Woods Flashcards
What are hardwoods
Most hardwoods are deciduous and drop their leaves in winter. These trees are slow growing and grow mainly in warmer climates. They produce mainly hardwoods. Hardwoods are generally hard to work and are used to make expensive furniture.
What are softwoods
These trees are faster growing trees and have needles instead of leaves. They are usually evergreen i.e.: they keep their needles all year round. They mainly grow in the colder regions of the world. Evergreen trees produce mainly softwoods. Softwood is easy to work and is used to make inexpensive furniture, structures and frames.
What are types of hardwoods
’ Beech, ash, oak
What are types of softwood
Pine spruce and cedar
What is beechwood
This is a close grained hardwood. It is used in situations where the product is to be exposed to a lot of wear and tear. It is not prone to splitting, and it is non-toxic.these properties make it great for kids tours and kitchen utensils, Breadboards, Rolling Pins, Wooden Spoons, Furniture and Tenon Saw handles.
What is ash wood
Its colour varies from a creamy white to light brown. It is a long grained timber that is tough and flexible. It also has good resistance to shock hence its use in sports equipment. Ash is a stable timber and therefore can be used outdoors. Examples of its uses include: Hockey sticks, Cricket stumps,hammer stats and garden tool handles
What is Oakwood
Freshly planed oak has a beige-brown colour which changes to a rich deep brown with time.
Quarter sawn oak is noted for its decorative figuring which shows a silver fleck effect.
Oak is a very hard, strong and durable timber and is quite heavy.
Examples of its uses include: Kitchen Units, Furniture, Staircases.
What pine wood
There are quite a number of Pines you can use. Most pines are inexpensive locally grown softwoods from managed forests. As they tend to be pale and have very little grain marking they are often used when appearance is not important. E.g.: making moulds for vacuum forming. Pine has also become very popular for furniture.
What is spruce wood
Commonly known as whitewood Has a similar colour to pine but never quite as dark. It grows in Canada and the British Isles. Unlike Pine, it contains a lot of very hard dead knots which often fall out. Resin pockets may also be present
and these should be cut out before use. Spruce is a very tough material and is fairly hard and
durable. Even so, it is not very stable and so is not suitable for outdoor use. Examples of its uses include: Rafters, Newspapers,
Floor Joists, Roof Joists, Coal Pit Props.
What is cedar wood
This is a softwood that comes from N. America. It is excellent for use outdoors. It has a natural chemical that protects the timber from decay. The wood resists rotting better than many other woods, and it can be easily sawed, planed and carved. Many clothing chests and closets are lined with cedar because the wood’s pleasant odour seems to keep moths away.
Examples of its uses include: Closets, chests, boats, pencils and Telephone Poles
What are man made boards
The term ‘man-made board’ is given to wood that has been cut and glued to form a board or sheet.
What are advantagesof man-made boards
One advantage is size. As solid timber is limited to 300mm wide, sheets can be made up to 1500mm wide.
Also, many of the man-made boards such as Plywood can be stronger than solid timber because of the arrangement of the grain.
What are disadvantages of manmade wood .
Prolonged exposure to moisture can often cause man-made boards such as MDF and chipboard to become weak.
They are difficult to join using normal wood joints and often require special fixings.
Nailing and screwing into the edge can be a problem, as the boards tend to split apart as the screw or nail goes in.
