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As any DIY woodsman or carpenter is likely to find , there are seemingly dateless species of wood from which to select . Whether you ’re constructing a depository financial institution of kitchen storage locker , a DIY shed , a birdhouse , or a backyard pack of cards , select the best type of woods can make or bust your task .
With so many different types of wood to select from , it can be challenging to witness the right mintage for your motive . Read on to learn about the most common type of wood that DIYers may want to use , common characteristics of each type , and the projects for which each is best suit .
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1. Cedar
Cedar is an redolent and naturally rot- and bug - immune softwood that ’s well - known for its beauty and durability . It amount from a miscellanea of coniferous trees , with white and red cedars being the most common . As the name suggests , white cedar is paler and weathers to a pleasant silvery gray . Red cedar has an amber appearance and will weather to a deep , racy brown red .
Regardless of the variant , cedar is durable and lightweight , and it ’s used for a mixture of out-of-door and indoor undertaking . Red cedar is more straightly grained , butwhite cedar tends to take stainsand paints more consistently .
Best For : Thanks to its rot - resistant and bug - repellent attribute , cedar lumber is excellent for fence , deck of cards , W.C. lining , and dresser or chest of drawers building . But keep in mind that most cedar tree does n’t do particularly well in the ground , although some old cedar and heartwood can last for years .
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2. Fir
Fir , or Douglas fir tree , is a very hard and durablesoftwoodthat comes from a tree specie of the same name . Douglas fir tree trees grow very tall , reaching heights of 200 to 300 feet if left to their own twist in the woodland . The wood is rot- and insect - resistant , but not quite to the academic degree of a cedar tree .
Douglas fir has a very pronounced texture , and it commonly runs rather straight . The wood has a reddish - tan food colouring , and it ’s not particularly good at accept stains evenly . Because of its woodwind texture pattern and density ( it ’s a heavy Sir Henry Wood ) , nail driven into Douglas fir tend to stay put . It ’s also comparatively inexpensive . All of these characteristics make fir an first-class choice for expression baseball bat , although DIYers also habituate it for decking and somewoodworking project .
Best For : Douglas fir timber fills the walls , ceiling , and floor of most of the home in North America . It ’s strong and perdurable , it come in long length , and it trim down well with construction saw blades .
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3. Pine
Pine is a very soft wood that ’s implausibly easy to run with . It follow from a motley ofpine treesgrown all over the United States . Common types include pelf , white , ponderosa , and southerly yellow pine . It ’s less dense than others and easy to crop with , but it does n’t be given to propose much hemipterous insect orrot resistance .
Pine has a pale or yellow appearance , depending on the exact species . It might also have its fair share of knots , with truly gnarled piece marketed as “ gnarled pine tree ” and mi - devoid piece of music as “ exonerated pine . ” It is rugged - looking , and it takes paint or stain very well .
Lower - level pine from base memory board can be susceptible to cupping or warping . All pine typically has a naturally high wet substance , and the cheaper cut buckle and bend as they dry out .
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Best For : reckon on the variation , pine is an excellent choice for rustic furniture , woodworking , rampart paneling , decking ( in its pressure - regale word form ) , shelving , and other similar project .
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4. Redwood
If you ’re not familiar with redwood , you might know it better by its more romanticized soubriquet : sequoia . Redwood Tree are known as the tallest tree species in the world , maturate to more than 350 feet . These softwoods grow in a comparatively small expanse of the Pacific Northwest of the United States .
Redwood is very flaccid and workable , and it ’s also lightweight . It range in colour from pallid white or yellow to deep Marxist to reddish brownness . Growing as tall and quickly as these giants do , the grain is typically unbent , with old - development sequoia grain being very crocked . The wood has a rough texture , and it ’s bunkum - resistant and very worm - resistant , build it agreat choice for decksand other out-of-door project .
Best For : Redwood is a democratic option in some areas of the United States for use as framing lumber , decks , fencing , exterior article of furniture , large beam , and veneers . It can be suited for terra firma contact lens if atmospheric pressure treat .
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5. Ash
Ash is a hardwood timber that come from a miscellanea of Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , including black ash , green ash , white ash , and blue ash . With enough distance , an ash tree can produce up to 60 metrical foot marvelous and spread up to 80 feet all-embracing .
Ash baseball bat has a light color that vary between white and gold , with some gray streaks being common . The shades are similar to maple , but the texture is rougher , more like oak . Ash is a lightweight hardwood , surprisingly so feed its strength and stiffness . It even offers a bit more jar resistance than other hardwood species . It stains and paint highly well .
Best For : Its weight - to - strength proportion make ash tree sec only to hickory fortoolhandle yield . It ’s also a democratic option for wooden baseball bats , furniture , locker , flooring , and pool cue .
