When planning a project, be it furniture or construction, the type of wood that would be used is decided first. Depending on the strength required, budget, color and consistency, the type of wood will be chosen. They can be classified as hardwoods and softwoods.
Hardwoods come from deciduous trees whereas softwoods come from coniferous trees. Hardwoods include wood from trees like Mahogany, Walnut, Oak, Maple, Cherry, Rosewood, Teak, etc. and softwood includes trees like Pine, Hemlock, Fir, Redwood, Cedar, etc.
Hardwoods are mostly used as a material for furniture. They come with a lot of advantages which include a good finish, durability, strength, resistance to insects, weather, long life, etc. They come in different shades of color and can look beautiful when polished. They are difficult to work with and need specialized tools. It has higher density and hardness when compared to softwood. there is a higher variety of hardwoods than softwoods. The main feature of hardwood is the presence of pores which give a dramatic effect because of their various sizes and shape.
Softwoods as the name suggests are softer than hardwoods and are easy to work with and don’t required expensive tools. It can easily be damaged since it is soft. They aren’t porous and have only two types of cells, longitudinal wood fibers and ray cells. They are widely used for flooring, making benches, etc. The wood has a microscopic structure and is less complex compared to hardwood. Softwood also has a lighter mass and is obtained from younger trees.
Cedar and redwood are the usual choice among softwood for outdoor projects. While Pine and other trees absorb and lose moisture easily hence aren’t chosen to be used in projects which are exposed to water, leading to wood movement. A polish finish can be obtained using conditioners on the wood.
Environmentalists suggest the use of softwoods as they grow faster than hardwoods and hence the trees cut can be re-grown faster than the slow growing hardwoods. Both hardwood and softwood is used for construction as well as artistic projects. Redwood is softwood which is naturally insect resistant and hence is used widely in outdoor projects. Balsa wood is extremely light and very easy to work with and is a popular material for aeromodels and other light weight wood projects.
While choosing any kind of wood, be it softwood or hardwood, a tight, even grained wood should be chosen. Excessive knots and changes in patters should be avoided to get a look of quality. The wood is strong when milled along its grains. Cracked and split wood shouldn’t be bought. Stains in wood maybe caused due to water and this should be checked out as it might lead to the wood rotting later.
Hardwood in general, is more expensive than softwood and both these woods are available in a variety of sizes as boards, planks and sheets. One should know the quality of the wood, durability, maintenance required, etc. before purchasing any kind of wood.
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