Understanding Different Types of Wood
Exploring Types of Wood: Hardwood vs. Softwood
When it comes to different types of wood, it’s all about the tree it originates from. Hardwoods and softwoods, although seemingly straightforward, offer a world of variety in terms of characteristics and uses.
Hardwoods: Dense and Durable
Origin: Hardwoods are derived from deciduous trees, known as angiosperms, which shed their leaves annually. Hardwoods are slower to grow, which leads to denser wood.
Color: Typically darker in appearance.
Hardness: Hardwoods are strong, scratch-resistant, and long-lasting.
Weight: Due to their density, hardwoods are heavier and may sink in water.
Softwoods: Fast-Growing and Sustainable
Origin: Softwoods come from evergreen trees, or gymnosperms, like conifers and pines. These trees maintain their needles year-round and grow quickly, making them more sustainable.
Color: Often lighter in color.
Hardness: Softwoods are generally less hard and more susceptible to chipping.
Weight: Lighter compared to hardwoods and will float in water.
Keep in mind that the terms “hardwood” and “softwood” don’t necessarily correlate with the wood’s actual hardness.
Common Hardwoods
- Walnut: Fine-textured and strong, ideal for cabinetry, gunstocks, furniture, and wall paneling.
- Mahogany: Reddish-brown with fine grain, resistant to shrinking, swelling, and warping, suitable for cabinetry and boat construction.
- Maple: Strong, hard, and fine-textured, perfect for fine furniture and flooring.
- Oak: Strong and flexible, resists moisture absorption, used for furniture, desks, boat framing, flooring, veneers, and tool handles.
- Rosewood: Dark reddish-brown, very hard, often used for musical instruments.
- Cherry: Closely grained, doesn’t warp or shrink much, ages well, great for cabinetry, furniture, boat trims, and novelty items.
Common Softwoods
- Cedar: Reddish with a sweet fragrance, uniform texture, excellent for chests, cabinets, roof shingles, dock planks, and posts.
- Pine: Uniform texture, resistant to warping and swelling, ideal for house construction, furniture, paneling, boxes, and molding.
- Fir: Low resistance to decay and uniform in texture, suitable for doors, furniture, frames, windows, veneer, plywood mix, and trims.
- Hemlock: Lightweight and uniform, used for planks, boards, paneling, crates, sub-flooring, and construction lumber.
- Spruce: Very hard and strong, requires protection against decay, commonly used for ship spars and masts, crates, boxes, ladders, and millwork.
Man-Made Wood Products (Engineered Wood)
In addition to natural wood there are various man-made types of wood products available, commonly they fall under the category of Engineered wood:
Plywood
Plywood is a popular choice in construction and carpentry because it’s made by gluing thin layers of wood together, giving it strength and versatility.
Chipboard and MDF
Made by compressing wood chips and dust, chipboard and MDF are affordable choices for many different purposes.
Laminated Board and Blockboard
These boards are created by gluing together wood strips, offering a balance between strength and flexibility for a range of uses.
Whether you’re working with natural wood or man-made alternatives types of wood, understanding your options is crucial for making informed choices in your projects.
Engineered Wood
Mass timber, composite wood, and manufactured board are all examples of engineered wood, which encompasses a wide range of wood-based products. These products are created by binding wood strands, particles, fibres, or veneers together using adhesives or other fixation methods to form composite materials.
Utilising Common Wood Sources
Typically, engineered wood products are manufactured using the same hardwoods and softwoods found in traditional lumber production. Sawmill scraps and wood waste can also be repurposed for engineered wood made from wood particles or fibres. However, when producing veneers like plywood, medium-density fibreboard (MDF), or particle board, whole logs are usually used. In some cases, engineered wood products like oriented strand board (OSB) can even utilise trees from the poplar family, a common non-structural wood species.
Diverse Materials for Eco-Friendly Alternatives
Engineered wood isn’t limited to traditional wood sources. It’s possible to create engineered bamboo from bamboo or similar engineered cellulosic products from other lignin-containing materials like rye straw, wheat straw, rice straw, hemp stalks, kenaf stalks, or sugar cane residue. Read more about bamboo here. These alternatives use plant fibres instead of wood, making them sustainable and eco-friendly for construction and manufacturing.