WoodSense Spotlight on Birch North America’s do-it-all lumber

By Pete Stephano Technical Consultant: Larry Osborn

The commercially important History in woodworking turned products such as birch species found in North Native Americans looked to Shaker pegs, dowels, and America are but a few of the paper birch’s bark for the buttons. It also shows up in the 50 types of birch found sheathing of dwellings and wooden toys, matchsticks, around the world–from Japan canoes. From the tree’s sap came toothpicks–even chopsticks! to Scandinavia to Russia. The sweet syrup. Its young twigs native birches most used by provided medicine (the salicylic Where the wood the U.S. and Canadian forest acid in them was the precursor to comes from products industry are yellow aspirin). The bark of black birch The largest domestic source birch (Betula alleghaniensis), proved to be a tough, enduring of birch lumber and veneer sweet birch (B. lenta), and paper material for woven baskets. is the yellow and sweet birch birch (B. papyrifera). Of lesser Early woodworkers used that principally grows in the importance are river birch (B. yellow birch for cooperage, Northeastern and Great Lakes nigra), gray birch (B. populifolia), wagon hubs, cabinets, chairs, and western paper birch (B. and desks. In the 1950s, birch in abundance in the same papyrifera variety commutata). popular blonde “Scandinavian” range,states. it’sWhile not you’llusually �ind available paper as Although somewhat similar furniture was built from it. lumber. Yellow and sweet birch in appearance and grain Today, most yellow birch (frequently mixed and marketed texture, the wood of yellow and becomes boxes, cabinets, together) are also found in the sweet birch tends to be heavy, cooperage, furniture, Appalachian Mountains as far hard, and strong, with good woodenware, interior trim, south as northern Georgia. shock resistance while that of paper birch weighs less, and The wood is also joining ash and What you’ll pay is softer and not as strong. maple�looring, as doors,stock for and baseball millwork. bats. Due to its availability as lumber Throughout history, the As plywood, yellow birch serves and plywood, yellow birch and domestic birch family of sweet birch will be the focus hardwoods has made countless Despite changes here. FAS boards in 4/4 thickness contributions to Native inas taste�lush anddoors, fashion, TV cabinets, birch has and Americans, European explorers, beenof�ice in furniture. demand for furniture and board foot, with Select and Better early settlers, trappers, pioneers, cabinetry for almost a century. (S&B)usually running cost less about than 50 $5 cents per and present-day populations of less per unit. Figured birch can the United States and Canada. the common material for You’ll �ind paper birch 68 woodcraftmagazine.com April/May 2013 reach $8 and up per board foot. Plainsawn birch Birch plywood

3 The utility A-2 grade, 4" How to select “white”), meaning you’ll pay ⁄ the best stock a premium for color-selected Only specialty wood suppliers stock. Note, too, that yellow birch Thebirch higher plywood face runs grade about AA costs $70 or lumber outlets offer yellow from the northern part of its more;per 4×8' lesser sheet faces, at home such centers. as B birch lumber. Birch hardwood growing range will be heavier and C, cost less. Most lumber plywood, however, is more outlets carry thinner stock, widely available, although wood from the southern region. too, for use as panels in frame- not all retail outlets will andBirch contain plywood a �iner can grain also than be and-panel cabinet doors. Baltic carry a wide selection of graded and sold by its color, just and Finnish birch plywoods are grades and thicknesses. like birch. The highest grade made in Europe of extra-thin Normally, yellow birch has is white, followed by uniform 1 ( 16") thickness of void-free a light yellow to nearly white light, and natural. Lower paint alder⁄ and birch plies for the core narrow band of sapwood. The and shop grades cost less. At and top-notch birch veneers for heartwood ranges from cream a home center, the mid-level the faces. The Finnish variety to tan to reddish tan, and may grade stock will vary widely utilizes exterior adhesive for even have tinges of gray or red. in appearance from sheet to outdoor use. Neither of these For projects, choose boards sheet, and contain minor natural for color uniformity, avoiding defects, varying amounts of rather 60×60" sheets and in those with both heartwood and heartwood and slightly less thicknessesare available from in 4×8' 4mm sheets, (1 ") butto sapwood as these can cause uniform core material. If you’re 3 4") in approximately⁄8 problems when color-matching. able to sort through the stack for 1 4" increments.⁄ Apple-ply is the Because commercial demand for the best-looking sheets, you’ll 18mm ( American-made⁄ version. It comes light-colored wood is so strong, save some money compared to birch, like maple, is often graded buying the top white grades 1 1 standard thicknesses ( 4"-1 2"). and sold by its color (“sap” or at a hardwood lumberyard. in 4×8' and smaller panels and ⁄ ⁄ Working yellow It’s a fact that… birch in the shop The enormous fl ying boat nicknamed “The Spruce Goose” built by Because yellow birch is nearly Hughes Aircraft of California in the mid-1940s wasn’t really made as hard as sugar maple, it of spruce. Due to its strength-to-weight rati o, North American dulls cutters, so if you don’t yellow birch was the primary wood in its constructi on. Solid stock presently use carbide-tipped became wing and fuselage framing and veneer was laid up in blades and cutters work, start laminati ons for all skin surfaces except those for control (ailerons, now. Compared to maple, yellow rudder, etc.), which were fabric covered. The giant seaplane had a birch machines better, because 320' wingspan and weighed 400,000 pounds. It fl ew only once— it doesn’t tear-out during edge over a mile 70' above Long Beach harbor on November 2, 1947. jointing, or burn as easily. Due to its hardness, yellow birch

Photos: Jim Osborn; Illustrati on: Steve Sanford April/May 2013 woodcraftmagazine.com 69 Figured WoodSense curley birch

Figured curley should be fed at a moderate birch “fl ame” rate when ripping to give the blade time to clear sawdust. Birch Quick Take As we said, yellow birch’s Deciding on the right fi nish Cost Moderate straight grain translates to Yellow birch takes all clear Weight About same as machining�ine texture well and and generally routing sugar maple beautifully, but boards with paint nicely. For even staining, Hardness Slightly less than �inishes equally well, and holds sugar maple lighter cuts. Plane the wood conditioner or two sealer Stability High woodwavy �igureat a slight mean angle taking to coatsthough, before you’ll staining �irst need to reducea avoid surface chipping. blotching. Dye stains are a Durability High This wood will work with all better choice. The wood’s close Strength High adhesives, but its closed-pore Toxicity None density requires glue with a Because yellow birch’s Tool Type Power tools with grain doesn’t require �illing. long open time to allow some grain closely resembles carbide-ti pped surface penetration. Also, be cherry, mahogany, and blades and cutt ers sure to pre-drill for screws walnut, you can transform as the wood readily splits. it with by stain as furniture Common Cabinets, chairs, Though hard, birch sands easily, and cabinet manufacturers Uses fl ooring, furniture, and it turns like a dream. have done for decades. I turnings

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