STU

Distribution:  Throughout most of North America, with commercial species in the eastern United States and Canada and the western coast of the United States (bigleaf maple).

General Characteristics:  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.

Working Properties: The wood turns well, is harder to work than softer woods, and has high nail-holding ability. It stains and polishes well, but is intermediate in gluing.

Durability: Rated as slightly or nonresistant to heartwood decay.

Uses: Lumber, distillation, veneer, crossties, paper pulp, flooring, furniture, pallets, boxes and crates, shoe lasts, handles, woodenware, novelties, spools and bobbins, bowling alleys, dance floors, piano frames, bowling pins, cutting blocks, pulpwood and turnery.

Distribution:  Ranging from the Ivory Coast to the Cameroons and eastward through Zaire to Uganda. Occurs in evergreen, deciduous, and transitional forest formation.

General Characteristics: Heartwood a medium to fairly dark reddish brown or purplish brown; sapwood whitish or pale yellow, distinct. Texture rather fine; grain interlocked, sometimes wavy, producing a narrow, uniform, roe figure on quartered surfaces; lustrous; without a distinctive taste but with a cedarlike scent.

Working Properties: Works fairly well with hand and machine tools, tends to tear interlocked grain in planing, saws easily, finishes well, good gluing and nailing properties, satisfactory peeling and slicing.

Durability: Heartwood is moderately durable, resistance to termite attack variable. Sapwood liable to powder-post beetle attack.

Uses: Furniture and cabinetwork, decorative veneers, plywood, joinery, flooring, paneling.

Distribution:  Cedrela occurs from Mexico to Argentina and is found in all countries except Chile. Trees make their best growth on rich, well-drained humid sites but may also compete favorably on drier hillsides; intolerant of water- logged locations.

General Characteristics: Heartwood pinkish-to-reddish brown when freshly cut, becoming red or dark reddish brown, sometimes with a purplish tinge, after exposure; sharply to rather poorly demarcated from the pinkish to white sapwood. Grain usually straight, sometimes interlocked; texture rather fine and uniform to coarse and uneven; luster medium to high and golden; distinctive cedar odor usually pronounced, some specimens with bitter taste.

Working Properties: Cedar is easy to work with hand and machine tools but somewhat difficult to bore cleanly. Easy to cut into veneer but with some tendency for wooly surfaces to occur; good nailing and gluing properties; stains and finishes well but gums and oils sometimes are a problem in polishing.

Durability: Heartwood is rated as durable but there is some variability within species; resistant to both subterranean and dry-wood termites. Low resistance to attack by marine borers. Wood has excellent weathering characteristics.

Uses: Wood is favored for millwork, cabinets, fine furniture, musical instruments, boat building, patterns, sliced and rotary-cut veneer, decorative and utility plywoods, cigar wrappers, and cigar boxes. Volatile oils may restrict use for some applications (e.g., clock cases).

Distribution:  Native to India, Burma, Thailand, Indochina, including Indonesia, particularly Java.

General Characteristics: Heartwood dark golden yellow, turning a dark brown with exposure, often variable in color when freshly machined showing blotches and streaks of various shades; sapwood pale yellowish, sharply demarcated. Grain straight, sometimes wavy; texture coarse, uneven (ring porous); dull with an oily feel; scented when freshly cut. Dust may cause skin irritations. Silica content variable, up to 1.4% is reported.

Working Properties: Easily worked with both hand and machine tools and dresses to a very smooth finish if tools are kept sharp; glues moderately well despite its oily nature. Blunting of cutters can be rather severe. As noted, may cause dermatitis in some individuals.

Durability: Heartwood is rated as very durable with respect to decay fungi and termites; not immune to marine borers.

Uses:Shipbuilding, joinery, furniture, flooring, carving, cabinetwork, paneling, turnery, tanks and vats, fixtures requiring high acid resistance.

VWX

Distribution:  Black walnut is native to the eastern United States, from southern Minnesota east to Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York; south to South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama; west to Texas; and north through Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota.

General Characteristics: 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.

Working Properties: 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.

Durability: Rated as very resistant to heartwood decay—one of the most durable woods, even under conditions favorable to decay.

Uses: Furniture, fixtures, cabinets, gunstocks, novelties, interior paneling, veneer.

