Hardwoods

Hardwoods

Name	Description	Uses
Beech	A straight grained European hardwood. Hard and resistant to damage. Not durable for exterior use. Fairly easy to work with because it is resistant to splitting and the grain is even. Light in colour(pinkish).	Furniture, toys, malletts, woodwork benches, bench hooks, broom heads, science bench legs. Can be steam bent, can also be worked green to make the traditional bentwood cafe chairs.
Oak	A very strong European hardwood. Light brown in colour but often stained dark. Distinctive open grain. Harder to work than beech.	Quality furniture, beams in buildings, ships and boats. The English wooden warships which fought against the French and Spanish were constructed almost entirely from Oak.
Ash	A strong open grained European hardwood. Fairly easy to work. Pale cream colour but sometimes stained black.	Furniture, tool handles, sports equipment, ladders. Veneers are made from ash making use of its interesting grain. Can be bent. Has been used to make carriage and car chassis. Water unfortunately stains it quite quickly.
Mahogany	Mild working rain forest hardwood. Reddish brown in colour. Originally a South American timber but many other species with a similar appearance from other tropical countries have been called mahogany. An endangered species.	Indoor furniture, boat building, plywood, bar and shop fitting. Window frames and sills. Veneers.
Jelutong	A creamy yellow colour. Plantation grown in Malaysia, this timber is very even grained with latex ducts the only defect (which can be ignored and easily filled. Extremely easy to work with.	Model making. Pattern making. Can be used for joinery but is not durable.
Teak and Iroko	Durable oily wood. Golden brown to dark brown in colour. Resistant to moisture and chemical attack. Does not burn easily. Real teak comes from Burma. Iroko is a teak substitute which comes from Africa. Other timbers with a similar appearance have become common.	Garden furniture, boat building, laboratory furniture and other scientific equipment.