A useful guide for the types of wood and where they’re used mostly , is always an “immortal” wood theme . As an “alive” material it has different types and “behavior” .

We can separate it , from its mechanical , electrical , chemical , acoustical (don’t you forget the musical instruments) , thermical , properties and from its smell , looks , touch and the general feeling we get from it .

Keep always in your mind the safety measures , you should take every single time you are going to work with wood and don’t let the routine , “bent” these safety “laws” .

As i’ve said before , we are free to use whatever type of wood our souls like , but there are some written and unwritten “laws” , to make our lives easier .

Yes you may probably like the plywood very much , but you cannot make a wooden boat from plywood only , i suppose .

You may like very much the pine wood , but i suppose you cannot your sailboat’s mast by pine wood or some “soft” wood . You need the appropriate type of wood , to make your mast and be strong for many , many years .

You may like the plywood but , the rifle manufacturers don’t make their rifle’s wooden parts from plywood .

They choose other type of wood , because they want specific characteristics . Resistance to hard conditions , rain , sweat , moisture and many more , the plywood isn’t so good at .

Here is the Guidebook – List :

1) Log Houses : forest pine , siberian pine , spruce , red spruce .

2) Roofs , balconies : forest pine , spruce , black pine , cypress .

3) Wood constructions to harbors : impregnated pine .

4) Shipbuilding : Teak , cypress ( it is very straight wood ) , mahogany , oak , spruce .

5) Outdoor columns : impregnated pine , cypress , spruce , eucalyptus .

6) Greenhouses : black pine , spruce .

7) Outdoor constructions in general : impregnated black and forest pine , cypress , yew .

8) Window frames for your house : Mahogany , forest pine , oak , walnut , chestnut .

9) House floors : Beech , chestnut , maple , Iroko , cherry tree .

10) Outdoor floors : Beech , red spruce , Iroko and of course impregnated pine wood pieces .

11) Furniture : beech , oak , pine , cherry tree , walnut , maple , birch , red oak , willow tree , plane tree(drawers) , cherry tree , hard maple(table surfaces) .

12) MDF : Forest and black pine , beech .

13) Wood “leaves” for decoration : teak , maple , walnut , Iroko , mahogany

14) Wooden boxes : pine , spruce , beech , cypress , yew .

15) Wooden toys : red pine , spruce , beech , flamouri , birch , chestnut .

16) Wooden barrels : pine , beech , chestnut , oak ( wine ) .

17) Indoor ladders : forest pine , oak , beech , acacia .

18) Wood carvings : olive oil tree , walnut , oak , beech , cedar , willow tree , mulberry tree , cypress , wild pears , birch .

19) Musical instruments : spruce , red pine , mulberry tree , walnut , ebony , elm tree .

20) Apiculture cells : forest and black pine , spruce .

21) Photographer frames : Oak , beech , hard/soft maple , cherry tree .

22) Firewood : Oak , beech , olive oil tree , pine , yew .

23) Christmas trees : red spruce , spruce ( or maybe choose not to cut trees )

24) Gun’s wooden parts : Walnut , Cherry tree , Oak , Chestnut .

25) Billiard sticks : plane tree .

26) Houseware : walnut , maple .

27) Boats : beech , eucalyptus , birch .

28) Constructions inside the water : elm tree .

29) Tool handles : beech , maple , olive oil tree .

30) Charcoal for painting : oak , hazel tree .

31) Cigar boxes : chestnut .

32) Piano’s : beech , linden , Ebony .

33) Ship’s mast : cypress , spruce .

34) Plywood : pine .

35) Sauna benches : poplar .

If you want to make a wood construction in the outside , you should choose wood with straight fibers , so it won’t bent during the drying process .
You’ll need a wooden part with mid density and hardness and with moisture , below the 20% .

One of these types of wood is the teak . You can work very easily with teak and paint it as well , with no difficulties . Another one good characteristic is that teak has great resistance to wood bugs .

Natural wood is another “thing” than the engineered one .

Of course in here i talk about the natural wood only ( ok except the MDF, but it’s very common) and i don’t refer to the industrial one .

The industrial wood is made by us the humans and we can give to it , whatever characteristics we want to give to it .

I know that you know and see , the sea plywood the hotels and others use to put near their pools , or you have aside to yours too .

The sea plywood is very strong and has great resistance to the weather conditions . You know that one big resistance “test” for wood is the alternations between , the hot sun and moisture .

Protect your Woodworking plans with Oils & Shou Shugi Ban method .

If you want to make a wood project in your backyard or wherever outdoor and the piece of wood you have doesn’t match completely to the above guide “map” , don’t worry .

You can protect your project and keep it for many years in a very good shape .

There are many wood protecting oils you can paint your wood and make it invulnerability , to the so tough for wood , weather conditions . If you “remember” and paint your wood once or twice a year , depending the place you are , your project will be well protected .

I’ve chosen some of my favorite oils et.c , you can buy to protect your wood , in HERE .

Another thing you can do , is to protect your project from the weather by covering it with a cloth or something like that , the year’s time periods you don’t use it .

If your wood project is something which is always exposed to the weather , the continuous oil painting is necessary .

To remind you that , for the outdoor protection you can always apply the ancient Japanese sealing method for the outside wood , the Shou Shougi Ban .

With this method , you burn the outside surface of the wood for a specific depth , then you rub it , to clean the carbon and you paint it with oil .

All this , seals the wood and it doens’t let the moisture , water and the external weather conditions affect to your woodworking’s project “health” .

If you want to see some stains – varnishes – dyes , et.c , suggestions for wood , go to buy them , in HERE .

Keep woodworking .