Wood - Overview

This article is meant to give a brief overview of wood as a material, including some of its basic characteristics as a material for sculpting, building, and for furniture and product applications.

There are over 10,000 different species of trees in the world that provide usable raw material. They are divided into three basic categories: Deciduous (Hardwood), Coniferous (Softwoods) and Grasses. Let's work backwards through that list. Rather than get too heavy into the wood science of the different varieties, I am just going to give a couple of quick notes about these different designations here. MUCH more information is available in a variety of books in the Library, and our Shop Techs can also help you out if you have questions.

The grasses that we most commonly encounter are palm and bamboo. Palm has very limited applications here at RISD, but bamboo is intensely useful, being very strong, light, flexible, and EXTREMELY renewable. Though techincally a grass and not a tree, it can be used in many structural applications.

Coniferous trees, also known as softwoods, are evergreens like pine, douglas fir, larch, cedar, etc. These trees tend to have a lot of pitch (sap) when cut and used as lumber, which means that most of the wood shops here at RISD discourage their use. Two-by-fours from Home Depot are pine, and fall into this category. Ironically, some softwoods (like long-leaf yellow pine) are harder than some hardwoods (like poplar), soe the Hardwood/softwood designation does not necessarily refer to the actual hardness.

Deciduous trees, also known as hardwoods, include all trees that lose their leaves in the fall. Common species include oak, ash, maple, and poplar, as well as nut trees like wallnut and chestnut; and fruit trees like cherry, apple, and pear. These are (in general) more structurally suited for furniture making, as well as being better for carving.

Most power tools generate decibel (Db) levels well above the OSHA-recommended limits. Failure to wear hearing protection when using power tools can result in PERMANENT, IRREVERSIBLE HEARING LOSS. this is nothing to sneeze at. After 18 years around power tools, the first ten or so that I did not wear hearing protection have left with what is referred to as "occupation-induced hearing loss".

Also, the dust generated from power carving and sanding can lead to respiratory ailments. You should always wear a dust mask when using an angle grinder to carve any type of wood, or when sanding.

The Metcalf store keeps some lumber on hand in common species, typically oak, ash, poplar, cherry, walnut, and mahogany. Their prices are relatively competitive. Other vendors for hardwoods nearby include Woodcraft, Dwyer Hardwoods (both in South County) and Downes and Reader, in Mass. You will need a car to get to those places, but their selection will be wider.