Whether you plan to start wood working as a hobby or as a new business, there are a few things that you need to know to succeed in your new venture. One of the most important things is the way wood works. While it is easy to work with wood, you need to understand this material to make the most of it. Other building materials such as plastic and metal are fairly consistent but wood isn't consistent.
It contracts and expands at different rates and one log may have completely different properties as compared to other log even if it is from the same species. Therefore, the first thing you need to do is study the different types of woods and how grains affect the strength as well as appearance of wood.
There are more than a few useful resources available online that can help you learn a lot about various types of woods and the right type of wood to be used in a particular project. Once you have understood the types of wood and have decided on the kind of wood you are going to use for a particular project, you need to understand various types of wood work tools available in the market and how these tools can help you with woodworking.
Different Types of Wood for Wood Work
As mentioned in the beginning, there are many different species of wood and each of these species has different properties. Here is a list of some of the most commonly used varieties of wood.
One of the most widely produced types of wood in South East Asia is teak wood. This wood has oily texture which means it is somewhat resistant to warping as well as insects. It is strong, durable as well as extremely heavy wood that can last for many years. As far as the color of teak wood is concerned, it ranges from dark brown to yellowish brown and the mineral streaks give it a contrast in grainy structure. This wood is used for building houses as well as for making furniture as it is moisture resistant.
Fruit wood which is also known as cherry wood is commonly found in eastern United States. It turns deep red when polished. It is a close grained wood that is extremely strong and resistant to warping. It is relatively easy to work with as it's not very hard and therefore, it is used for making all kinds of furniture ranging from cabinets to chairs.
Maple wood is an extremely hard wood and grains of some of the varieties of maple wood are used for making quilts, curls as well as flames. As far as the color is concerned, it ranges from cream white to snow-white and it turns golden ivory in color when polished. It is commonly used for making bowling alley flooring as it is one of the hardest woods. It is also used for making sports equipment and musical instruments apart from making furniture.
American walnut wood is another type of commonly used wood that needs preventive treatment as it is relatively low natural resistance to insects. It is commonly used for flooring tiles, musical instruments, clock cases, utensils, ships as well as gun stocks.
The Brazilian rosewood is found only in Brazil and is also known as Piano wood. It is a very hard wood and has a fragrance like rose and this is why it's called rosewood. It is available in a variety of shades ranging from chocolate brown to purple.
Overall, these are some of the most common types of woods that are used for making a variety of things ranging from gun stocks to furniture to flooring tiles to utensils to ships to cabinets and other such things. It is important for you to know various types of woods to choose the right type of wood to be used for your project.
