TIMBER

TIMBER

TIMBER

TIMBER

Pine

Source Natural Origin Europe, Scandinavia Properties and features: Easy to work, relatively cheap, readily available. May contain knots, which weaken the wood. May contain resin pockets.

Uses: Furniture, window frames, panelling, floors and roofing, the resin of is a source of turpentine. Type of wood Soft

Oak

Uses: Good-quality furniture, interior woodwork.

Source Natural

Type of wood Hard

Origin Europe Properties and features: Tough and durable. Finishes well but stains in contact with steel.

Ash

Uses: Tool handles, sports equipment, wooden ladders.

Source Natural

Type of wood Hard

Origin Europe Properties and features: Tough and flexible – can be bent if steamed. Open grain.

Source Natural

Beech

Uses: Some furniture, especially chairs; toys; wooden parts of tools.

Type of wood Hard

Origin Europe Properties and features: Close-grained, hard-wearing and strong. Finishes well.

Source Natural

Birch

Uses: Main timber used for plywood.

Type of wood Hard

Origin Europe & North AmericaProperties and features: Fairly soft and easy to work. Open grain.

Cherry

Uses: Good-quality furniture.

Source Natural

Type of wood Hard

Origin Europe & North AmericaProperties and features: Fairly close grain. Easy to work.

Elm

Uses: Indoor and outdoor furniture.

Source Natural

Type of wood Hard

Origin Europe & North AmericaProperties and features: Open and sometimes interlocking grain. Tough and durable, resists splitting, durable in water.

Iroko

Uses: Garden furniture, science benches.

Source Natural

Type of wood Hard

Origin West Africa

Properties and features: Strong, fairly hard, durable, open grain.

Mahogany

Uses: Good-quality furniture.

Source Natural

Type of wood Hard

Origin Equatorial countriesProperties and features: Durable and easy to work but with some difficult interlocking grain. Alternatives woods include sapele and utile.

Meranti

Uses: Interior joinery. Used for making plywood.

Source Natural

Type of wood Hard

Origin South-Eastern Asia

Properties and features: Fairly strong and durable. Splits easily when sawing.

Obeche

Uses: Some parts of furniture; the core of plywood.

Source Natural

Type of wood Hard

Origin West Africa

Properties and features: Soft, light, not very durable, straight, open grain.

Sapele

Uses: Good quality furniture.

Source Natural

Type of wood Hard

Origin West Africa

Properties and features: Hard and closed grained, often stripy grain pattern.

Type of wood Hard

Teak

Uses: High-quality indoor and outdoor furniture; boat-building; science benches.

Source Natural Origin Indian subcontinent Properties and features: Strong and durable. Resistant to moisture. Colour darkens when exposed to light.

Production: Tiny particles of timber are glued together and compressed with a resin adhesive.

Cost Low

MDF

Uses: Furniture, kitchen units, flooring.

Source Man Made

Properties: A solid and stable board that has a wide range of uses and can be produced economically. Easily damaged by moister.

Production: By laminating several smaller pieces of timber, a single large, strong, structural member is manufactured from smaller pieces.

Cost High

Glue laminated

Uses: Used for roof, lintel and floor beams, columns and rafters in almost any type of structure.

Source Man Made

Properties: Very strong. More environmentally friendly that concrete/steel beams. Can be shaped.

Production: Thin laminates of wood glued together. Each layer is at right angle to the grain of the other.

Cost Low

Plywood

Uses: Furniture and toys. Interior and external varies available.

Source Man Made

Properties: Flat, stable boards with constant strength and thickness. Quite flexible, especially if there are thinner sheets.

Chipboard

Uses: Often used in kitchens when a protective and decorative surface has been added.

Properties: Cheap board that is difficult to join and is not very strong. Easily damaged by moister. Edges are easily damaged and need protection.

Production: Lots of tiny chips of timber are mixed with glue and compressed into sheets.

Source Man Made

Cost Low

Production: Strips of softwood glued side by side and then a covering veneer is added to both sides.

Cost Low

Blockboard

Uses: Furniture.

Source Man Made

Properties: Very strong and stable board.