Identifying Different Species- Question of the Week

May 1, 2007 | Filed Under Blog, Question of the Week 

This week’s question comes from Brian. He writes:

First off, it’s an awesome podcast. This is the perfect example of the value of good podcasting as a medium. Thank you for all the hard work I know goes into it. My question: How can I learn how to identify wood species better? I want to know for general knowledge, but I also need to know. A friend works at a cabinet shop and they sometimes let me rummage through the shorts and pick out a variety of boards for a very reasonable price. That leaves me with the dilema of identifying what I am getting (preferably while sorting through things!).

And here was my reply:

“Hey Brian. Thanks for the kind words. Podcasting is a relatively unappreciated medium but its getting more popular by the day. As far as wood identification, you have a few options. First, there are always books. Go to Barnes and Noble, get yourself a coffee, and hang out in the store a while with some of their wood species books. But pictures and descriptions will only get you so far. You need some hands on. So truthfully, the easiest thing to do is make a trip to your local hardwood dealer. Preferably one that lets you walk through their hardwood selection. This way you can feel and touch the different wood species and see what the names are. And you can also compare and contrast similar woods like maple and birch. You should be able to get an an idea of the subtle differences between the woods. The final component is just time and experience. The more you work with different species, the more properties you will have in your head to compare them with. Things like density, color, and smell can all help you ID the species quickly. Hope that helps!”

Comments

5 Responses to “Identifying Different Species- Question of the Week”

  1. Skee on May 2nd, 2007 5:44 am

    Brian,

    I completely agree on the time and experience thing Marc said. It is hard for a novice (including me) and can be intimidating when there are so many types of wood to pick from. Don’t let the challenge discourage you - it is a great opportunity to learn!

    I would also suggest that if your friend is working in a cabinet shop, they might be of assistance as well. If they are letting you pick through the shorts, they would likely offer some pointers on the different pieces in the pile.

  2. Lee Storesund on May 2nd, 2007 7:46 pm

    Another good place to go for this info is

    http://www.rarewoodsandveneers.com

    They have an extensive collection of wood samples and include the Latin name and major source area.

  3. lance on May 3rd, 2007 6:01 pm

    I just found an awesome book called “What Wood is That? : A Manual of Wood Identification” by Herbert L. Edlin which contains forty actual wood samples.
    http://s44.photobucket.com/alb.....ZVPSVL.jpg

  4. Bjarne Haukebo on May 7th, 2007 2:30 pm

    My son is doing a report on the density of wood.
    He has picked:MDF, Walnut, Maple, Doug fur, and a few others.
    Where can he find info in this regard.
    Thanks
    Bjarne

  5. thewoodwhisperer on May 7th, 2007 5:15 pm

    Bjarne,

    Remember that Google is your friend. Type in Density of XXXX, replacing the x’s with your material of choice, and I am sure you will find exactly what you are looking for.

    You also might want to search fro specific gravity for an explanation of how the density of wood is typically reported.

    Hope that helps.

Got something to say?





  • What's New???

  • Google


  • Check this out!!

    Loading the LumberJocks Widget

  • Extra Reading