Types of wood

[tiler99]

In your opinions what wood is suitable for what projects.
What i need to know is what woods are easy to work with and which are hard.
I understand you can use different types of wood for say, building a desk and general furniture projects but what would be a good start for a new comer.
Obviously i know that you cant pick these woods up in your local DIY store and i need to find a timber merchant, but what should i look for and how is wood sold ?....per metre?
All this things are new to me, as i have only worked with MDF, Ply and what B&Q and Wickes would call pine (actually they just call it wood).
Sorry for what you may see as obvious questions, but if you dont ask you dont get.

 

[Anonymous]

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[Sgian Dubh]

Of the hardwoods (over and above the redwood or whitewood suggested by Mr. Grimsdale) one of the easiest and mildest to work is American yellow poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera.) It's usually sold as tulip or tulipwood in the UK.

Colour tends to be a bit dirty white and there are often green or red mineral streaks in the stuff which some find unattractive. The green and red streaks turn to brown fairly quickly. It is, however, an excellent wood for painting, and it's often used for what are called secondary parts in furniture, i.e., hidden structural items, drawer sides and so on. Slainte.

 

[tiler99]

This is where i will probably buying wood from
http://www.simeonbateman.co.uk/

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Tiler,

That looks like a pretty good timber merchent you've got there.

The most popular hardwood at the moment is undoubtably oak; that's where I'd start. It is usually sold by the cubic foot, and this takes some getting your head around!

The most common sizes are 1" thick and 2" thick. Planks are usually in random widths averageing about 6" wide. Length is usually 8'. As a very rough rule of thumb expect to pay around £10 per plank for rough sawn 1" American White Oak. European Oak has more knots and features in it and is slightly more expensive.

If possible, I would always go and select my own timber from the yard rather than ordering it up.

The first thing you will notice when machining the timber is how much slower you have to go. The second thing is how painful an oak splinter is!!
Watch out.

Apart from that, its just a case of playing around.

Cheers
Brad

 

[Shultzy]

Beech is the usual wood for toys and kitchen work (chopping boards, meat mallets). It cuts cleanly and is not too harsh on the tools.
Another good supplier is Sykes in Atherstone.
http://www.sykestimber.co.uk/