Common Soft And Hardwoods

What are hardwood trees.

Common soft and hardwoods.

For example balsa wood is known as one of the softest and least dense types of wood yet it is. Yet in the context of everyday woods that most people in the united states or canada are likely to encounter the list of possible woods is usually much shorter. Hickory firewood is often preferred. Hardwood tree characteristics apply to many of the tree species in this country.

Also wood names can be misleading. This is by far the most common misconception people have about wood when they browse the aisles of the local lumber yard or big box building products store. The most common type of cedar is the western red variety. The term hardwood tree is a botanical grouping of trees with similar characteristics.

In the process of identifying wood things can get a bit overwhelming when faced with the hundreds and hundreds of possible species. The most common test for testing wood hardness is known as the janka hardness test. Other soft hardwoods. Here is a list of common hardwoods and softwoods used in the crafting of furniture.

Classifying wood as either a hardwood or softwood comes down to its physical structure and makeup and so it is overly simple to think of hardwoods as being hard and durable compared to soft and workable softwoods. Instead consider a harder denser hardwood like hickory oak or cherry. Wood is generally categorized as either softwood or hardwood and it is a common misconception that softwood is soft and workable while hardwood is hard and durable. Hardwood is hard and softwood is soft.

However this is not what qualifies a piece of wood as either soft or hard. The actual number listed in the wood profile is the amount of pounds force lb f or newtons n required to imbed a 444 11 28 mm diameter steel ball into the wood to half the ball s diameter. Do note a wood s heartwood is harder than its sapwood. Western red cedar as its name implies has a reddish color to it.

Following is a list of common softwood varieties and their characteristics. Considering that heat is one of the most common reasons for building a fire this alone is a huge benefit that shouldn t be overlooked. Hardwood trees also known as. Common hardwoods and softwoods for furniture.

For example swietena mahagony south american mahogany and african mahogany are all marketed as mahogany but their. Balsa for example is relatively soft and not very dense. Softwood discussion read on.