 Yellow Birch (Betula alleghaniensis)
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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) Hardness: 1,260 lbf (5,610 N) Rupture Strength: 16,600 lbf/in2 (114,480 kPa) Elastic Strength: 2,010,000 lbf/in2 (13,860 MPa) Crushing Strength: 8,170 lbf/in2 (56.3 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.
Scent: 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/Availability: 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.
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Yellow Birch (sanded) |
 Yellow Birch (sealed) |
September 2nd, 2010 at 5:44 am
Dude,
I am building a DN racing iceboat out of wood. The hull is mostly Sitka Spruce. The runner plank is quarter sawn ash on the top and bottom. The blades are a sandwich of carbon fiber, Baltic Birch, and 440C stainlss steel. If you would like to see pictures I can provide some. Or just Google “DN iceboat, hull, runner plank, runners, etc.
Your database is very thorough, and we here at Erwin Enterprises have used it multiple times during construction. I noticed you do not have a scan of Baltic Birch. Would you like me to scan some for you? Could I do this exchange for a printed version of the database? Thanks.
Sincerely,
Graham Erwin
Erwin Enterprises
graham@fogmn.com
September 2nd, 2010 at 10:58 am
Graham,
I’ve got some Baltic Birch myself, but the main issue that I’m having is simply determining what exact species of wood it is: baltic birch seems to be more of a vague term describing the region the birch came from, and not necessarily a specific species of birch.