Materials

RED PINE

Cost - Inexpensive

Working Properties - A very durable, strong material that glues and finishes well. It is easy to work with using both hand and machine tools. A disadvantage of red pine is it can be quite knotty and prone to warping.

Typical Uses - Used in the building industry for floorboards, roof rafters, joists, roof trusses, children's toys, utility poles and woodpulp for making paper. 

WHITE PINE

Cost - Inexpensive

Working Properties - A strong material which is reasonably durable, although is it better suited to interior use. It is easy to work with both by hand and machine tools. It also glues and finishes well.

Typical Uses - Crates, boxes, wooden matchsticks, roof rafters, carving and woodpulp.

WESTERN RED CEDAR

Cost - Expensive

Working Properties - Quite soft and lightweight, very durable making it well suited to outdoor constructions. Reddish orange with a straight grain that is knot free.

Typical Uses - Used outside for garden sheds, quality fencing, outdoor furniture, exterior walls and cladding. 

LARCH

Cost - Quite Expensive

Working Properties - It's strong and widely regarded as the most hard wearing, durable softwood. Most hand tool and machine operations produce good results. However, natural resins in the wood have a tendency to gum up saw blades.

Typical Uses - Veneers, utility poles, fence posts, flooring, decking, boatbuilding and in the building industry.

ASH

Cost - Inexpensive

Working Properties - A strong, hard, non-durable timber with good bending properties. It is easy to work with using both hand and machine tools and takes a finish well. Ash is pale brown in colour with a straight grain.

Typical Uses - Hockey sticks, cricket and baseball bats, hammer handles and other turned objects such as garden tool handles.

OAK

Cost - Expensive

Working Properties - Oak is a very strong, very durable, heavy and hard timber which responds well to steam-bending. It also glues, stains and finishes well. Most hand tool and machine operations produce good results. Oak is golden brown in colour with a highly figured grain.

Typical Uses - High quality indoor furniture, garden furniture, flooring, wine casks, whisky barrels, boatbuilding and veneers.

BEECH

Cost - Quite Expensive

Working Properties - Beech is hard and very strong but is prone to warping. Despite it being heavy and difficult to work with hand tools, it machines and turns well. Beech also responds superbly to steam-bending and glues and finishes well. It is not suitable for outdoor work because it is not durable when exposed to changes in moisture. Beech is a very light pinkish brown colour and has a close even grain.

Typical Uses - Children's toys, wooden spoons, chairs, workbenches, flooring, carpenter's mallets, veneers, plywood, and turned objects such as rolling pins.

MAHOGANY

Cost - Expensive

Working Properties - Mahogany is a reasonably durable, strong material that glues and finishes well. It is easy to work with using both hand and machine tools. The colour of mahogany can vary from pink to reddish browns.

Typical Uses - Veneers, plywood, turned items such as banister spindles, quality indoor furniture, window frames, door frames and boat fittings, for example, interior trims and wall panels.

MERANTI (PHILIPPINE MAHOGANY)

Cost - Quite Expensive

Working Properties - Meranti is often seen a substitute for the more expensive timber, Mahogany. It is not nearly as hard nor as strong, and lacks the durability and stability of a true mahogany. Due to its low density, it is typically easy to work with using both hand and machine tools. It glues, stains and finishes well. Meranti varies in colour from a light reddish brown to a deep reddish brown.

Typical Uses - Plywood, veneers, interior furniture, lightweight structural framing, mouldings and trims, for example, skirting boards and window sills.

PLYWOOD

Cost - Fairly Inexpensive

Composition - Plywood is made from thin sheets of wood (veneers) that are glued together with the grain direction of each layer at 90°  to each other. To reduce warping, there is always an odd number of layers, for example, 3,5 or 7. The more layers used the stronger the plywood becomes. Common thicknesses are 4,6,9,12,16,19 & 25mm.

Working Properties - Plywood is a very strong material that is fairly resistant to shrinkage and warping. Although it is easy to work, shape and bend, it is prone to splitting when being cut or planed. You can, however, nail or screw close to the edge of plywood without it splitting. 

Typical Uses - Interior wall lining, door fronts, furniture-making, cabinet backs, drawer bottoms.

BLOCKBOARD

Cost - Expensive

Composition - Blockboard is a wood-based panel that is made by gluing strips of 25mm softwood edge to edge, which is then sandwiched between veneers of a decorative softwood or hardwood. For added strength, the grains of the veneers are attached at 90° to the core strips. A commonly used thickness is 18mm.

Working Properties - Blockboard is a very strong, rigid material that is rather heavy and does not warp easily. Due to the type of glue used in its manufacture, it is normally intended for interior use only.

Typical Uses - High quality furniture, table tops, shelves, partition walls and fire doors.

CHIPBOARD

Cost - Inexpensive

Composition - Chipboard is made from waste wood patricles, such as wood chips, sawmill shavings and sawdust, which are mixed with glue and compressed into a sheet. The strength, appearance and durability of chipboard can be enhanced by applying a plastic laminate coating or a hardwood veneer.

Working Properties - Chipboard is heavy, with a hard, smooth surface and a softer core. Because it is quite brittle, it is prone to breaking up when screws are driven close to the edges. If it becomes wet, it breaks up easily, and is therefore not suitable for exterior use. Chipboard is not as strong as plywood or blockboard.

Typical Uses - Shelving, loft flooring, wall-partitions and (when veneered) kitchen worktops, kitchen cupboards and flat-pack furniture such as wardrobes.

HARDBOARD

Cost - Inexpensive

Composition - Hardboard is made by mixing very fine sawmill shavings, sawdust and glue into a woodpulp which is then compressed into a sheet. It is mainly only available in thin sheet thicknesses of 3 & 6mm.

Working Properties - Hardboard is lightweight and is easy to cut, shape and bend. It is not very strong and is rather like a strong cardboard. Untreated hardboard absorbs water readily and is therefore not suitable for exterior use. One side of hardboard is smooth and the other is rough.

Typical Uses - Lightweight interior door panels, clipboards, backs of wardrobes and cabinets, cheap drawer bottoms, templates, flooring underlay, lightweight stage scenery and signs.

MDF (MEDIUM DENSITY FIBREBOARD)

Cost - Fairly Inexpensive

Composition - MDF is also made by mixing very fine sawmill shavings, sawdust and glue into a woodpulp which is then compressed into a sheet. Common thicknesses are 3,6,9,12,19 & 25mm.

Working Properties - MDF is a very heavy, strong and stable sheet material. It has an excellent flat, smooth surface finish which can be veneered, covered in a plastic laminate or painted. MDF is very easy to shape into curves and work with using both hand and machine tools. MDF is better suited to interior use.

Typical Uses - Skirting boards, mouldings, pattern-making, doors, wall partitions, shelving, kitchen cupboards, snooker tables, and flat-pack furniture such as wardrobes.