Wood

Wood can be split down into 3 main sections, Hard wood, Soft wood and Manufactured boards.

Hard Woods
-slow growing
-expensive in price
-usualy quater sawn
-generaly quite dence
-comes from deciduose trees

Soft Woods
-grow much faster than a hardwood
-cheaper to buy due to the renewability
-less dence than hardwoods in most cases
-comes from a coniferous tree.


When purchasing wood there are a number of things you must consider,
-physical strength, is the material right for the job, strong wood for support beams eg.

-aesthetic properties, materials like walnut look good so they are used in expensive furniture more than wood like pine

-moisture content, the moisture content in wood is very important as it will begin to twist or cup along the anual rings as it is dryed. the closer to the pift the timber is the more it could cup.

-protection, if the wood is going to be spending most of it lifes out doors then it must be protected. wood will rot due to the fibres sucking up moisture and this can lead to deteriation of the wood. so protection like varnish and stains must be applied.

-cost, wood is not cheap espeshaly hard woods so you must consider what the product will be used for and purchase the right priced wood for the purpose intended.

-enviromental issues, tree are renewable but they are governed by the FSC, The Forestry Stewardship Council. they make sure that for every tree cut down, 2 are planted in its place.