Identifying Different Hardwoods

One characteristic of cherry wood that is different from most others is the gum pockets or pitch pockets that show up as black flecks in the wood.

Identifying different hardwoods.

Some species are easy to identify such as oak pine cherry and fir. It s tricky to identify wood with complete certainty if you don t have experience working with wood so try looking at pictures online or in a book to help you visualize the properties of all the different varieties. I m working my way alphabetically by botanical name so check out the latest added wood to see where i m at in the queue. The most predictable baseline to use when identifying wood is in a freshly sanded state.

Identifying different types of wood can be difficult even for experts since some can look very similar especially after specific treatments. To correctly identify the type of hardwood you need to perform a few tests. Observe the wood grain. The wood from hardwood trees tends to be harder because the trees grow at a slower rate giving the wood its greater density.

Distinguishing features of 12 common wood types based on color wood grain texture and more. The wood database online can show specific grain types color variations and hardness to help in the hardwood floor identification. With a little practice you can identify many common kinds of wood used to build furniture. Different wood styles in flooring image credit.

To the untrained eye grain patterns aren t typically consistent enough to distinguish similar species from one another. For this reason i decided to revise and expand this site. Learn the trick to identifying wood types in furniture. This publication presents information about 10 important pennsylvania hardwood tree species their identification characteristics and wood.

Pennsylvania has over 100 native tree species but there are seldom more than 10 to 15 different species in any one location. This eliminates the chances of a stain or natural aging skewing the color diagnosis of the wood. Bo ena uchowska hemera getty images with so many varieties of wood species available positive identification of wood by grain pattern alone can be difficult. What s more no two pieces are exactly alike which of course adds to the material s individuality and uniqueness because wood is fibrous and grows in response to its immediate climate and location.

Most common hardwoods unlike the conifers or softwood firs spruce and pines hardwood trees have evolved into a broad array of common species. But it will also suggest certain species which were more prevalent at different times in history.