AHEC SPECIES English Cover 15/10/02 2:29 pm Page 1 Guide to American Hardwoods AHEC SPECIES English Cover 15/10/02 2:29 pm Page 2 Contents Species: Alder 2 Ash 3 Aspen 4 Basswood 5 Beech 6 Birch 7 Cherry 8 Cottonwood 9 Elm 10 Gum 11 Hackberry 12 Hickory & Pecan 13 Maple, hard 14 Maple, soft 15 Oak, red 16 Oak, white 17 Sassafras 18 Sycamore 19 Tulipwood 20 Walnut 21 Willow 22 Glossary of terms 23 Structural applications and strength properties 24-25 Pre-treatment properties and exterior applications 26-30 References and further reading 31 AHEC offices worldwide 32 Technical contacts 33 This publication is protected by copyright. The information contained in the publication however, is designed for storage in retrieval systems and may be reproduced. All other aspects of the publication, including photographs, may not be reproduced without AHEC’s prior permission. AHEC takes no responsibility for the information, which is offered as guidance only, and cannot be held responsible for any consequences. AHEC SPECIES English text 15/10/02 12:02 pm Page 1 Introduction The hardwood forests of the Eastern United States The purpose of this publication is to provide designers, contain a wide range of temperate hardwood species, architects, specifiers and users with the generic species that have been managed for commercial and non- information needed for a range of applications in commercial purposes since the turn of the century. The furniture, joinery, flooring, doors and interiors. hardwood sawmilling and processing industry, which Information on lumber grades is published separately in depends upon this resource, is the largest producer of AHEC’s “An Illustrated Guide to Hardwood Lumber sawn hardwood in the world. In recent years the USA Grades”. The US industry also produces and exports has substantially increased exports, although 90% is still American Hardwood veneer, plywood, flooring, dimension consumed in the US domestic market. There are now stock, furniture parts and mouldings. Information on these specialised stockists all over the world from whom these is published in AHEC’s Products brochure in conjunction unique hardwoods are available. Lists are available from with this publication. the American Hardwood Export Council’s regional offices, detailed on page 32. AHEC is supported by the American Hardwoods vary according to region and the main US hardwood trade associations, also listed. map below may be useful as a guide to provenance. US commercial forest regions 1 AHEC SPECIES English text 15/10/02 12:03 pm Page 2 Common name: American alder Alnus rubra Other names: Red alder, Western red alder, Western alder DISTRIBUTION PHYSICAL PROPERTIES Poor Good West coast USA, principally the Pacific North Red alder is a relatively soft hardwood of West, where it is the most common medium density that has low bending MACHINING commercial hardwood. strength, shock resistance and stiffness. NAILING GENERAL DESCRIPTION DURABILITY SCREWING Red alder is almost white when freshly cut but The wood is non-resistant to heartwood quickly changes on exposure to air to light decay, liable to attack by the common GLUING brown with a yellow or reddish tinge. furniture beetle but is permeable for Heartwood is formed only in trees of preservation treatment. FINISHING advanced age and there is no visible boundary between sap and heartwood. The AVAILABILITY Specific Gravity: 0.41 wood is fairly straight grained with a uniform USA: Reasonably available, but strictly (12% M.C.) texture. limited by region. Average Weight: 449 kg/m3 WORKING PROPERTIES Export: Readily available in some markets (12% M.C.) but limited in others. Available in Red alder machines well and is excellent for dimension stock and rough lumber. Average Volumetric Shrinkage: 10.1% turning and polishing. It nails, screws and (Green to 6% M.C.) glues well, and can be sanded, painted, or MAIN USES stained to a good finish. It dries easily with Modulus of Elasticity: 9515 MPa Furniture, kitchen cabinets, doors, interior little degrade and has good dimensional mouldings, turning, carving and kitchen Hardness: 2624 N stability after drying. utensils. 2 AHEC SPECIES English text 15/10/02 12:03 pm Page 3 Common name: American ash Fraxinus spp Other names: Northern ash, Southern ash Northern ash Southern ash DISTRIBUTION DURABILITY Poor Good Throughout the Eastern USA. Non-resistant to heartwood decay. The sapwood is liable to attack by powder post MACHINING GENERAL DESCRIPTION and the common furniture beetle. The NAILING American ash is similar in appearance to heartwood is moderately resistant to European ash. The sapwood is light coloured preservative treatment, and the sapwood is SCREWING to nearly white and the heartwood varies from permeable. greyish brown to light brown, to pale yellow GLUING streaked with brown. The wood is generally AVAILABILITY straight grained with a coarse uniform texture. USA: Readily available. FINISHING The degree and availability of light coloured Export: Good availability as lumber and sapwood, and other properties, will vary veneer. The lumber is often Specific Gravity: 0.60 according