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Hardwoods & Softwoods

Hardwood: Hardwood is wood from deciduous trees and broadleaf trees. All hardwoods are angiosperms (flowering plants), the largest group of land plants. Hardwood is used in veneer or furniture as it has a nicer look and a different structure that usually makes it stronger.

Softwood: Softwoods come from coniferous trees which have needles instead of leaves.Softwoods grow faster than hardwoods and so are cheaper they are also easier to work with as they are softer than hardwoods.

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Hardwoods - Beech

The Tree Beech has been called the mother of the forest, since without it in mixed broad-leaved forests, other hardwood timber trees would have greater difficulties for survival. The rain drip from beech destroys many soil-exhausting weeds, its shade prevents over-evaporation of moisture from the soil, and its heavy crop of leaves provides humus to the soil. In close forest, it can reach a height of 45m with a clear bole of 1 5m but on average this is usually about 9m with a diameter averaging 1.2m occasionally more.��The Timber Normally, there is no clear distinction by colour between sapwood and heartwood, the wood being very pale brown when freshly cut, turning reddish-brown on exposure, and deep reddish-brown under the influence of steaming treatment commonly applied in parts of the Continent before shipment. Some logs show an irregular, dark reddish-coloured kern or heart, caused it is believed, by the effect of severe frosts, and occurring more frequently in Continental beech. The wood is typically straight grained, with a fine, even texture, but varying in density and hardness according to the locality of growth.

Source: https://www.timbersource.co.uk

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Hardwoods - Oak

The Tree The white oaks vary in size and form according to species and soil conditions, some are unsuitable for timber production. But others vary in height from 15m to 30m, well-grown specimens having a clear cylindrical bole of up to 15m with a diameter of about 1.0m.��The Timber Although generally resembling European oak, American white oak is more variable in colour, ranging from pale yellow-brown to pale reddish-brown, often with a pinkish tint. The multi-seriate rays are generally higher than those of the red oaks producing a more prominent and attractive silver-grain figure on quarter-sawn surfaces. The grain is generally straight, and the texture varies from coarse to medium coarse. As with the red oaks, the quality depends greatly on the conditions of growth; slowly-grown northern white oak usually being lighter in weight and milder, than that from the southern states. �The Appalachian Mountains used to provide beautiful mild white oak greatly esteemed for furniture and cabinet-making, but much of this forest area has been destroyed in recent years due to open-cast coal mining activities. Southern white oak is typically fast grown, and with its wide growth-rings is relatively coarse and more suited to constructional use. White oak weighs about 770 kg/m³ when dried.

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Hardwoods - Balsa

Balsa lumber is very soft and light, with a coarse, open grain. The density of dry balsa wood ranges from 40–340 kg/m³ (2.5–21.2 lb/cu ft), with a typical density of about 160 kg/m³ (10 lb/cu ft).^[5] The wood of the living tree has large cells that are filled with water. This gives the wood a spongy texture. It also makes the wood of the living tree not much lighter than water and barely able to float. For commercial production, the wood is kiln-dried for about two weeks, leaving the cells hollow and empty. The large volume-to-surface ratio of the resulting thin-walled empty cells gives the dried wood a large strength-to-weight ratio because the cells are mostly air. Unlike naturally rotted wood, that soon disintegrates in the rainforests where balsa trees grow, the cell walls of kiln-seasoned balsa wood retain their strong structure of cellulose and lignin.^[6]

Because it is low-density but high in strength, balsa is a very popular material for light, stiff structures in model bridge tests, model buildings, and for the construction of model aircraft; all grades are usable for airworthy control line and radio-controlled aircraft varieties of the aeromodeling sports, with the lightest "contest grades" especially valuable for free flight model aircraft. However, it also is valued as a component of full-sized light wooden aeroplanes, most notably the World War II de Havilland Mosquito.^[6]

Balsa is used to make wooden crankbaits for fishing, especially Rapala lures.

Sticks of dried balsa are useful as makeshift pens for calligraphy when commercial metal nibs of the desired width are not available.

Balsa wood is often used as a core material in composites; for example, the blades of many wind turbines are partly of balsa.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ochroma

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Hardwoods - Jelutong

Jelutong (jelÃ�Â·uÃ�Â·tong), is a tall hardwood tree that grows in Malaysia, Borneo and Sumatra. It grows rapidly and has many commercial timber uses, but it is equally well known for its by-product, latex.��The wood from jelutong is very light in color, ranging from a creamy white to pale yellow and has a plain, straight grain and even texture. Albert Constantine Jr., writing in the book Know Your Woods, said the wood has a plain appearance and is off-white when first manufactured, with no difference between the sapwood and heartwood. "After exposure to the air it has a yellowish tint."��Attributes such as low density, ease of workability, plain grain and fine texture have made it extremely popular with carvers and patternmakers. Sean Patton, manager of U.S. products, Freeman Manufacturing and Supply Co., in Avon, OH, says his company has sold jelutong for some time. "We supply wood and other materials to pattern, model and prototype industries. Jelutongâ��s fine texture, stability, ease of workability and moderate price makes it a popular choice for patternmaking."

