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Wood Properties
Maple (Acer spp)
Hard
maple has a fine, uniform texture, turns well on a lathe, is resistant
to abrasion and has no characteristic odor or taste.
It is heavy,
strong, stiff, hard, and resistant to shock, and it has large
shrinkage. Sugar maple is generally straight grained but the grain
also occurs as "birds-eye," "curly," and "fiddleback"
grain. The wood of soft maples resembles that of hard
maples but is not as heavy, hard and strong, the better grade
of soft maple has been substituted for hard maple in furniture.
The sapwood in the soft maples is considerably wider than that
in the hard maples and has a lighter heartwood color. Maple lumber
sometimes has olive or greenish black discolored areas known as
mineral streak or mineral stain, which may be due to injury. Maple
wood stains well and takes a high polish. It is intermediate in
gluing and has low decay resistance.
Ash (Fraxinus spp.)
The sapwood of ash is light brown, while the heartwood is
brown to grayish brown. White ash and Oregon ash have lighter
heartwood than do the other commercial species.
The width of
the sapwood is 3 to 6 inches (8 to 15 cm). It is ring porous,
with the latewood being composed of parenchyma which surrounds
and unites the latewood pores in tangential
bands.
The wood has no characteristic odor or taste. Ash
is straight grained, heavy, hard, strong, and stiff; it wears smooth,
with high shock resistance. It machines well and is better than
average in nail- and screw-holding capacity. It glues moderately
well. Black, green, pumpkin and blue ashes have lower specific gravity
and lower strength properties, but are still moderately strong,
hard, and stiff compared to other native hardwoods.
Ashes also split
easier, shrink more, are average in workability, and perform more
poorly in service compared to other native hardwoods.
Black Walnut (Juglans spp.)
The sapwood
of black walnut is nearly white, while the heartwood is light
brown to dark, chocolate brown, often with a purplish cast
and darker streaks.
The wood is heavy, hard, and stiff and
has high shock resistance. Black walnut is straight grained and easily worked
with hand tools and by machine.
It finishes beautifully and holds
paint and stain exceptionally well. It also glues and polishes well.
Rated as very resistant to heartwood
decay - one of the most durable woods, even under conditions
favorable to decay. Used for making Furniture, fixtures, cabinets, gunstocks,
novelties, interior paneling, and veneer.
Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua)
The sapwood of sweetgum is white to light pink,
while the heartwood is reddish brown to brown.
The grain is interlocked,
producing an attractive grain, but causing problems in seasoning.
The wood is moderately hard, stiff, and heavy.Working Properties:
Sweetgum is above average in turning, boring, and steam bending.
It is intermediate in planing, shaping, bending, splitting and holding
nails and screws. It requires pretreatment before gluing. Rated as slightly or nonresistant
to heartwood decay.
Magnolia (Magnolia spp.)
The wood is even-textured and moderately heavy,
fairly hard and straight grained.
It resembles yellow poplar (Liriodendron
spp.). Magnolia is moderately stiff, high in shock resistance,
and low in shrinkage. It has no characteristic odor or taste.
Magnolia has average nail-holding ability, is readily worked,
and glues, paints, and finishes well.
Sycamore (Platanus spp.),
Sycamore has a close texture, glues well, and
resists splitting because
of its interlocked grain.
It holds its shape well after steaming
and machines well, but
requires high speed cutter heads to prevent chipping.
Black Cherry (Prunus serotina)
Cherry wood has a mild, aromatic scent, but no
characteristic taste. It is of medium density, firm, and strong,
with a fine, uniform texture. The grain is generally straight.
Working Properties: Cherry is easy to work, finishes smoothly,
and is dimensionally stable. It is easily machined. It can be
sawn cleanly, turned well, and planed excellently with standard
cutting angles. Screw-holding ability is good, as is gluing, except
where gum streaks are present.
Oaks (Quercus spp.)
Oak wood has a course texture; it is heavy, straight-grained,
hard, tough, very stiff, and strong. Fast-grown oak, with wide
rings, is stronger and heavier than slow-grown oak. Working Properties:
Oak wood has good working properties. It machines and glues well
and holds fasteners extremely well. It tends to split when nailed,
unless predrilled. Oak finishes well, but shrinks considerably.
Elm (Ulmus spp.)
The
sapwood of elm is nearly white, while the heartwood is light brown
to brown with a reddish tinge. The wood has no characteristic
odor or taste. Elm is moderately heavy, hard and stiff, with excellent
bending and shock resistance. It is difficult to split because
of its interlocked grain.
Information taken from: Hardwoods of North America
Alden, H. A. Madison, WI : U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service,
Forest Products Laboratory, 1995. http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplgtr/fplgtr83.pdf
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