Hiawatha Lumber wants to help you make the most informed decision possible when it comes to your next home or building project, so in this post we have provided an introduction to different types of wood and lumber. We plan to keep offering more detailed information on this and other subjects as we continue to grow our new blog. We hope you find the following articles helpful and please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions or comments.
Choosing the right wood for the right job is crucial. Like any building material, it is a good idea to do your research and avoid any costly mistakes. Plus, the better you understand the wood your working with, the better your final product will be.
There are many different types of wood, over 1000 in the US alone, and about 100 of these are used for lumber. All wood can be categorized into two basic groups, hardwood and softwood. Hardwood comes from deciduous (or leaf bearing) trees and softwood comes from coniferous (or cone bearing) trees. Don’t let the names confuse you, as a hardwood may actually be very soft and softwood may be quite hard. This is why it is important to know the specific characteristics of the wood you plan to work with and what you want to use it for.
Hardwood is commonly used in flooring, doors, window & door frames and mouldings. Wood is porous, and has microscopic openings on its surface. In this regard, there are two types of hardwood; one with smaller pores called closed grain, and one with larger pores called ring porous. Examples of hardwood include Oak, Maple, Cherry, and Mahogany.
Softwood is widely used for framing and finishing depending on where you live. All softwood is a closed grain and is the most commonly used wood for timber around the world. Some examples of softwood are Cedar, Pine and Redwood.
Now that you know a little bit about the types of wood and lumber available, let’s take a look at some the different grades of lumber. Standard grade, or construction lumber, is rough, but quite sturdy and is broadly used for framing. The grade 1 common refers to wood that has small, tight knots that won’t fall out. 2 common is similar and has slightly larger knots, and 3 common will have the largest knots in this group. These types of woods are good for paneling, shelving, and other general woodworking projects. A clear grade has no knots on its surface and is considered top of the line when compared to other grades.
In our next article we will explore the different types of wood in more detail, as well as breaking down how lumber is sized. If you would like more information about lumber in Minneapolis
