Which wood would you choose? When attempting to complete a wood project you must be careful of your choice of wood.
Other characteristics are due to the way that the wood is sawed and cured. There are hardwoods from deciduous trees and softwoods from coniferous trees. There are two basic wood grades. Select lumber is excellent quality for use when appearance and finishing are important and common lumber that has defects used for construction and general-purpose projects.
The following are species, their characteristics and best uses:
HARDWOODS
Mahogany
Fine grained, reddish brown in colour. Very durable and resists swelling shrinking, and warping. Used for quality furniture such as cabinets; boat construction; wood facings and veneers.
Walnut
Fine textured, strong, easy to work with and resists shrinking and warping and finishes well. Best used for gunstocks, solid and veneered furniture, novelties, cabinetry and wall panelling.
Oak
Strong with good bending qualities. Is durable and finishes well and resists moisture absorption. Used for furniture, trimming, boat framing, desks and flooring.
Maple
Fine textured and is fine textures. It is strong and hard. Has moderate shrinkage and machines well. Best used in flooring, fine furniture and woodenware such as bowling alleys.
Cherry
Close-grained and resists warping and shrinking. It will redden when exposed to sunlight and ages well. Used in cabinet making, boat trim, novelties, solid furniture handles and turned projects.
Rosewood
Very hard and has a dark reddish brown colour. It is fragrant and close grained. It is hard to work and takes high polish. Used in musical instruments, piano cases, tool handles, art projects, veneers and furniture.
Teak
Hard and durable and resistant the moisture and rot. It resists warping, cracking and decay. Best used in fine furniture, panelling, shipbuilding, doors, window framing, flooring and general construction.
SOFTWOODS
Pine
It has uniform texture, works easy and finishes well. It resists shrinkage, swelling and warping. Used in house construction, panelling and trim. Also used for furniture, moulding and boxes.
Hemlock
Light in weight, uniformly textured. It machines well and has low resistance to decay and non resinous. Used for construction lumber, planks, doors, boards, panelling, sub flooring and crates.
Fir
Works easy and finishes well. Uniform in texture and non resinous. Has low resistance to decay. Used in furniture, doors, frames, windows, plywood, veneer, general millwork and interior trim.
Redwood
Light in weight, durable and easy to work. Has a natural resistance to decay. Used in outdoor furniture, fencing, house siding, interior finishing, veneering and panelling.
Spruce
Strong and hard. Finishes well and has low resistance to decay. Has moderate shrinkage and light in weight. Used for masts and spars for ships, crates, boxes, general millwork and ladders.
Cedar
Fresh sweet odour and reddish in colour. Easy to work and uniform in texture and is resistant to decay. Used in chest making, closet lining, shingles, posts, dock planks, novelties and Venetian blinds.
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