PECAN
Botanical Name: Carya spp. (primarily Carya illinoensis) A member of the hickory genus, what is known as pecan actually comes from several species of trees whose wood is often marketed with—or even as—true hickory. The two are distinguishable, however, by the deep red color markings or streaks in pecan’s heartwood and by weight. True hickory is slightly heavier. Though often undervalued, pecan is a fine, attractive wood, its veneers often containing a beautiful mottled figure. And of course, like hickory, it has exceptional qualities of strength.
Other Names: Pecan hickory, sweet pecan, water hickory, bitter pecan, bitternut hickory.
Sources: Mexico and U. S.A.
Characteristics: Straight-grained though sometimes irregular or wavy; coarse texture; heartwood is reddish brom-, sapwood is white.
Uses: Turning, furniture, tool handles, sports equipment, drumsticks and veneers.
Workability: Fair; can dull cutting edges severely; reduce cutting angle when planing or shaping irregular grain; pre-bore for nailing; very good bending properties. Finishing: Accepts finishes well.
Weight: 46 Ib./cu. ft.
Price: Moderate.
Botanical Name: Diospyros virginiana Although it belongs to the same genus as the famous black ebony, the nearly white sap^ooA of the persimmon is most valued. Persimmon’s dark wood is limited to its small heartwood core and is rarely of interest to the woodworker. Known for its shock resistance, hardness and finishing qualities, persimmon is used for golf club heads. Occasionally, logs are sliced into veneers which can have an attractive figure.
Other Names: Boa wood, bara-bara, butter wood, cylil date plum, Virginia date plum, possum wood, American ebony. Sources: Central and southern U. S.A.
Characteristics: Straight grain; fine, even texture; may have dark brown or black streaks; sapwood is off-white. Uses: Golf club heads, turning and veneers; sometimes flooring and furniture.
Workability: Generally good; dulls cutting edges moderately; reduce cutting angle when planing; pre-bore for nailing; moderate bending properties; high shrinkage makes it unstable in use.
Finishing: Accepts finishes very well.
Weight: 52 Ib./cu. ft.
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Price: Inexpensive to moderate. .
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Botanical Name: Plnue ponderosa One of the most attractive pines, the ponderosa grows across western North America and sometimes makes its home at elevations of more than 10,000 feet in the Rockies. Because of its resemblance in color and texture to white pine, ponderosa has increasingly been used as a substitute for that wood. Ponderosa pine is sometimes sliced into knotty pine veneer, but its primary use is in construction and as interiortrim.
Other Names: Big pine, bird’s-eye pine, knotty pine, pole pine, prickly pine, western yellow pine.
Sources: Canada and western U. S.A.
Characteristics: Wide light-yellow sapwood; darker yellow to reddish-brown heartwood; generally straight grain; even texture.
Uses: Furniture, turning and carving (sapwood); joinery and general construction (heartwood); occasionally paneling and veneers.
Workability: Good; blunts cutting edges slightly; poor bending properties.
Finishing: Accepts finishes well, but does not stain as well as white pine.
Weight: 32 Ib./cu. ft.
Price: Inexpensive.
Botanical Name: Пниs spp.
Southern yellow pine is the heaviest commercial softwood and certainly of foremost importance for the construction and pulp industries. But, because of the decreasing supply of white pine, it has recently begun to be used extensively in veneers, which are darker and marked by distinct growth rings. These trees also supply turpentine, pine oil and resin used in the cosmetics industry.
Other Names: Pitch pine, short leaf pine, long leaf pine, loblolly pine and several other tree names.
Source: Southeastern U. S.A.
Characteristics: Straight grain; coarse texture; yellow-brown to reddish-brown heartwood.
Uses: Furniture, construction, plywood and veneers. Workability: Fair; high resin content will cause gummy build-up on tools; tends to tear when crosscut. Finishing: Accepts finishes fairly well; because of high resin content, finishes sometimes bubble up, especially around knots.
Weight: 30-3S Ib./cu. ft.
Price: Inexpensive.
Botanical Name: P'mue strobus White pine’s versatility, workability and non-resinous nature made it a preferred wood for both construction and woodworking for centuries. Early American settlers often honored the white pine, putting it on the colonies’ flag during the American Revolution and on other flags and coins through the years. Unfortunately, because of its widespread use, white pine has become scarcer, although second generation stands are presently maturing.
Other Names: Eastern white pine, northern white pine, northern pine, Quebec pine, soft pine, balsam pine, Canadian white pine.
Sources: Canada and U. S.A.
Characteristics: Straight grain; even texture; light - yellow to reddish-brown heartwood.
Uses: Furniture, joinery, boat building, construction, plywood and veneers.
Workability: Good; blunts cutters slightly; poor bending properties; too soft for some furniture uses.
Finishing: Accepts finishes well.
Weight: 2d Ib./cu. ft.
Price: Inexpensive.
Botanical Names: Liriodendron tulipifera Much of the remaining supply of this wood, regarded as one of the most valuable timbers in the eastern U. S.A., lies in the Appalachian Mountains. Used extensively in Europe in the early 1900s, today the wood is used mainly in the U. S. for a range of woodworking applications and for pulp. The sapwood is sometimes called white wood.
Other Names: Canoe wood, tulip poplar, tuliptree. Source: U. S.A.
Characteristics: Straight grain; fine, even texture; white sapwood to pale-brown heartwood with green or dark brown streaks.
Uses: Joinery, furniture, cabinetwork, musical instruments, carving and veneers.
Workability: Good; dulls cutters only slightly.
Finishing: Accepts finishes well.
Weight: 30-35 Ib./cu. ft.
Price: Inexpensive.
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