Porosity: diffuse porous, though sometimes closer to semi-ring-porous with visible growth ring boundaries with decreased pore frequency and size in latewood
Arrangement: solitary and radial multiples
Vessels: small to medium, numerous
Parenchyma: not visible (even with 10x lens)
Rays: medium to very wide; normal spacing; noded
Lookalikes/Substitutes: Because of its very wide rays that produce ray fleck patterns, beech can sometimes be confused with other woods with large rays, such as maple (Acer spp.) and sycamore/plane (Platanus spp.). Without reference material and/or experience with wood from each genus, it can be difficult to tell the three apart. Platanus species have consistently wide rays that are apparent even on flatsawn surfaces, while rays of Acer appear very small and numerous on the flatsawn surface, while Fagus is in the middle ground with both large and small rays with less consistency.
Notes: The European counterpart, Fagus sylvatica, is more or less indistinguishable from the North American F. grandifolia.
i use beech for carving wooden spoons, then finish with a food-grade oil. the wood increases its depth of color when oiled. easier to work than maple and i use wood fall-down from local woodworking industries to keep it as sustainably sourced as possible.
The base for this sculpture is Beech Wood.
Here is another sculpture I made almost entirely from beech wood:
Would beech be a good species for a wood-shop work bench compared to oak or maple?
Seems like beech would be very comparable to hard maple. In the end, I would choose whatever you have easiest/best access to in regards to lumber quality, sizes, cost, etc.
I use beech to make cutting boards because its very hard. It’ll dull your planer blades faster than any other wood I use.
So I burn wood and I turn as well! Beech is somewhat common in my area (Western CT) and I’ve always thought of it as great firewood… 27 mbtu/cord… in the neighborhood of Oak, Hickory etc… After many years of burning it, I decided to spin a piece just for fun, the result is the stunning piece in the picture attached. Don’t ignore this wood! Its beautiful!
If you turn green, It has a very high moisture content and takes a bit longer than other woods to dry… but its stable, turns and finishes well.
Beech trees can survive in the understory for years. When the overstory is harvested the beech is released and has a head start over other species. Combine this with loggers around where we live tending to leave beech and it’s easy to develop a stand of almost pure beech. The trees we have are quite large, but many are hollow.
We were recently told by a forester that Beach Trees are essentially a trash wood and that if we let them they would overtake our more valuable timber. His explanation was that they have so many branches and knots they are simply not particularly useful timber
Beech wood is known as “the Mother of the Forest” because other hardwoods in mixed, broad leaved forests would to struggle to survive without it: its leaf drip kills weeds and leaf fall provides rich humus for the soil.
It is all over our woods and I was told it has little saleability or value. Good to read the facts, I can now see many uses!
What is the african hardwood equivalent of beech wood
where can i buy this wood in texas??
can beech wood be used in phot framing industry
Most burls are valued Jera.. especially when already precisely sliced or sawn.. then you’ll see the potential. Take care though.
Is there any value to Beech burl? I have a rather large burl (2’W x 3’L x 1’D) that will be difficult to harvest -sitting on a VERY steep slope- but might be worth it. Thoughts? Thx.
Has anyone ever heard of Beech being called “Bellwood”?
Don’t forget that, besides the occasional flecking, beech always displays a dotted grain, best described as tiny slits.