Beautiful Trees to Hardwood Lumber

No matter what the project, it is important to know what kind of wood suits the project. It is important to know about the different woods and what they are used for. There are several different kinds of woods and their purposes vary accordingly. Hard wood lumber comes in many different strengths, colors, and grains.

Hardwood comes from trees that have broad leaves or produce nuts. Some of the trees that fit into this category include: Oak, Maple, Walnut, hickory, and cherry tree. These are the most common hard wood trees in North America, partially to do with the climate. Hardwood is the correct name for the lumber produced from these species. However, not all hardwood lumber is the same. To figure out what the characteristics, the industry has created a standardized code. The code is for the wood's strength and grade.

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Under this classification, the hickory and Pecan are considered the strongest. The classification measurements are derived from how much pressure is necessary in order to mar the wood. For the hickory and Pecan the measurement is approximately 1,820 pounds of pressure. The softest of the wood is the Aspen. Although it is considered a hardwood, its measurement lies at a bout 350 pounds of pressure. Somewhere in between the two extremes is the hard maple which is 1,450 in addition to the white oak which is about 1,360 pounds. A little closer to the soft end of the scale is the cherry at about 950 pounds. The hardest woods are best used for flooring.

When using hardwood it is important to note that it adjusts to its environment. This means that it does contract and expand depending on the surrounding environment. Because it was once living, it is good to think that it continues to do so even after it is cut down. The wood is dried in a kiln in order to minimize this adjustment. It is important to keep the wood in the same shape as when it was manufactured.

Manufacturers of hardwood lumber take into consideration the changes in wood as well as the purpose and design. Take Windsor plywood for example is used most often as sub-flooring in addition to wall bases. Rough cut lumbers that can be used for almost any job include: Dunn, Carter, Lowes, and Siegel. To find hardwood, online stores will typically supply it manufactured as a floor finishing product. However, some research and consideration should always occur before purchasing hardwood for any project. The measurement classification, color, and purpose should all be taken into consideration. Although, it is important to note that any hardwood can be stained or painted to better suit the décor and design of a house. The grain is perhaps the more important characteristic to pay attention to instead of color.

Beautiful Trees to Hardwood Lumber

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Understanding Hardwood Lumber

You may have a couple of woodworking projects in mind, such a building a hutch, perhaps laying flooring in your home. The first question that comes to mind is what is the right kind of wood for the particular job? This question becomes easier to answer once you understand a bit about the unique characteristics and qualities of each hardwood.

Hardwood is lumber that comes from hardwood trees, which are those that have a broad leaf, or produce nuts. In North American, the most popular hardwoods are cherry, maple, walnut, oak and hickory. The climate in North America is conducive for the production of these strong wood trees. The entire group of these trees, taken as a whole, are called "hardwood" trees.

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Even though all hardwood is not the same, the lumber industry has taken steps to standardize wood by designating different strengths and grades so that the consumer can know which is the best hardwood for the woodworking project he is contemplating.

The hardest of all hardwoods are pecan and hickory. The strength of hardwood is determined by PSI, which is how much pressure it takes to dent the wood, measured in pounds. For hickory and pecan, it takes 1,820 pounds. The "softest" of the hardwoods is aspen, which takes as little as 350 pounds to mar the wood. The commonly used woods are in the middle, in terms of pounds of pressure, such as maple (1,450), white oak (1,360) and cherry (950 pounds). These measurements are important since they will indicate which hardwoods are best for which project. For flooring, you would want a harder wood than you would need for furniture.

Depending upon the temperature and moisture content of its surroundings, hardwood expands and contracts as an adaptation to its environment. To keep this change in texture to a minimum, hardwoods are dried in a kiln oven to remove a great deal of its moisture content. This will stabilize the amount of expansion and contraction so that it retains its original shape as closely as possible.

The manufacturers of good hardwood take the character of the wood into account when they specify what the wood should be used for. An example of this concept is that Windsor-brand plywood is used as an under flooring and for outside wall bases. Siegal, Lowes, Carter and Dunn, Carter, Lowes and Siegel lumber all carry lumber suited for whatever job you want to do. If you shop on line, you will see that seller such as Lumber Liquidators carry a large stock of hardwood lumber to be used primarily for flooring applications.

You have to decide carefully about the kind of lumber you are going to use for each project, and especially about how you want the finished product to look. Even though the variation in how strong or durable different hardwoods are, the finished appearance can differ greatly and so you have to decide whether you prefer the rough look of white oak or the softer finish of maple. Since hardwoods are usually stained to any color you may like, it is the grain that will decide what the end product will look like.

Understanding Hardwood Lumber

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Hardwood Lumber Defined and Explained

Building a hutch or putting down wood floor for the living room are two jobs that can be completed with relative ease. The most important question to answer is what type of hardwood lumber you want to use. First you will want to learn a few things about hardwoods. Then you will be able to make an educated decision.

Hardwood is wood that comes from broad leaf trees or two that produce nuts. Walnut, Maple and Cherry trees are the ones that are used mist frequently in North America. The climate in North America is perfect for the trees so they grow in great abundance. Lumber from any of these trees is labeled hardwood.

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However, this generic label is somewhat misleading because there are major differences in the types. Industrials groups have worked hard to give rating to various lumbers to help differentiate between them. Different strengths and grades are defined to let consumers know which ones are the hardest and which are soft. Knowing the difference between the grades is extremely important because it should be taken into account when choosing which wood will be used for which applications.

The hardest hardwoods are hickory and Pecan. Hardness is measured by how many pounds if pressure it takes to mar the wood. These two woods require about 1,820 pounds of pressure to mar them.

Aspen soft and it takes only 350 pounds of pressure to mar this wood. Hard maple needs 1450 pounds before it is marred and white oak needs 1360 pounds. This is a good way to gauge which woods would work best for flooring. Since floors must stand up to a lot of traffic and pressure from furniture, the harder one are best for this application.

All wood alters even after it has been turned into furniture or flooring. Hardwoods contract and expand in order to adapt to the environment. Trees are living things and they live on, in a sense even after they are in floor form. Before the lumber is used it is kiln dried to take out as much of the moisture as possible in an attempt to stabilize it. That is why the finished product holds a truer size and shape during manufacturing.

Top manufacturers of lumber are aware of the alterations in the wood. They take that into account when they are manufacturing the wood. This is why you will find certain woods designated for certain purposes. Pay attention to this. Do not choose woods for applications that they will not hold up well under. Windsor plywood is used for sub-flooring and interior wall bases while Drum, Carter, Lowes and Siegel lumber have rough cut lumber for all jobs. Other retailers, like Lumber Liquidators keep lumber for finished flooring applications.

Hardwood Lumber Defined and Explained

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