The Wood Database » Hardwoods

Sweet Birch

Eric — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 03:26:16 +0000

Silver Birch

Eric — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 03:25:47 +0000

River Birch

Eric — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 03:25:06 +0000

Paper Birch

Eric — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 03:24:42 +0000

Gray Birch

Eric — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 03:24:18 +0000

Alder-leaf Birch

Eric — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 03:23:50 +0000

Alaska Paper Birch

Eric — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 03:22:41 +0000

Yellow Birch

Eric — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 01:39:45 +0000

Yellow Birch (Betula alleghaniensis)

Common Name(s): Yellow Birch

Scientific Name: Betula alleghaniensis

Distribution: Northeastern North America

Tree Size: 65-100 ft (20-30 m) tall, 2-3 ft (.6-1.0 m) trunk diameter

Average Dried Weight: 46 lbs/ft³ (740 kg/m³)

Basic Specific Gravity: .55

Hardness: 1,260 lb_f (5,610 N)

Bending Strength: 16,600 lb_f/in² (114,480 kPa)

Elasticity: 2,010,000 lb_f/in² (13,860 MPa)

Shrinkage: Radial: 7.3%, Tangential: 9.5%, Volumetric: 16.8%, T/R Ratio: 1.3

Color/Appearance: Heartwood tends to be a light reddish brown, with nearly white sapwood. Occasionally figured pieces are available with a wide, shallow curl similar to the curl found in Cherry. There is virtually no color distinction between annual growth rings, giving Birch a somewhat dull, uniform appearance.

Grain/Pore: Grain is generally straight or slightly wavy. Pores are closed, with a fine, even texture

Durability: Birch is perishable, and will readily rot and decay if exposed to the elements. The wood is also susceptible to insect attack.

Workability: Generally easy to work with hand and machine tools, though boards with wild grain can cause grain tearout during machining operations. Turns, glues, and finishes well.

Smell: There is no characteristic odor associated with this wood species.

Safety: Birch in the Betula genus has been reported as a sensitizer. Usually most common reactions simply include skin and respiratory irritation. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information.

Price Range: Likely to be rather economical in most instances. Figured boards can be more expensive, but normally plain birch lumber is in the same price range as maple or oak.

Comments: Birch is one of the most widely used woods for veneer and plywood worldwide. Besides regular sheets of plywood, Birch veneer is also used for doors, furniture, and paneling.

Some other common uses for Birch include: boxes, crates, turned objects, interior trim, and other small specialty wood items.

Related Species:

Alaska Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera var. neoalaskana)

Alder-leaf Birch (Betula alnoides)

Gray Birch (Betula populifolia)

Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera)

River Birch (Betula nigra)

Silver Birch (Betula pendula)

Sweet Birch (Betula lenta)

Yellow Birch (Betula alleghaniensis)

Scans/Pictures:

Yellow Birch (sanded)

Yellow Birch (sealed)

Queensland Walnut

Eric — Wed, 12 May 2010 02:34:51 +0000

Queensland Walnut (Endiandra palmerstonii)

Common Name(s): Queensland Walnut, Orientalwood

Scientific Name: Endiandra palmerstonii

Distribution: Northern Queensland (Australia)

Tree Size: 120-140 ft (37-43 m) tall, 4-6 ft (1.2- 1.8 m) trunk diameter

Average Dried Weight: 43 lbs/ft³ (685 kg/m³)

Basic Specific Gravity: .53

Hardness: 1,670 lb_f (7,380 N)

Bending Strength: 14,570 lb_f/in² (100,460 kPa)

Elasticity: 1,656,000 lb_f/in² ( 11,420 MPa)

Shrinkage: Radial: 4.5%, Tangential: 8.6%, Volumetric: 13.1%, T/R Ratio: 1.9

Color/Appearance: Ranges from medium pinkish brown to dark brown. Sometimes streaked with pink, greenish gray, or black streaks. Appearance closely resembles English Walnut, though lighter-colored pieces can also resemble Ovangkol.

Grain/Pore: Grain is usually interlocked, and commonly wavy. Texture is medium, with a moderate natural luster, and shallow open pores.

Durability: Generally regarded as being between moderately durable and non-durable regarding decay resistance. Queensland Walnut is also quite susceptible to insect attack.

Workability: Queensland Walnut can cause troubles in two areas: it can be difficult to plane if there is interlocked grain present, and it has a reported silica content of 0.19% to 1.08%, making it highly blunting to cutting edges. Other than these issues, the wood glues, stains, and finishes well.