The list of uses for jelutong is fairly long. It is an excellent choice for sculpting and carving. It is also used to make architectural models, drawing boards, picture frames, wooden shoes (clogs), furniture parts, doorknobs, dowels and pencils.��

Source: http://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/wood-archives/wood-products-magazine/jelutong_127690738.html

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Softwoods - Scots Pine

Scots pine timber is one of the strongest softwoods available, and is widely used in the construction industry and in joinery. It is used in the manufacture of telegraph poles, pit props, gate posts and fencing. The tree can also be tapped for resin to make turpentine. Other uses include rope made from the inner bark, tar from the roots and a dye from the cones. Dry cones can be used as kindling for fires. ��

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Softwoods - Western Red Cedar

The soft red-brown timber has a tight, straight grain and few knots. It is valued for its distinct appearance, aroma, and its high natural resistance to decay, being extensively used for outdoor construction in the form of posts, decking, shingles, and siding.[28] It is commonly used for the framing and longwood in lightweight sail boats and kayaks. In larger boats it is often used in sandwich construction between two layers of epoxy resin and/or fibreglass or similar products. Due to its light weight—390 to 400 kg/m3 (24 to 25 lb/cu ft) dried—it is about 30% lighter than common boat building woods, such as mahogany. For its weight it is quite strong but can be brittle. It glues well with epoxy resin or resorcinol adhesive.��Note that the wood typically used as an insect-repelling closet lining and to make cedar chests is a different species, Juniperus virginiana (also known as red cedar).��Its light weight, strength and dark warm sound make it a popular choice for guitar soundboards.

Source: Wikipedia

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Softwoods - Parana Pine

Parana pine has many desirable characteristics. It is available in large-size clear boards with uniform texture. The small pinhead knots (leaf traces) that appear on flat-sawn surfaces and the light or reddish-brown heartwood provide a desirable figure for matching in paneling and interior woodwork. Growth rings are fairly distinct and similar to those of eastern white pine (Pinus strobus). The grain is not interlocked, and the wood takes paint well, glues easily, and is free from resin ducts, pitch pockets, and pitch streaks. Density of air-dried wood averages 545 kg/m3 (34 lb/ft3). The strength of parana pine compares favorably with that of U.S. softwood species of similar density and, in some cases, approaches that of species with higher density. Parana pine is especially strong in shear strength, hardness, and nail-holding ability, but it is notably deficient in strength in compression across the grain. The tendency of the kiln-dried wood to split and warp is caused by the presence of compression wood, an abnormal type of wood with intrinsically large shrinkage along the grain. Boards containing compression wood should be excluded from exacting uses.�

http://www.woodworkdetails.com/knowledge/wood/species/imported-softwood/parana-pine

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Composite Materials

A composite material is a material made from two or more materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties that, when combined, produce a material with characteristics different from the individual components. Carbon Fibre.

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Manufactured Board

Chipboard Hardboard Blockboard MDF

Plywood

Plywood can be used in furniture, panelling or shelves. It is used by gluing together thin layers of wood. Plywood can be used inside and out depending on the type of glue used it can also be very strong depending on the amount of veneers used. Plywood can be unattractive if a veneer is not used.

Chipboard is often used on kitchen worktops. It is covered with a plastic veneer to make it look like a more desirable material such as marble. It is relatively cheap. If the density of board is too low it absorbs water and breaks down.

Hardboard is often used in flooring. It is usually covered in a veneer to give it the look of a solid wood. It is sometimes tempered with oil which makes it more scratch resistant. Hardboard cannot be used outside as it absorbs water.

Blockboard can be used it cabinetry. It can be purchased with numerous laminates or veneers to give it the look of a hardwood. Because its light-weight it means that it can be more easily transported to the end-location.

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Purchasing Materials

When purchasing materials they are available in a range of sizes i.e. thicknesses, densities, finishes etc. When purchasing manufactured boards they come in a range of thicknesses and sheet sizes. An example of a type of finish you could buy would be rough sawn timber.

Rough Sawn Timber

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Finishes

Wood finishing refers to the process of refining or protecting a wooden surface, especially in the production of furniture where typically it represents between 5 and 30% of manufacturing costs.[1][2]��Finishing is the final step of the manufacturing process that gives wood surfaces desirable characteristics, including enhanced appearance and increased resistance to moisture and other environmental agents. Finishing can also make wood easier to clean[3] and keep it sanitized, sealing pores that can be breeding grounds for bacteria.