Good day, dear readers and subscribers of Andrey Noak's Blog! As always, we try to publish the most useful and interesting information about wood and its processing. We considered. Today we will choose the softest tree on earth.
Determination of softness and hardness of wood
The most common test for testing the hardness of wood is known as the Jank hardness test. This method is based on pressing the ball into the wood. The force is measured in kg/cm2. Five species from this list are hardwoods.
TOP 10 softest wood species
- Tenth place. Red Canadian cedar, widely used in the manufacture of guitars. It is very inconvenient to use in construction, as the material is easy to wrinkle and damage. Density is about 560 kilograms per cubic meter.
- Ninth place - black poplar. They have the same wood density as red cedar.
- Eighth place. Atlantic white cedar, sometimes also called southern white cedar.
- Seventh place, yellow buckeye.
- Sixth place - subalpine fir.
- Fifth place, northern white cedar. Closely related to red Canadian cedar. Northern White Cedar is the softest of all cedars, and not only cedars, but also one of the softest conifers.
- Fourth place, European fir. And this tree is the softest of all firs, and one of the softest conifers in the world.
- Third place, balsamic poplar. The density of this tree is about 480 kilograms per cubic meter. Freshly cut poplar has a unique aroma, but the smell disappears when it dries.
- Second place, paulownia. The density of this wood is about 410 kilograms per cubic meter. The wood is very soft and light, comparable to cork wood.
- First place, balsa. With a density of about 130 kilograms per cubic meter, it is a very light and soft wood.
Good luck and see you soon!
The soft wood species are mostly the wood of evergreen coniferous trees. Coniferous trees grow fast enough and therefore their wood has a lower cost. And given that, due to its softness, it is easy to process, it is easy to explain why it is so widely used in the manufacture of furniture. Such wood is suitable for the manufacture of plywood and veneer, and serves as a raw material for the production of paper. Willingly used by craftsmen handmade for carved ornaments, figurines and crafts.
The halo of coniferous trees covers the territories of Canada, Scandinavia, Great Britain, the northern regions of the USA and Russia, and many regions of the former Soviet republics. The quality of wood from northern regions with a cold climate is usually higher than the quality of wood from trees growing in warmer regions.
The density of soft wood is less than that of hard wood. Soft wood requires mandatory processing by special means to protect against decay and damage by insect pests.
Soft wood is in high demand in construction. It goes on sale mainly in the form of lumber: boards, beams, rounded logs, lining and profiles.
Harvesting of soft wood is carried out in industrial scale. The forestry regularly carries out artificial planting of these tree varieties to replenish resources, especially since the period of full maturation of these tree varieties is not so long - it is about 60 years.
Soft hardwoods
According to the structure of wood among hardwood distinguish ring-vascular and disseminated-vascular. In all species with an annular vascular structure, the wood is usually hard, but in species with a scattered vascular structure, both soft and hardwood. Alder, linden, aspen and birch are soft woods.
Alder
Two types of this tree are known - black alder and gray (black is more common in our country). It got its name from the color of the bark. Alder loves moist soil. Immediately after the cut, the wood has a white color, which becomes red in air. Dried alder wood has a very beautiful and unusual pink color. Not subject to shrinkage, does not crack, very soft, does not deteriorate from moisture.
Lining for a bath from an alder
Plywood, turning products, souvenirs are made from it. It is widely used for the manufacture of furniture and joinery. Perfectly proved itself as a material for finishing the premises of baths. It is also used in container production.
During life, the tree is very susceptible to decay of the central part of the trunk, which is a disadvantage of this type of wood.
Linden
Linden has a light and softwood, which does not crack, does not warp, bends and is easily cut. That is why various utensils, models for subsequent casting are often cut out of linden, drawing boards, packaging containers, pencils and much more are made.
Aspen
Aspen has a straight-grained wood of a homogeneous structure, which is almost not subject to shrinkage, is easily pricked, and can retain its properties for a long time even in humid environment. The color of the wood is white, from time to time it acquires a grayish-silver color. Aspen is considered best material for the construction of baths, their walls are sheathed with aspen clapboard, all shelves and benches are also best made from aspen. They make a container board, packaging shavings, toys, dishes, matches from it, get viscose for the production of rayon. In former times, it was often used to cover roofs and make well log cabins.
The life of the aspen is short, after 30 years the tree rots. Among aspen, specimens with a large trunk diameter are very rare, therefore the maximum width of an aspen board that goes on sale does not exceed 20 cm.
