What is lumber?
What is Lumber! Lumber is processed wood that has been cut into beams or planks, commonly used in construction, furniture making, and other projects.The selection of lumber often depends on the lumber tree from which it's sourced, with certain trees being preferred for specific applications. Additionally, many projects require chemically treated lumber for better resistance to moisture, insects, and decay, especially in outdoor settings or for long-lasting construction.
Most of the Woodworkers love working with hardwoods than softwoods. Toughness, strength, density, durability, and natural luster are some of the few qualities due to which hardwood lumbers are popular.
Hardwood species(angiosperms) produce seeds covered with something around( say apple). They have a slower growth rate compared to softwoods. This helps them grow denser and stronger which makes them suitable for construction purposes. But the exploitation of hardwoods has been out of control due to which many are very rare and expensive. Many hardwoods like ebonies, mahogany, rosewood, etc are facing extinction.
We are going to discuss 5 beautiful and lasting hardwoods that are best for new woodworkers.
(a) Basswood lumber
Basswood is considered to be the best hardwood lumber for woodworkers if they are newbies to the woodworking industry. It has a pale light color with no clear difference between heartwood and sapwood. Basswood has commonly opted for carvings, hardwood lumber, musical instruments, etc. Due to the soft and light characteristics, this hardwood lumber is very easy to work with hands. It has a straight grain with a fine even texture and they possess a natural luster. The basswood lumbers glues and finishes well. And the cost of this hardwood lumber is very reasonable compared to the other domestic hardwoods in the market.
(b) Maple Lumber
Unlike other hardwood trees, the sapwood of the hard maple tree is commonly used rather than its heartwood. Hard maple trees are often tapped for getting maple syrup. The hardwood lumber made from Maple trees is stronger, stiffer, and harder compared to other hardwoods. This high-density hardwood is the best choice for flooring, musical instruments, cutting boards, turned objects, etc. Hard maple hardwood lumbers are quite easy to work with due to its straight grain structure. They turn, glue, and finish well.
(c) Cherry lumber
Cherry lumbers are one of the most beginner-friendly hardwood lumber for woodworkers. Typically found in Europe, these short trees are best known for kitchen cabinetry, musical instruments, furniture, and turned objects. The heartwood of the cherry tree gets a darker brown color with age. They glue turns and finishes well. Even though they are denser, the fine texture and straight grain structure make it easy to work with both hands and machines. Take a look at Cherry thin stock Lumber board wood blank .
(d) Oak Lumber
Red Oak and White Oak are the two major classifications in the oak family. Oak lumber is exceptionally good for making furniture, cabinetry, flooring, boat building, barrels, etc due to the stronger, harder, and denser characteristics. Oak trees are the source of one of the top class lumbers and are very popular in America for ages. As a newbie to the wood world, you should work with oak lumber due to their high finishing results. When it comes to durability, white oaks are better compared to red oaks. Oak lumbers are easy to work with both hands and machines and they are good at steam bending, gluing, etc.
(e) Black Walnut Lumber
Among the walnut tree family, the Black walnut is said to be the most popular one. The hardwood lumber made from Black walnut is very famous in America. They are very durable against rot and insects. It has a chocolate brown heartwood color with dark streaks. Walnut lumbers are one of the best hardwood lumber for woodworkers. They are quite easy to work with if the wood posses straight grain structure and even texture. Walnut lumbers are easily available in the market. They are priced as premium among other domestic hardwoods. Due to the rich brown color, they produce great results with furniture making, cabinetry, turned items, etc.
