years before it reaches maturity to be harvested. While there are more sustainable forestry practices in place today than there were decades ago, this long growing process means that teak will always be a difficult wood to find that comes with a very premium price.
Teak was originally used most commonly for boat building and is still a favorite amongst nautical crafters and artisans. It is also very popular to use in premium outdoor furniture, decking, and other outdoor applications. Teak has a naturally oily finish, which can make it difficult to stain or glue in some instances. The wood is also quite hard, and so you may notice that you need to sharpen and replace blades more often when working with it.
Teak has an aroma that a lot of people would describe as being very distinct and earthy. Many people can be extremely sensitive to the naturally occurring oils in the teak wood, so it is important to not use teak for any type of application that would have prolonged and direct contact with food or skin. When working with teak, it is also wise to use a dust respirator and gloves. This will help reduce the irritation you may experience while working with the wood.
If you are concerned about sensitivity or allergies, it is best to avoid teak and instead choose a more hypoallergenic wood for your projects. Walnut is a hardwood that is best known for its rich brown and dark coloring. Walnut can be expensive and often is only available through specialty lumber stores, but it is a beautiful wood to consider for special projects. Walnut is relatively easy to work with, but is also very strong.
It can be used in hardwood flooring, although many people may opt to still choose maple or white oak and stain those woods to match the desired shade of walnut because they are slightly more durable. Walnut is a fine grained wood which polishes up quite nicely and can easily be stained and protected. Many people enjoy using it for carving, routing, and as decorative accents for wood furniture. Walnut cabinets are very popular, though it is common for less expensive woods to be stained to match a walnut color.
Many people are also surprised to learn walnut is used in high end luxury car manufacturing and in gun making. The fibers of the walnut tree are very dense, which makes it able to withstand the shock and force the wood might experience in these types of uses.
Musical instruments such as guitars and violins can also commonly be made of walnut. While walnut is one of the more expensive hardwoods, it is still a much more economical choice over other exotic hardwoods that are desirable for producing clear tones for music instruments.
Whitewood is a term most frequently used by the big box retail stores and they use this term in order to have one SKU number for a number of different woods based on availability.
This wood can sometimes be Pine, Poplar, or Douglas fir. This type of wood is often sold as dimensional lumber and used in construction and framing projects. Lastly, but certainly not least, is the exotic wood known as Zebrawood. There are several varieties of Zebrawood, most of which are native to Central America and Central Africa. This wood is characterized by its prominent striping pattern in the wood grain. It is most commonly used for premium furniture due to the nature of its unique pattern.
It is a very heavy, hard wood that can be sometimes difficult to work with. Zebrawood historically was most commonly found in high end luxury items. The density and hardness make it desirable for manufacturing in things such as cars, guns, and other items that would require it to withstand shock and vibration.
Today it is most often seen as a wood veneer that is used to give decorative accents to different furniture pieces. There is much concern over the sustainable and legal logging of this exotic wood, so if you want to ensure your projects are environmentally friendly you may wish to look at other hardwood alternatives.
Do you have any questions about the many varieties of wood and wood types? Which woods are your favorite choices for different projects? Any suggestions? Both of those sound like great choices! You can usually also get oak and maple plywood though it is much more expensive than pine. Thank you. Very informative source. Now why is wood still best for construction and building purposes? Straightness and no warp is essential, considering poplar or a clear white pine. What would you recommend? They grow in the tropical forests of the world and must be imported for domestic use.
While some tropical hardwoods can be used for interior applications, including flooring, the color, grain pattern, hardness and luster of many imported woods differ from those of American hardwoods.
Rediscovering Hardwoods What is the difference between red oak and white oak? Wood products are known for their natural beauty, but when selecting a type of wood for your next cabinetry, flooring, furniture or millwork project, it is important to also consider the level of durability by understanding the difference between wood types.
Each type and species of wood has an individual cellular structure that creates unique physical properties that determine suitability for different uses. The following offers a brief comparison of American hardwoods, softwoods and often misused tropical hardwoods and their appropriate applications: Hardwoods are deciduous trees that have broad leaves, produce a fruit or nut and generally go dormant in the winter. See Edible Berries of Strawberry Tree. Ziricote Cordia sebestena is a native hardwood of the Florida Keys and Caribbean region.
It belongs to the large Borage Family Boraginaceae , a family that includes mostly herbaceous wildflowers like the forget-me-nots Myosotis and Cryptantha. The beautiful, dark-grained hardwood is commonly used for wood carvings.
The tree is also known as cericote and geiger tree. A similar Polynesian species is called "kou" Cordia subcordata. Ziricote Cordia sebestena , an evergreen, hardwood tree native to the Florida Keys and Caribbean region. The orange-red, crinkled petals are fused into a funnel-shaped corolla that tapers into a slender tube see detached corolla on leaf.
Another species called "kou" C. The beautiful wood and orange blossoms are similar to the Caribbean species; however, the leaves are not as stiff and rough as in C. Milo or beach hibiscus Thespesia populnea , a member of the Hibiscus Family Malvaceae that is widely distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific and Caribbean region. Like another sea hibiscus called "hau" Hibiscus tiliaceus , the buoyant seeds are readily dispersed by seawater and may have colonized the Hawaiian islands prior to the remarkable voyages of ancient Polynesians.
The hard, dense wood has a beautiful dark grain and is made in bowls, dishes and platters. Severely cracked, sun-dried log of red gum Eucalyptus camaldulensis , one of the most commonly planted eucalyptus in California.
Although the wood is very hard, it proved to be undesirable for lumber and railroad ties because of extensive splitting. The dark, deeply fissured bark of red ironbark Eucalyptus sideroxylon , one of the most commonly planted trees in San Diego County.
Unlike the true "gums," the bark does not exfoliate annually. A polished bowl made from the beautiful, hard wood of red ironbark Eucalyptus sideroxylon. Made by Kenneth R. Roth, M. A didgeridoo photographed at Seaport Village in San Diego. See San Diego's Didgeridoo Guy. Gum kino oozing from a fissure in the trunk of a sugar gum Eucalyptus cladocalyx , one of the most common large gums planted throughout San Diego County, California.
The hills overlooking downtown San Diego are dominated by tall eucalyptus, especially the sugar gums E. A monkey pod tree Samanea saman on the island of Hawaii. A bowl made from the monkey pod tree Samanea saman. Muhuhu wood is commonly used for animal carvings in Kenya. A hippo carved from South African mukwa wood Pterocarpus angolensis. Table 2. Fifteen of the world's heaviest ironwoods. Assorted ironwoods: A.
Desert Ironwood Olneya tesota , B. African Black Ironwood Olea laurifolia , C. Knob-Thorn Acacia Acacia nigrescens , D. Lignum Vitae Guaiacum officinale , E.
Desert Ironwood Olneya tesota , F. Ebony Diospyros ebenum , G. Creosote Bush Larrea tridentata. Mountain Mahogany Cercocarpus minutiflorus , a native shrub in the chaparral of southern California.
The one-seeded fruit achene has a persistent, feathery style that glistens in the sunlight. Although they usually don't travel very far, the achenes are blown into the air by strong gusts of wind during the dry, fire season of late summer and fall. This species is not related to the West Indian mahogany Swietenia mahagoni or the Honduran mahogany S. Mountain Mahogany actually belongs to the Rose Family Rosaceae and produces very hard wood that sinks in water when dry with a specific gravity greater than 1.
Lignum vitae Guaiacum officinale is one of the world's hardest and heaviest woods. The natural "gum guaiac" has several medicinal uses, and produces the remarkable self-lubricating properties of the wood.
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