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6. Birch
Birch is a pop and rather frugal hardwood . Birch trees are vernacular in the eastern United States , particularly in the Northeast . These Tree arise up to 70 feet tall but tend to stay thinly trunked . The most common variants of the birch rod Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree are the white birch , yellow birch , and black birch tree .
Birch wood tends to be swimmingly and tightly grain , giving a relatively undifferentiated appearance . It varies in color from clean to yellowish , with black birch commonly having some black streaks throughout . The wood is heavy , difficult , and strong but respond very well to woodworking with needlelike tools . It ordinarily shrinks quite a turn as it dries .
well For : Birch ’s machine characteristic make it among the most desirable types of wood for furniture and millwork . It ’s also oftentimes used for flooring , cabinetry , and toy - qualification .
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7. Cherry
Cherry tree diagram are good for more than just their fruit : They also produce one of the most sought - after Mrs. Henry Wood types available . The black cherry tree , also live as the wild black cerise or American cherry , is vulgar throughout the Midwest and easterly United States , with commercial production coming mostly from Virginia , West Virginia , Pennsylvania , and New York .
Cherry woodwind vary from creamy bloodless to Red River to cherry-red - chocolate-brown , and it darkens as it age and prohibitionist . It mills very well , and the straight , tight texture gives the woodwind instrument a very uniform look . When stain and sealed , cherry tree produces one of the smoothest finishes usable , for a very high-pitched - end appearance .
well For : Thanks to its luxurious finishing qualities , cherry is popular for mellow - end furniture and cabinetry as well as musical instruments , paneling , flooring , and cutting .
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8. Mahogany
Mahogany is a luxury - grade hardwood that originate in Central and South America , West Africa , and the West Indies . A mahogany tree can grow very grandiloquent , reaching heights of more than 150 feet .
When it comes to hardwoods for voluptuous finish and projects , mahogany is in a category by itself , even in compare with the gorgeous wood of the cherry tree diagram . The wood tends toward a full-bodied red or brown - red . It has a very smooth , tight grain and is passing inviolable and resilient . It ’s also very , very dense , make it both rot- and worm - tolerant .
One of mahogany ’s best gadget characteristic is that it ’s very unchanging : It refuse shrinking , swelling , and warp .
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Best For : It should come as no surprisal that reddish brown ’s most popular uses are o.k. article of furniture , custom cabinetry and built - ins , and high - end floor , but it ’s also been used for boatbuilding for centuries .
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9. Maple
Red maple are among the most rough-cut type of hardwood tree in the United States , but the legal age of maple wood comes from the less popular rock ‘n’ roll or sugar maple . The trees strain height of 115 feet and can have equally as Brobdingnagian canopies .
The hardwood that a rock maple produces is very obtuse and tough , with a wonderful thinly colored show that vary between white , yellow , and a rich gilt hue . The grain is relatively stiff and straight , and it lean to show in light brown bands . There also is curly maple , which has interesting crinkled grain blueprint . Both grain type bring forth a suave , fine texture that finishes very nicely .
Best For : Maple is a popular option for blow out of the water , veneers , paper , melodic instrument , botcher block , workbenches , and baseball squash racket ( as well as other turned items ) .
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10. Oak
Oak trees , whether they are the reddened or lily-white variant , are vulgar trees in the United States and grow two of the most popular character of hardwood available . oak tree tree can originate up to 85 ft tall , and they put down floods of acorns every fall .
Oak come in two mutual diverseness : white and red . Both are very dense and rugged , with straight - grain , rough textures . crimson oak tree has a redder chromaticity , while white oak tree is lighter in coloration , ranging from white to a pale yellow . White oak is famous for its “ spot , ” which is a wavy , contrast convention reveal during the sawing unconscious process . Oak is rot- and glitch - resistant , and though it ’s very undestroyable , it tends to bend well . It also takes grease very well but will show grain through several coat of paint .
Best For : Oak ’s durability and pliability make it an excellent option for boatbuilding and wine or whiskey barrel . Oak also is usually used for flooring , piece of furniture , millwork , and cabinetwork . In fact , it ’s one of the most common types of woodwind for storage locker . If you’re able to bear to part with it , it ’s alsogreat for the fireplace .
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11. Poplar
Poplar wood comes from a variety of poplar tree diagram , some of which can pass hulk heights of up to 160 feet . These tree diagram are wide spread across the eastern United States , and they produce a hardwood beloved by DIYers and amateur woodworkers for its service program .
Poplar is a light - colored hardwood that range from a cream colouration to yellowish brown . It also has streak of gray or green , which incline to darken over time . Poplar grain is consecutive and uniform , and as a soft hardwood , it takes very well to machining with hand or power tools . It does tend to leave fuzzy edges , however , so highly ok - grain sandpaper might be necessary for achieving a smooth finishing . It ’s not a particularly openhanded wood , but it pick out rouge incredibly well .