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The hardness of wood depends on the thickness and strength of the cell walls, as well as on the density of the structure and contents of the cell. Various tree species are subdivided into wood hard rock and soft wood. Depending on the location, even trees of the same species have significant differences: slow-growing wood is usually harder than fast-growing wood, and heartwood and mature wood are harder than sapwood. Breeds are distinguished as follows:
Local soft trees: spruce, fir, pine, larch, alder, willow and linden;
local hardwood trees: oak, beech, elm, maple, walnut.
Soft wood species are very easy to process. However, some complex elements, without which wood carving loses its attractiveness, cannot be performed. Optimum performance medium-hard rocks such as elm and birch have.
Solid grades are used to create reliable structures requiring high strength. Their processing takes longer, but the quality justifies all the costs. As a rule, oak products have a decent price.
The quality of wood depends on the type of wood. tree species divided into two main groups: coniferous and deciduous. Conifers widely used in construction include pine, larch, spruce, fir and cedar. Hardwoods in construction are used much less frequently than conifers. Among the variety of hardwoods, oak, ash, beech, birch, and aspen are most used in construction.
Coniferous wood is used for the manufacture of building structures for residential, public, industrial buildings, permanent and temporary structures. Spruce and fir have a lower ability to decay compared to pine and larch.
Hardwood (beech, birch, alder, aspen, linden and poplar) is used for the manufacture of structures and products: sloping rafters (with the exception of birch) and battens available for inspection and ventilation; carpentry partitions installed inside buildings; internal doors and transoms (the latter - with the exception of birch); internal doors and transoms for premises with relative air humidity not exceeding 70%; layouts, skirting boards; fillets; platbands; boards for clean floors and stairs; wooden shields for floors and interior partitions subject to the mandatory antiseptic treatment of wood of each layer.
The use of hardwood is allowed for temporary structures and auxiliary devices (formwork, scaffolding, fixing pits, fences, etc.).
conifers
Pine is a sound breed with resin passages. There are two varieties of pine: ore - grows on dry sandy and sandy loamy soils, has a fine layer dense wood; myandovaya - grows in low places on loamy soils, has large annual layers with a significant content of early (loose) wood. Pine has a low average density and relatively high strength, for example, the compressive strength along the fibers is about 50 MPa.
Spruce is a ripe wood species, has a small amount of resin passages, less resistant to decay than pine. The average density and strength of spruce is somewhat lower than that of pine. Due to its greater knotiness and increased hardness of knots, compared to pine, spruce wood is more difficult to process. It is used in construction and as a raw material in the pulp and paper industry.
Larch is a sound rock with small few resin ducts, has high density, resistance to decay and strength. By physical and mechanical properties it surpasses all conifers. It is widely used in hydraulic engineering construction and bridge building.
Fir is a ripe tree species with wide annual layers, it does not have resin passages; less resistant to decay and less durable than pine. According to some physical and mechanical properties certain types firs are not inferior to spruce. It is used along with spruce.
Cedar - sound rock, has resin passages; on physical properties and strength it approaches pine. Cedar is a soft, light, easy-to-work wood.
hardwood
From the group of ring-vascular species, oak, ash and elm are the most used in construction.
Oak is a sound breed with wide and narrow core beams. This breed is different beautiful texture and color of wood in sections. It has high resistance to decay, hardness, strength (in compression along the fibers of about 60 MPa) and viscosity, has the ability to bend. Used as finishing material, in the construction of hydraulic engineering and in bridge building, as well as for the manufacture of plywood, parquet and furniture.
Ash is a sound rock, similar in texture to oak, but with narrow core rays, invisible to the naked eye. In terms of resistance to decay and strength, it is somewhat inferior to oak. It is used as a finishing material, in the manufacture of furniture, etc.
Elm is a sound breed, has a dense, viscous, hard and durable wood, lends itself well to bending. In terms of physical and mechanical properties, it is inferior to oak. Of the scattered vascular group, soft ones are most common - birch, aspen, alder, linden; solid - beech, hornbeam, maple.
Birch is a sapwood. Wood has high average density, toughness and strength, but low decay resistance. In terms of physical and mechanical properties, birch is inferior to Oak, but has a higher impact bending strength.
Aspen is a ripe tree species. The wood is light, not resistant to decay, inferior in strength to birch.
Breeds of limited use
For a long time in the steppe zone of Russia, in countryside for the manufacture of simple furniture (chairs, stools, cribs), as well as various crafts (rolling pins, pushers, buttermilk, etc.), such tree species as cherry, pear, apple, acacia, hazel, mountain ash, etc. were used. The development of a market economy in Russia has intensified various arts and crafts, in which craftsmen in the manufacture of souvenirs, toys, household utensils and children's furniture (cribs, high chairs, etc.) often use the above wood species.
