Wood Selection: Choosing the Right Kind

Hardwood vs softwood: What is this all about and what's the difference? “Softwoods” aren’t all that soft, and “hardwoods” aren’t all that hard. The four softest woods are hardwoods, in fact, the top 10 softest woods are a dead split between hardwood and softwood. However, in general hardwoods are harder and the hardest woods are hardwoods.

Let me lay a little science on you: Softwoods are Gymnosperms, or Acrogymnospermae. In actual words this means a softwood reproduces via naked seeds: a pine cone for instance ruptures and spreads its seeds.

Hardwoods are Angiosperms: or seeds which are cased in some sort of vessel. Think of a nut or a fruit tree: the nut or fruit is always cased in something (an apple, a walnut shell, etc). Not all hardwoods have edible fruits or nuts.

Commonly you will hear people refer to hardwoods as deciduous, however Holly, Magnolia and a number of other trees are hardwood and are not deciduous.

Which one do I need? It is project dependent, but usually general home repair and carpentry use softwoods (pine and cedar) and furniture or fine woodwork require hardwoods. Why would I choose one over the other?

Usually the biggest factor is cost and availability: Softwoods are almost always cheaper and more readily available. Hardwoods are usually more durable, prettier and nicer to work with, often this isn’t necessary and the cost doesn’t make sense. Some projects need the strength or elasticity of a specific wood, and it isn't always best to go cheap

Rift sawn, quartersawn, plain sawn, live sawn, flat sawn are a handful of terms for the processes used to create lumber. Quartersawn and rift sawn are the same thing by another name and section of the board (see image) quarter sawn boards are the most dimensionally stable cuts. They often show off rays and flecking in certain species (White Oak).

Quartersawn is the most premium because it creates the most waste. Rift sawn is similar to edge cuts of a live board and can be an excellent source of straight grain lumber. Plain sawn is common with large diameter trees as boards over a certain width are unstable. Live or flat sawn are common in smaller trees or ones that will be sold as live edge

Wood is measured in Board footage: Rough cut lumbers are measured this way, and this is the measurement used if you visit a store that specializes in hardwood. One board foot is 144”3, or a 12”x12”x1” section. This is done because there are varying thicknesses, lengths and widths, remember this is a natural and minimally processed product.

Wood sold in board footage is always thickness measured in “quarters” which is lingo for a quarter of an inch. So a “four quarter” board is 4/4” or one inch, this could be any number, 1/4, 5/4. 10/4. To convolute that a little more that is the raw cut thickness. A 4/4 board will usually end up being closer to 7/8” thick.

Linear footage: Dimensional lumber (2x4’s for instance) will be sold in linear footage, meaning priced by the foot. Dimensional lumber is also not true to the noted dimension, if you measure a 2x4 you will find it is close to 1.5”x3.5”, that is because it is rough cut to 2”x4” dried, then finish milled to final dimension.

This is industry standard: you're not going to avoid it, just plan for it instead. Dimensional measurement is the common type of measurement at “big box” stores. If you buy hardwood at a place like this it will be priced by linear foot. Avoid buying hardwood at big box stores, it is usually twice or more the cost of buying from a hardwood supplier!

Where to buy: Hardwoods should be sourced from a dedicated vendor, examples in Denver are Austin Hardwoods, Paxtons Lumber, or CS woods. A second choice would be Rockler or Woodcraft (Sometimes their prices are higher, but if they are having a sale they can be lower). Avoid stores like Lowe’s or Home Depot for hardwood, prices are unreasonable.

Softwoods are widely available, if you are buying a large quantity a dedicated lumber yard is your best bet on quality and price. If you only need a few, or few dozen boards the big box stores are OK for this.

Online retailers are becoming better and more viable options. Just watch shipping, especially on long lengths or particularly large sections.

A note on pricing: You will find most dedicated hardwood stores don’t post prices online or in their warehouses. Wood is a market good, the prices are constantly shifting, the price of the woods will reflect this. You can call any hardwood place and ask for the days pricing.

MDF: “medium density fiberboard” is a composite wood that is essentially wood dust and glue compressed together. Its strengths are: inexpensive, good impact resistance, available in a variety of coatings and colors, reasonably strong, uniform strength, homogenous processing and machining properties.

Weaknesses: Poor shear strength, very susceptible to water damage, heavy, extremely dusty unless you purchase a domestic product it probably contains formaldehyde, this means any MDF sourced from a big box store! Always wear a respirator when cutting or sanding MDF. You can also buy HDF or LDF (high or low density).

Plywood: There are a variety of types, thicknesses and constructions. It can be made out of or veneered in any wood species, it can be marine grade, low grade, finish sanded or not. There is too much to cover in this guide, consult google or a shop worker for help in choosing what you need.

In general it has excellent strength and working characteristics, prices vary drastically based on application and construction.

Masonite: a composite hardboard made of steam cooked, glued and pressure molded wood fiber. It's often used for its smoothness in things like table tennis boards or final layers skateboard ramps. It has good impact resistance, is somewhat flexible, but will tear apart once it has exceeded its flexibility. It has very little water resistance.

Waferboard or OSB: Is a composite wood product manufactured from rectangular wood flakes with a minimum and maximum size limit, bonded together with a phenolic resin. It is often used as casement for exteriors but has minimal water resistance and must be covered or coated.

Manufactured “lumber”: “Lumber” generally refers to boards rather than sheet goods, Trex and other composites fall into this category, they are a molded product similar to one of the above designed to mimic real wood, they have their own strengths and weaknesses, there is a great deal to cover with these so it won’t be covered in this guide.

Other sheet goods: The selection of sheet goods is vast, too much to cover here, but if you are looking at something not listed here you should understand its properties before purchase.