Woodworking With The Different Wood Types

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The type of wood that makes up the lion's share in any piece of furniture is a solid wood or wood that has been cut from the trunk of the tree. Of course, the type of wood that is chosen for the woodworking project will greatly determine the beauty and the strength of the finished product.

There are numerous types of woods on the market today with various properties and qualities. Most generally speaking there are softwoods and hardwoods.

Softwoods come from the conifer tree family such as cedar, fir, and pine. Even though they are in the softwood family, this doesn't mean that they are weaker than hardwoods.

For the purpose of this article, let's take a look at a few of the common softwoods.

Cedar:

The western red variety is the most common wood type of the cedar family and as its namesake indicates it has a redish hue to it and it is relatively soft. Cedar is probably most recognized by the aromatic smell of the wood itself. Since cedar can withstand moist environments without rotting, it is most used for outdoor projects and furniture.

Redwood:

The redwood type of wood is much like that of the cedar in the sense that the redwood is also very moisture resistant and as such is used for outdoor environment types of projects. The Redwood type is relatively soft as well and easy to work with.

Pine:

This wood type comes from several varieties of tree including White, Yellow and Ponderosa. All of these wood types make very good choices for most furniture woodworking projects. Pine is also relatively soft and easy to work with.

Pine generally will accept stain pretty well as long as you seal the wood first. Sap can be a bit of an issue particularly witht the Ponderosa pine wood type, so be mindful of that. Most all homecenters will carry pine, but you'll probably find the better grades at an actual lumberyard.

Fir:

Also referred to as Douglas Fir, this wood type is very soft and has a bit of a reddish or brownish tint to it. Fir is most generally used for building material, although it can be used for some specific furniture woodworking projects. Fir doesn't really have a grain pattern that will pop out at you and it doesn't accept stain all that well. So, if you're on track to use the fir wood type in your project, it would be best if it was a project that you are going to be applying a coat of paint to. The Douglas fir is one of the hardest of the softwoods category.

So, there's a quick rundown of the softwood wood types and their general properties. With these softwoods now tucked away in the back of your mind you'll now have a better idea as to what type of woodworking projects would be best suited for these types of wood.