Smell: Queensland Walnut does not smell like typical walnut in the Juglans genus: there is no characteristic odor associated with this species when dry.

Safety: There have been no adverse health effects associated with Queensland Walnut. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information.

Price Range: A fairly popular (and common) wood in Queensland, Australia, Queensland Walnut is seldom available in the United States in lumber form, and is likely to be on the expensive side, even for an imported species. Imported veneer sheets are more reasonable priced and are occasionally available in the United States.

Comments: Even though it’s named Queensland Walnut, and it’s color and appearance would suggest that it is a close cousin to Black Walnut, it actually bears very little botanical relation to the true walnuts in the Juglans genus; the wood isn’t even in the same family as the true walnuts: Lauraceae versus Juglandaceae.

Queensland Walnut is reported to have very good electrical insulation properties, and is favored for some types of electrical enclosure applications in Australia. Some other common uses for Queensland Walnut include: cabinetry, flooring, millwork, furniture, and veneers.

Related Species:

None available.

Scans/Pictures:

Queensland Walnut (sanded)

Queensland Walnut (sealed)

Madrone

Eric — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 03:27:21 +0000

Madrone (Arbutus menziesii)

Common Name(s): Madrone, Pacific Madrone

Scientific Name: Arbutus menziesii

Distribution: Western coast of North America

Tree Size: 80 ft (24 m) tall, 2-3 ft (.6-1.0 m) trunk diameter

Average Dried Weight: 50 lbs/ft³ (795 kg/m³)

Basic Specific Gravity: .58

Hardness: 1,460 lb_f (6,490 N)

Bending Strength: 10,400 lb_f/in² (71,720 kPa)

Elasticity: 1,230,000 lb_f/in² (8,480 MPa)

Shrinkage: Radial: 5.6%, Tangential: 12.4%, Volumetric: 18.1%, T/R Ratio: 2.2

Color/Appearance: Color tends to be a cream or pinkish brown color, but can also have dark red patches. Madrone is known for its burl veneer, which has many closely-packed clusters of knots and swirled grain.

Grain/Pore: Grain tends to be straight, with a very fine and even texture and closed pores.

Durability: Madrone is rated as non-durable to perishable with regard to decay resistance.

Workability: Madrone is easy to work with machine and hand tools, and compares similarly to Hard Maple in working characteristics. The wood can be difficult to dry, and has a tendency to warp or twist. Madrone is an excellent turning wood, and also takes stains and finishes well.

Smell: There is no characteristic odor associated with this wood species.

Safety: There have been no adverse health effects associated with Madrone. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information.

Price Range: Madrone is most often sold as burl veneer, which tends to be quite expensive. Madrone lumber, if available, is also expensive for a domestic wood species, easily costing more than other premium domestic hardwoods such as Cherry or Walnut: its price is likely to compare similarly to Myrtle, another Pacific-coast hardwood.

Comments: Madrone burl is highly prized as a decorative veneer, while Madrone lumber is a very dense and finely-grained hardwood that’s similar in appearance to fruitwoods, and is sometimes used for turnery. The wood burns long and hot, and as a result it is also used for firewood and charcoal.

Related Species:

None available.

Scans/Pictures:

Madrone (sanded)	Madrone (sealed)
Madrone (endgrain)

No Images Available

Common Name(s): W

Scientific Name: P

Distribution: E

Tree Size: ft ( m) tall, ft ( m) trunk diameter

Average Dried Weight: lbs/ft³ ( kg/m³)

Basic Specific Gravity: .

Hardness: lb_f ( N)

Bending Strength: lb_f/in² ( kPa)

Elasticity: lb_f/in² ( MPa)

Shrinkage: Radial: %, Tangential: %, Volumetric: %, T/R Ratio:

Color/Appearance: No data available.

Grain/Pore: No data available.

Durability: No data available.

Workability: No data available.

Smell: There is no characteristic odor associated with this wood species.

Safety: There have been no adverse health effects associated with Basswood. Although severe reactions are quite uncommon, oak has been reported as a sensitizer. Usually most common reactions simply include eye and skin irritation. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information.

Price Range: No data available.

Comments: No data available.

Related Species:

None available.

Scans/Pictures: There are currently no pictures of this wood species available for viewing. If you’d like to contribute wood samples to be scanned, (even small pieces of veneer can be sent), please use the contact form.

There are currently no pictures of this exact wood species, but a similar species within the Juglans genus is being substituted (J. nigra). If you’d like to contribute a wood sample of this specific species to be scanned, (even small pieces of veneer can be sent), please use the contact form.