Hard woods

Hardwoods are a group of woods that are produced from deciuous trees. These trees llose their leaves every winter, They are slow growing and simetimes not replaced when cut down . This type of wood is much more expensive than softwood and is generally used for fine furniture and toys etc.

Ash : This wood is light in colour , tough and flexable . It bends well with steam and varnishes well . Common uses include tool handles , Cricket bat handles and veneers .

Beech : This wood is midbrown colour and is hard and strong , it is tough but can tend to warp. Common uses include quality furnture , Kitchen Equipment , Veneers and toys.

Oak : Alight brown wood , hard and tough, It is heavy and durable outside. Gets Harder with age . Common uses include garden furnture, High Quality furniture and boat building .

Mahogany : This is generally red in colour and a medium weight . It is quite strong and durable but can warp. Common uses include high quality furniure and boat fittings .

Softwoods

Softwood are a group of woods that are made from coniferous trees. These types of trees keep tier leaves trhoughout the year and can grow much quicker than hardwoods. They are much cheaper and the waste wood from the trunk can be used to make paper and card .

Scits Pine : This wood is straight Grained but can be knotty. Is is strong and can be easilly worked. Common uses included building and constraction , but must br treated or painted when used outside .

Parana : This wood Id straight grained with a few knots. It is Quite strong and Durable But warps easilly . common uses include high quality interior construction and furniture .

Spruce : This is quite a strong wood with small knots and resistant to splitting . however , it is not very durable .Common uses include fitted Furniture like Kitchen Cabinets .

Cedar : This wood is straight grained and knot free . Light weight and durable inside and outside . Common uses include fecing and shed construction .

Manufactured Boards

Manufactured Boards are a group of materials that have been created by combining natural woods with modern materials and adhesives. These types of woos can give greater strength to weight ratio , can be manufactured in large sheets and can be cost effective.

Plywood : This is made from the sheets of wood called veneers which are glued togather so that the grain of each layer alternates by 90 degree , They will always have an odd number of layers like 3.5 and 7 to help reduce warping . It is strong in all directions and also avaliable as a waterproof version. Common uses include worktops , drawer bottoms small boats and construction .