Identifying Hardwood Species

Wood hardness varies among the hardwood species and some are actually softer than some softwoods.

Identifying hardwood species.

Hardwoods casuarinaceae allocasuarina decussata common name s. This publication presents information about 10 important pennsylvania hardwood tree species their identification characteristics and wood. The guide to american hardwood species. As a resource american hardwoods are abundant renewing and sustainable and an excellent choice for eco effective design and building.

It s usually best to begin with a relatively smooth saw cut as from a fine toothed miter saw blade and proceed through the grits starting at around 100 and working up to at least 220 or 320. This only compounds the challenges involved with identifying wood types. Karri oak scientific name. Most evergreens have needles or scales while most broadleaf trees are deciduous meaning they drop their leaves when dormant.

Lbs ft3 kg m3 janka hardness. This guide features 20 of the most abundant and most often used hardwood species. Here we tackle a few ways to recognize some of the most common species of wood in north america by sight. Lbf n estimated hardness based on specific gravity shrinkage.

This is the third edition of this site containing nearly twice as many species higher resolution imagery and more in depth descriptions of each. It isn t until one dies on your property and you need a tree removal. Pennsylvania has over 100 native tree species but there are seldom more than 10 to 15 different species in any one location. The wood database online can show specific grain types color variations and hardness to help in the hardwood floor identification.

However there are exceptions. Trees with broad flat leaves as opposed to coniferous or needled trees. What we half remember is enough for us to happily relegate trees to the background of everywhere we go and everything we do. This site includes descriptions and imagery of nearly 60 species of common and not so common lumber species found throughout the u s.

In addition to the basics where they grow general description and abundance. To correctly identify the type of hardwood you need to perform a few tests. However there are a few key criteria to look for in wood identification. Some species are easy to identify such as oak pine cherry and fir.

However in many denser species especially in tropical hardwoods one of the best ways to obtain a clear endgrain view is through diligent sanding. Here is a quick leaf identification key of the common hardwoods in north america. The starting point for most people when identifying trees species is the leaves. Despite its name this species is related to neither karri eucalyptus.

Tree identification guide it s easy to go through life with what our third grade teacher taught us about trees.