to the growing regions. classified according to growing (12% M.C.) WORKING PROPERTIES regions and marketed as Northern Average Weight: 673 kg/m3 Ash machines well, is good in nailing, ash and Southern ash. It is (12% M.C.) screwing and gluing, and can be stained and sometimes separated for colour and sold as white ash (sapwood) or Average Volumetric Shrinkage: 10.7% polished to a very good finish. It dries fairly (Green to 6% M.C.) easily with minimal degrade, and there is little brown ash (heartwood). Modulus of Elasticity: 11,977 MPa movement in performance. Fraxinus nigra, black ash, may also be sold as brown ash. Hardness: 5871 N PHYSICAL PROPERTIES Ash has very good overall strength properties MAIN USES * Values based on Fraxinus americana relative to its weight. It has excellent shock Furniture, flooring, doors, architectural resistance and is good for steam bending. interiors, high class joinery and moulding, For additional information on structural applications kitchen cabinets, panelling, tool handles, see pages 24-25, and pages 26-30 for pre-treatment sports goods and turning. properties and exterior applications. 3 AHEC SPECIES English text 15/10/02 12:03 pm Page 4 Common name: American aspen Populus tremuloides Other names: DISTRIBUTION PHYSICAL PROPERTIES Poor Good Throughout USA, but commercially in the The wood is light and soft, with low bending North Eastern USA. strength and stiffness, and medium shock MACHINING resistance. It has a very low bending NAILING GENERAL DESCRIPTION classification. Sapwood is white, blending into the light SCREWING brown heartwood. The contrast between sap DURABILITY and heartwood is small. The wood has a fine Non-resistant to heartwood decay, and GLUING uniform texture and is straight grained. extremely resistant to preservative treatment. FINISHING WORKING PROPERTIES AVAILABILITY Aspen does not split when nailed, it USA: Limited, and rarely available in Specific Gravity: 0.38 machines easily with a slightly fuzzy surface, thick stock. (12% M.C.) and turns, bores, and sands well. It takes Export: Limited due to low demand. 3 paint and stain well to produce a good finish Average Weight: 417 kg/m although care is required where the surface MAIN USES (12% M.C.) is fuzzy. It has low to moderate shrinkage Furniture parts (drawer sides), doors, Average Volumetric Shrinkage: 9.2% and good dimensional stability. Aspen is a mouldings, picture frames, interior joinery, toys, (Green to 6% M.C.) true poplar, and therefore has similar kitchen utensils. Matchsticks (USA). Important characteristics and properties to cottonwood Modulus of Elasticity: 8136 MPa specialised uses include sauna laths because of and European poplar. its low conductivity of heat, and chopsticks. Hardness: 1557 N 4 AHEC SPECIES English text 15/10/02 12:03 pm Page 5 Common name: American basswood Tilia americana Other names: Linden, American whitewood, American linn DISTRIBUTION PHYSICAL PROPERTIES Poor Good Eastern USA, principally the Northern and The wood is light and soft with generally low Lake States. strength properties and a poor steam bending MACHINING classification. GENERAL DESCRIPTION NAILING DURABILITY The sapwood of basswood is usually quite SCREWING large and creamy white in colour, merging Non-resistant to heartwood decay, sapwood is into the heartwood which is pale to reddish liable to attack by common furniture beetle. GLUING brown, sometimes with darker streaks. The The wood is permeable for preservation wood has a fine uniform texture and indistinct treatment. FINISHING grain that is straight. AVAILABILITY Specific Gravity: 0.37 WORKING PROPERTIES USA: Reasonable availability both for (12% M.C.) Basswood machines well and is easy to work lumber and veneer, particularly from with hand tools making it a premier carving the Northern States. Average Weight: 417 kg/m3 wood. It nails, screws, and glues fairly well (12% M.C.) Export: Available in a full range of thicknesses and can be sanded, stained, and polished to a and specifications, although volumes Average Volumetric Shrinkage: 12.6% good smooth finish. It dries fairly rapidly with can be limited, this may change as (Green to 6% M.C.) little distortion or degrade. It has a fairly large demand increases. shrinkage but good dimensional stability Modulus of Elasticity: 10,067 MPa when dry. MAIN USES Hardness: 1824 N Carving, turning, furniture, pattern-making, mouldings, interior joinery and musical instruments. An important specialised use is Venetian blinds. 5 AHEC SPECIES English text 15/10/02 12:03 pm Page 6 Common name: American beech Fagus grandifolia Other names: DISTRIBUTION PHYSICAL PROPERTIES Poor Good Throughout Eastern USA, commercial American beech wood is classed as heavy, concentration is in the Central and Middle hard, strong, high in resistance to shock and MACHINING Atlantic States. highly suitable for steam bending. NAILING GENERAL DESCRIPTION DURABILITY SCREWING The sapwood of American beech is white with Rated as non-resistant to heartwood decay, a red tinge, while the heartwood is light to and liable to attack by common furniture GLUING dark reddish brown.