Woods and Their Uses:
Mahogany-
Furniture, shop fitting, floors, veneers, joinery. Because the term Mahogany covers a variety of timbers the colours and working properties of each individual type may vary.
Walnut-
Expensive, high-class furniture, veneers, internal and external joinery.
Ash-
Tool handles, rolling pins, cricket bats, ladders.
Beech-
Kitchen surface tops, indoor chairs, floors, wooden toys, plywood and turned products.
Red Oak-
Furniture, flooring, cabinets, millwork, woodenware.
White Birch-
Turnings, woodenware, spools, tongue depressors.
Yellow Birch-
Furniture, cabinets, veneer, woodenware.
Red Maple-
Furniture parts, containers, pallets.
Oak-
Garden furniture, boat building, gateposts, furniture, floors and construction work.
Iroko-
Furniture, exterior and interior joinery. It may also be used for floors, veneers, cladding and construction work. It is a teak substitute.
American Cherry-
Fine furniture and cabinet making, mouldings and millwork, kitchen cabinets, paneling, flooring, doors, boat interiors, musical instruments, turnings and carvings.
Sycamore-
Furniture, furniture parts (drawer sides), paneling and mouldings, flooring, kitchenware, butchers blocks, toys and fruit crates.
Manufactured boards
Both hardwoods and softwoods can be formed into manufactured boards (plywood, hardboard, MDF, chipboard). Manufactured timber is processed by cutting up solid timber and putting it back together in a variety of different ways. The main reason for doing this is to end up with large flat sheets of timber which are stronger, more stable and less expensive than the same sized timber. When a tree is milled (cut up into usable sized pieces - like the ones you use in the wood-shop), up to 40% is left as waste, (sawdust and small odd-sized pieces) so this waste material is manufactured into wood product sheets.
Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF)-
It may be used to make display cabinets, wall-panels and storage units.
Plywood-
It may be used for wall paneling, flooring and furniture. Shuttering boxes are made from shuttering plywood. Shuttering boxes are used in the construction industry to contain concrete while it sets. The material is water resistant to a certain extent. The surface of this material does not have a decorative veneer and is generally not suitable for use where an attractive quality finish is required. Marine Plywood is made with waterproof adhesive so that it can be used under water. The material should still be protected with paint or varnish though. Thin plywood is flexible and can be formed into curved shapes, so it can be used to make a variety of objects.
Chipboard-
Chipboard with a veneered surface is widely used for flat-pack furniture and work surfaces. High-density chipboard is often used as the carcass for kitchen units and worktops and flooring. This type of chipboard is hardwearing, rigid and heavy.
Sterling Board-
It may be used to protect windows of empty buildings or to make products that need to bee protected against the elements e.g. fishing boxes.