Cherry wood, which has high strength in combination with the original striping and yellow-brown color, was used to make furniture with imitation under valuable breeds(mahogany) and parquet planks. Currently, it is used mainly for the manufacture of various souvenirs and household crafts. Cherry belongs to the heartwood species, and this tree grows quickly and can have a height of up to 6 m (Vladimirka-rastunya variety), and the trunk diameter reaches 20–30 cm.
Pear wood also has a number valuable properties- strength, beautiful colors from pinkish-yellow to brownish-red, and core rays and annual layers are barely visible. Pear is a non-nuclear breed, easy to process, has long been used by folk craftsmen for the manufacture of furniture, as well as cases of musical instruments, for household crafts and souvenirs.
In rural areas, Russian handicraftsmen have long used hazel (hazel) wood for the manufacture of wooden hoops, boxes, shelves, which is close to birch wood in terms of physical and mechanical properties and also has a white color with a faint sheen.
Hazel (hazel) belongs to the non-nuclear species of the shrub genus.
Rowan wood has a lot of valuable properties - high strength, fire resistance, impact resistance. Another advantage is that it consists of a wide sapwood with a beautiful red-white color and prominent annual layers. Craftsmen have long been using this wood to make handles for hammers, ax handles, mallets, simple furniture (stools, chairs, shelves, benches), carved items (balusters, spindles), etc. Rowan is a sound breed.
The wood of the apple tree has long been used by craftsmen of Russia for the manufacture of various household utensils, for finishing works indoors, and also made caskets, souvenirs, cases for musical instruments, etc. This wood has an original color scheme from yellow-pink to reddish-brown, with annual layers and core rays almost invisible. The apple tree belongs to the sound diffuse-vascular breed.
exotic breeds. Rare wood
Tree species that grow in countries with a tropical or subtropical climate are classified as exotic species of limited use. Back in the 18th century began to import to Russia, to St. Petersburg blanks of these species for the manufacture of furniture intended for the equipment of the royal palaces, and then the houses of the court nobility. Mahogany wood was most widely used for these purposes. Gradually, in many large cities of Russia, rich people often ordered mahogany furniture for their homes, which was made by first-class cabinetmakers.
Of this wood, the most famous is the mahogany species, such as mahogany, which grows in Africa. Australia, as well as in Central and South America. The wood of this type of mahogany has a very beautiful combination of colors - from white (narrow sapwood) to red-brown or brownish-red (heartwood).
Ebony wood was used in small quantities in Russia. Under this name, blanks from different breeds with black wood. Most often, ebony (black) wood was imported, which is heartwood, has a narrow white sapwood and a glossy black heartwood, and in all types of cuts annual layers and core rays are invisible. Ebony wood is used for the manufacture of artistic and decorative products, piano keys, for inlay when decorating interiors, and also woodwind instruments are made from it. The ebony tree (black) grows in India, Africa and Ceylon (in Sri Lanka). The density of ebony wood in dry form is 1000 kg / m 3, i.e., more than the density of water.
Rosewood. AT international trade this name combines different tree species with wood similar in color and structure, growing in the tropics. The wood of such trees is heartwood diffuse-vascular, its sapwood is narrow, light yellow, with a grayish tinge, the core itself has a purple-brown or chocolate color with purple tint; it is very heavy, dries out a little, it is difficult to split, but it is well polished. Rosewood wood is used for the manufacture of musical instruments, carvings, turning and other products.
Sequoia is the largest the globe wood, very durable; grows in the tropics softwood; in terms of physical and mechanical properties, it is close to spruce wood, it is well processed; used in construction, as well as for the manufacture of furniture, pencils.
Eucalyptus. In nature, there are more than 500 species, mainly grows in Australia and Oceania. In Russia, eucalyptus grows on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus in small quantities. Eucalyptus is a fast growing tree, reaching very large sizes - more than 100 m in height. Heartwood diffusely vascular hardwood, the heartwood is brown with various shades, and the sapwood is light. The wood of this tree is dense, has high strength and biostability, is used in construction, car building, etc.
Fernambuque is used in the manufacture of mosaics. The most expensive are violin bows and conductor's sticks made from this tree. During storage, fernambuque can change color from yellow with an orange tint to dark cherry or even black. Its wood practically does not rot and, when dry, does not warp. But a tree that has just been cut down dries out, cracks and changes shape. In terms of severity in processing, it is second only to eucalyptus.
Satin wood is rare among us, and therefore it is highly valued. AT Russia is coming only for the manufacture of mosaic inserts and decorations. The wood of this breed can have a yellow, red and brown tint. But regardless of the color of the wood, it always has the smallest sparkles, which, when varnished, give finished product satin shine and gloss of soft flowing fabric.
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