The ancient man used wood for self-defense, hunting, clothing, shelter, and cooking. Today, whether you’re headed to your workstation to plan a construction project or begin a woodworking project, you’ll have wood in mind.

There are three broad categories of wood; softwoods, hardwoods, and exotic hardwoods. Each class has specific properties and characteristics that make it appropriate for use in different ways. Some are used because of their strength, some for their beauty, and some for their economy.

As a woodworker, you need to consider the differences and select the one that will best match your furniture. So, before you pick your investable machine to begin carving, you want to first read about the types of woods in woodworking.

1. Oak

This is, probably, the most popular wood that’s used to construct buildings. You can use it to build cabinets, roofs, and flooring. There are two main types; red oak and white oak. The white oak is suitable for furniture construction.

The red and white oak both have a light brown color, though the red oak has some hints of red in it. Both of them have visible growth rings and straight grains. Oak species resist moisture and warping if cut correctly. They’re also hard, strong, and resistant to fungal attacks.

2. Mahogany

This is an endangered exotic hardwood. That’s why its use today is not as profound as it once was. It has a blood-red color that darkens with time, a medium texture, and moderately heavy grains that run straight. It’s one of the woods that you’ll want to use to craft high-end furniture, interior millwork, windows, exterior doors, and trim. Mahogany can resist decay and rot.

3. Maple

Maple is light-colored hardwood. It’s easy to carve and manipulate with the equipment you’ve got in your workbench. Maple has a specific characteristic that makes it suitable for making kitchen furniture: easy cleaning.

Though it’s native to Asia, you can find it in North America, Europe, and North Africa. Its hardness makes it resistant to splitting. Because it stains easily, you can use a dark stain to make it look like cherry or mahogany. Besides making furniture for the kitchen, flooring, and millwork, you can use it to craft musical instruments such as violins and guitars.

4. Pine

Pine is a cheap softwood that you can easily find. There are various pine trees, such as pitch pine, Parana pine, eastern white pine, scot pine, and lodgepole pine. Differentiating these species is easy.

Pine has a distinct yellow color that varies to pale yellow or light brown in some varieties you’ll encounter. It also has straight grains having dark brown growth rings. Pine may be used to make lumber, windows, doors, moldings, and exterior millwork. All pine species can have a perfect finish though you need to seal them with an oil-based or water-based polyurethane seal.

The Bottom-line

There are different types of wood that are used differently because of their unique characteristics and property. You can use hardwood for building, indoor, and kitchen construction. On the other hand, you can use softwoods for the kitchen and indoor structures. The furniture you intend to create should guide you on the choice of wood to use.