Nature is amazing in its diversity and beauty. Through the links below, we provide information not only about the workability of various types of lumber, but also a bit about the natural tree that produces that lumber - what part of the world does the tree usually grow in, how tall does the tree grow, what color is the lumber, etc.
As woodworkers, it is very helpful to know how "hard" a wood is in order to judge how difficult it may be to cut (which may help us to decide to use one wood species over another in a project). The Janka hardness test (created by Austrian-born American researcher Gabriel Janka), measures the resistance of a sample of wood to denting and wear (and indirectly how difficult it is to cut). It measures the force required to embed a small steel ball (7⁄16 inch in diameter) halfway into a sample of wood. Woods with a higher rating are harder than those with a lower rating.
For example, Balsa wood (which is a very, very soft hardwood) has a Janka rating of 90. Poplar, which our club often uses to make toy cars, has a rating of 540 and is considered to be relatively soft and fairly easy to cut (though obviously not as easy to cut as balsa). Walnut is considered to be a moderately hard wood (not really all that hard but definitely not "soft" either) and has a rating of 1220. Purpleheart has a rating of 2520 and is considered to be a very, very hard wood and difficult to cut, as is Gaboon Eboney, which has a Janka hardness rating of 3080.
As woodworkers, it is very helpful to know how "hard" a wood is in order to judge how difficult it may be to cut (which may help us to decide to use one wood species over another in a project). The Janka hardness test (created by Austrian-born American researcher Gabriel Janka), measures the resistance of a sample of wood to denting and wear (and indirectly how difficult it is to cut). It measures the force required to embed a small steel ball (7⁄16 inch in diameter) halfway into a sample of wood. Woods with a higher rating are harder than those with a lower rating.
For example, Balsa wood (which is a very, very soft hardwood) has a Janka rating of 90. Poplar, which our club often uses to make toy cars, has a rating of 540 and is considered to be relatively soft and fairly easy to cut (though obviously not as easy to cut as balsa). Walnut is considered to be a moderately hard wood (not really all that hard but definitely not "soft" either) and has a rating of 1220. Purpleheart has a rating of 2520 and is considered to be a very, very hard wood and difficult to cut, as is Gaboon Eboney, which has a Janka hardness rating of 3080.
Click on the name of a wood species below to get more information and see pictures of the tree and the lumber it produces. You might also like to check out www.hardwooddistributors.org/species
Aspen
Alder
Black Walnut
Pine (soft Pine)
Poplar
Red Oak and White Oak
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