Softwood Research Paper

2.3.2 Types of wood

Wood types can be based on what category they fall under whether under hardwood or softwood. The following sources give insight into how the types of wood are grouped and their characteristics.

American Hardwoods (2013), categorizes wood into three; hardwoods, softwoods and tropical wood. It defines the hardwood as deciduous trees that have wide leaves, yield fruits or nuts and usually go inactive in the wintertime. It continues by citing North America’s forests which breed hundreds of variations that bloom in moderate weathers, including oak, ash, cherry, maple and poplar species. Each species can be crafted into durable, long-lasting furniture, cabinetry, flooring and millwork, and each offers unique markings with distinction

Generally accessible softwood trees consist of cedar, fir, hemlock, pine, redwood and spruce. Softwoods chiefly are used as operational lumber with limited decorative applications. This is due to its grain structure, which causes it to have limited uses.

The last category which is the tropical wood is defined as growing in the tropical forests of the world and for domestic use. Though some tropical hardwoods can be used for interior applications, as well as flooring, the color, grain pattern, rigidity and shine of many imported woods differ from those of American hardwoods.

Another source, Hoove designs (2015), also divides wood into two categories; hardwood and softwood. It defines hardwood and softwood simply as any leaf bearing tree and any cone bearing tree respectively. This is in accordance to what American Hardwoods (2013) said earlier, with relation to their leaf type and the type of fruits they bear. Examples of hardwoods and softwoods are given below:

Types of Hardwoods

Oak: most commonly used hardwood, can be divided into two simple variations; white and red. The red variety is also known as black oak. This is as a result of its bark; it is dense, durable, bright

Mahogany is believed to be the toughest, durable and strong, with a uniform pore structure and poorly defined annual rings. It has a reddish - brown color and may display stripe, ribbon, broken line, rope, wave, and mottle, fiddle back or blister figures. Crotch mahogany figures are widely used and greatly valued. It is an exceptional carving wood and finishes well.

Cherry: sometimes called fruitwood. The term fruitwood is also used to describe a light brown finish on other woods. Cherry is a reasonably solid, durable, closed grain, light to red-brown wood, cherry resists warping and checking and is easy to carve and polish.

Walnut: Walnut is solid, tough and durable, without being excessively weighty, has outstanding woodworking abilities, and takes finishes well. The wood is light to dark chocolate brown in color with a straight grain in the trunk.

Rosewood: Very hard and has a dark reddish brown color. It is fragrant and close grained. It is hard to work and takes high polish. Used in musical instruments, piano cases, tool handle, art projects, veneers and