Distribution:  North America is reported to include Ontario, Quebec, Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. It is usually found in pure stands and prefers moist, well-drained upland and lowland areas. The so-called classic White oak (Q. alba ), is reported to grow from Maine to Texas in the United States.

General Characteristics: The sapwood is whitish to light brown in color, and is variable in width. The heartwood is variable in color, and ranges from light tan or pale yellow brown to pale or dark brown. The wood may also have a pinkish tinge. Variations in color and grain are reported to be considerable, but not as pronounced as in red oak. The grain is described as open, with rays that are longer than those in red oak. There are occasional crotches, swirls and burls, and plainswan boards have plumed or flare-grained appearance. The grain pattern is tighter, and figuring is usually lower in riftsawn lumber. Quartersawn material often have a flake pattern which are sometimes referred to as tiger rays or butterflies. The wood is medium to coarse textured. There is no distinctive odor or taste.

Working Properties:The wood has moderate blunting effect on cutting tools. Cutting resistance is reported to be generally medium but is variable. Cross-cutting and narrow-bandsawing are reported to be satisfactory. Machining characteristics of white oak timbers are reported to vary with species and rate of growth. Softer timber from slow-growth trees are reported to be generally easier to work. Planing properties are rated as good, but a cutting angle of 20 degrees has been recommended. Turning qualities are reported to be very good.  The timber responds well to ordinary tools to produce clean, bored holes. The wood has satisfactory gluing qualities. Pre-boring is recommended in nailing operations, since the wood is hard. Screwing qualities are reported to be good. The material is reported to respond well to sanding operations. Reaction between tannins and liquid from some products, especially those with high water content such as bleach and water-based finishes, may turn the wood green or brown. White oak timbers are reported to have exceptional steam bending qualities, and defect free material is reported to bend to very small radius of curvature. Proper precautions should be taken to prevent chemical staining of steamed wood in contact with iron or steel. Timber from slow-growth white oak trees are reported to be softer and are easier to work with hand tools. White oak is reported to have medium bending and crushing strengths, with low stiffness, and its wear resistance is rated as outstanding. Working properties are reported to differ with the rate of growth of the tree: slow grown trees are reported to be easier to work with hand and machine tools. Faster growing southern trees are reported to produce harder timber than the slower growing Appalachian trees.

Durability:Heartwood resistance to decay is reported to be high in white oaks. Logs are reported to be susceptible to severe attack by ambrosia beetles, and standing trees and logs are also readily attacked by forest longhorn or Butrespid beetles.

Uses:Domestic flooring Exterior trim & siding Exterior uses Factory flooring Figured veneer Flooring Furniture components Furniture squares or stock Interior construction Interior trim Light construction Millwork Moldings Office furniture Paneling Parquet flooring Railroad ties Shakes Sheathing Shingles Siding Stair rails Stairworks Sub-flooring Trimming Veneer Building materials Cabinetmaking Ceiling Crossties Decorative venee

YZ

Distribution:  West Africa, mainly in Gabon and Cameroon, gregarious, sometimes in pure stands along riverbanks.

General Characteristics: Heartwood pale yellow brown with narrow darker streaks, striping pattern varies considerably; sapwood white up to 4 in. wide, distinct. Texture medium to coarse; grain usually wavy or interlocked; lustrous; unpleasant odor disappears after drying.

Working Properties: Saws fairly well, a clean smooth finish is sometimes difficult to obtain with machine or hand planing, tearing of interlocked grain; good gluing properties, veneers need careful handling to avoid cracking.

Durability: Heartwood is durable and resistant to termite attack.

Uses: Decorative veneers, turnery. Because of high toughness, used in ski manufacture, tool handles, etc.

Name:                                      

Distribution:

General Characteristics:

Working Properties:

Durability:

Uses:

Name:                                      

Distribution:

General Characteristics:

Working Properties:

Durability:

Uses:

Home | Marine Lumber | Teak Molding | Plywood | Plastics & Composites | King Starboard^®

^{Fish Cleaning Tables | Starboard Boat Doors | Marine Hardware |Dinghy Chocks | Specials| Site Map}

Useful Links I Link To Us 

Buck Woodcraft, Inc. 120 49th Street, Marathon, Fl.   33050

Phone: 305-743-4090 -- Fax: 305-743-2951 -- E-Mail:  john@buckwoodcraft.com