Wood ... got to love it!
- The D.A.R Woodworm, Allison
- Dec 29, 2017
- 6 min read
Any project involving and using wood, has to have many things to consider.
- Selecting the type of wood, ie softwood, hardwood or man made.
- Characteristics of the wood.
- Is the wood selected flat and/or straight.
- Tools required for your project.
- Work space required for the given project
At times, it is totally up to the individual as to the type of wood you choose for a project, based on appearance, availability, cost and so on. At other times there is tradition so to speak, when certain wood types are used with certain projects.
In this article I will discuss the first two (2) of the list above. Please keep an eye out for the next article discussing condition of the wood, tools and your work space.
What I would suggest is that you purchase the best you can afford, is available to you in your area and adjust your design and method accordingly.
A. Selection of Wood Type
1. Softwood - the term refers to the botanical grouping of the wood rather than the physical properties. Softwoods come from coniferous trees ( trees/plants that bear exposed seeds).
A number of softwoods are readily identified by their relatively light colour range ( pale yellows to reddish browns) as well as grain patterns created by the contrast in colour and density between the early wood and the late wood in the annual growth rings.
Conifers are relatively fast growing, producing straight trunks that can be economically cultivated and harvested in man made forests. They are cheaper than hardwoods and are widely used in building construction and joinery as well as the manufacture of fibreboard and paper.
Check out this website and it will give you some more details on softwoods, uses, characteristics etc. www.woodsolutions.com.au.
Some examples of softwood found in Australia are radiate pine, Hoop pine, cypress, kauri pine, Tasmanian celery top pine, Bunya pine to name a few.
2. Hardwoods - like softwoods, the term refers to the botanical grouping rather than physical properties. They are usually harder than the softwoods but not always the case. eg balsa wood is botanically a hardwood but physically it is the softest of the two groups!
Hardwoods come from broad leaved trees angiospermae ( flowering trees). They are generally more durable than softwoods and offer a wider choice of colour, texture and figure. Softwoods also can have nice grain and figure. Hardwoods can also be more expensive. some exotic hardwoods can be highly figured and are often converted into veneers ( thin slices of wood).
They are usually slow growing and although many programs worldwide for replanting to help maintain the forests, the newer trees are not always as good a quality as the older stock.
Check out this website and it will give you some more details on hardwoods, uses, characteristics etc.
www.woodsolutions.com.au
Some examples of hardwood found in Australia are the great variety of Eucalyptus, black bean, Tasmanian blackwood, silky oaks, Queensland walnut & maples to name but a few.
3. Man Made Boards - products are constantly being developed worldwide to improve quality, ease of working and the economy of raw materials. There is a wide range of manufactured boards available and roughly fall into three (3) categories - laminated boards, particle boards and fibre boards.
3a. Plywood being one of the most common of the laminated man made boards. it was first produced commercially around the mid nineteenth century with the development of waterproof adhesives.
Plywood, is made of a number of plies or layers of thin wood. each layer is placed so the grain direction runs 90 degrees to the previous and is glued together to form a finished thickness. The minimum number of plies is three (3). There is usually one side of the plywood that has a good surface face veneer applied with very few defects and the back side usually with some defects, which are allowable. you can get these boards with two good faces if required.
3b. Particle Boards are usually made from small chips or flakes of wood bonded together with adhesive and pressure. The most common today being melamine. They are usually fairly stable and consistent with their thickness and can be used for a variety of purposes, most commonly kitchen cabinets.
3c. Fibre Boards are made from wood reduced to fibres and then reconstituted to make a stable board depending on the adhesive used and the amount of pressure applied at manufacture. A common one to day is MDF ( medium density fibreboard). It has a fine texture making it easy to profile into mouldings and worked similar to solid wood. It also makes an excellent substrate for veneers and can have paint easily applied.
B. Characteristics of Wood
Wood ..... Isn't it a natural wonder?!!! Each piece is unique.
Each segment taken from a single tree will be different, even along a single length of board. It may have the same colour, but the grain pattern will vary.
Selecting wood for a project has a number of considerations and at times is a balancing act between appearance, strength, weight, availability, workability and cost.
More of the common woods can be identified by their grain/figure, colour, texture and smell. However, some are more difficult and require an expert to analyse things like leaf structure, bark and so on.
There are many reference books that talk about the various characteristics of certain wood and gives the reader an insight as to what a species the wood belongs to. I have found one of the better texts in Australia to be " Wood in Australia" by Keith R Bootle. Talking with suppliers and other woodworkers can also help and you will get a better feel for what to look for in characteristics, uses, how good they are to work with tools and also how they take a finish.
It is important to choose a suitable wood for your project. If your not familiar with a particular wood and its characteristics, discuss with your supplier or research on line to ensure its suitability and be aware of it characteristics.
1. Grain - the cellular structure of a tree constitutes the "grain" of the wood. A tree that grows straight and even will produce straight grain and follow the main axis of the tree.
When trees twist or are under some sort of stress they produce different grain patterns, such as "spiral grain, curly grain" which is where the cell structure deviates from the main axis of the tree, a fork in the tree etc.
These grain patterns can often produce extraordinary results but, can also be tricky to work with.
The term "grain" is also used with reference to how the wood is cut or planed.
Sawing or planning with the grain means you are following the grain and the fibres are parallel which gives a much smoother finish. The opposite being when you cross cut, you are cutting perpendicular to these fibres and the result can be a rougher finish.
When people talk about grain patterns, they are describing the appearance of the wood. What they are really talking about is the natural growth features in the wood, sometimes referred to as "figure".
The density of the growth rings, distribution of colour, effects from disease, amount of water available, weather the tree has experienced and the soil type where it has grown all contribute to its "figure" and "grain patterns"
2. Texture - this refers to the relative size of the wood cells. Fine textured woods have small closely spaced cells whereas course textured woods have larger spaced cells.
The woods texture not only affects how it is cut or planed but also its appearance and characteristics under a stain or finish.
Some Examples of three (3) different Hardwoods showing grain and texture.
The smaller pieces in the bottom left are from a rainforest tree sold to me as "Baconwood". It is extremely dense and hard, with a fine grain and texture.
The purple piece at the back is " Purple Heart" a medium sized hardwood. The texture is medium and very even. It is nice to work but very hard.
The wider board on the right side is "Camphor laurel" a large hardwood. The texture is moderately fine and even and the grain/figure can be interlocked and at times quite crazy. It is easy to work with tools but rapid changes in grain at times can cause problems when cutting or planning.
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