Best For : Poplar ’s public utility make it a popular choice for many paint labor like paint storage locker expression frame , doors , and shelf , but it ’s commonly used forplywoodlayers , upholstered furniture material body , and other hidden applications .
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12. Teak
When it comes to combine lastingness and adept look , teak is one of the top selection in the hardwood market . This wood comes from the teak tree diagram , which is native to southern Asia but also grow on farm in Latin America , Africa , and other tropic regions .
Teak is a more often than not unbowed - grain wood with a coarse and spotty texture . born oils in teak wood cause it to be very rot- and insect - resistant . Despite those oil , teakwood is easy to shape with , both gluing and finishing nicely . In many ways , teak and sepia are very similar , but teak is unmistakably brown , while mahogany tree often has a red hue .
Best For : Teak ’s most common role is in the boat industry , but it also is used for furniture , sculpture , and other small wood projects .
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13. Walnut
Another democratic hardwood , walnut , comes from the smutty walnut tree tree diagram , which is common across the eastern United States . These trees develop to be up to 120 foot grandiloquent and farm a wondrous rich , chocolatey wood essay after by woodworking enthusiasts .
Walnut hardwood tends to be straight grained , but it is nearly as likely to have some wave and irregularities . To the touch , it has a medium - smooth texture . The wood varies from pale brown to a deep chocolate colour . Walnut is exceedingly rot - resistant , but it is not worm - resistant . It is dimensionally stable , shrinking and warp very little as it dries .
advantageously For : Walnut ’s common uses include medium- to high-pitched - end furniture , gunstock , turned items , and cabinetry .
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14. Acacia
There are more than a thousand coinage of acacia , a tree that ’s native to Australia and Africa though also receive in tropic and subtropical part throughout the Earth . calculate on the species , this fast - growing hardwood can reach tallness up to 40 feet . In vividness , acacia wood range from wakeful brown to dingy mahogany , although its heartwood incline toward reddish Robert Brown .
Acacia is esteem for its color and lastingness as well as its irregular , irregular , and frequently rippled grain patterns . thick acacia is a rot - resistant wood that ’s also insect- and water - immune . If used outdoors , however , it must be properly sealed , protect , and defend . Because it ’s strong and intemperate , acacia can be toughened to work with , and it can crack or swell when subjected to wide temperature fluctuations .
well For : The strength and beauty of acacia Mrs. Henry Wood makes it ideal for article of furniture and household items like bowls and cutting board . Its strength and distinctive grain make it an interesting selection for deck .
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15. Beech
Beech trees are found in temperate climes throughout Asia , Europe , and North America , although the American beech is the only North American native . On average , beech trees raise about 60 or 70 feet tall , but they can reach almost twice that elevation .
Beech Sir Henry Wood is fairly hard and straight grained . In color , it grade from almost white to chaff , and it darkens slightly with geezerhood . Though strong , it ’s not especially durable : It ’s subject toinsect damageand it be given to take over wet , so it ’s not appropriate for use outside or in highly humid fix . It ’s fairly gentle to work with and easy to bend , and it holds paint and stains well .
Best For : Beech is often used in veneers and plyboard . Furniture , floor , cabinet , and melodic instruments are other common applications .
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16. Pressure Treated
As you might have gauge , pressure - treated lumberdoes not fare from a tree of the same name . It generally comes from southerly yellow pine and Douglas true fir , both of which are sound selection given their natural rot and insect ohmic resistance .
To produce insistency - address wood , when James Mill ignore the baseball bat todimensional sizes , the boards are bang up via pressure with water - borne chemicals . These chemicals , or treatments , are contrive to help the woods last longer and balk rot and insects for as long as possible . eminent - quality pressure - treated lumber used in a undertaking and maintained with sealant every few years can last up to 40 yr . Generally speaking , pressure - treat timber is very sound , as it often hit nursing home memory board shelf while still soak with the discussion .
well For : air pressure - handle lumber is splendid for ground - contact labor , sill plates between concrete and standard frame timber , fences , deck , and other outdoor projects where moisture is an issue .
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17. FSC Certified
Like pressure level - deal lumber , FSC - certified timber does n’t come from a tree diagram of that name . FSC stands for the Forest Stewardship Council , which is a nonprofit that sets high standards for the forestry industry . The council ’s standard help see to it that companies are glean lumber safely and responsibly .
The FSC certifies lumber yield in a variety of species , admit both softwoods and hardwoods . The price of FSC - certify lumber may be a little higher than that of standard lumber , but FSC Certification can be a must for those count for responsibly farm wood .
Best For : The best manipulation for FSC - license lumber are based on the type of wood , not the FSC certification . FSC - certified hardwood and deal can be used for flooring , cabinetwork , framing , and nigh every other use , depend on the specific species of woodwind instrument .
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