Wood Description 1

Definition of Terms:
Weight: the number given to a wood is the average weight per cubic foot. The larger the number the denser and harder the wood is. The denser the wood the more brittle it becomes, making it harder to bend and carve. Advantages to hard woods are that finer detail can be achieved and the wood can be polished to an ultra smooth finish. Balsa has a weight of 8, Oak is about 45 and Ebony weights in at 80.
Figure: the term is often confused with grain. By definition, the figure of a wood refers to the pattern caused by color differences in the wood. The figure is also the pattern created by different types of grain.
Grain: is the direction in which the fibers of the wood are running. Types of grain are: straight, wavy, irregular, spiral, curly, interlocking and birds-eye. The fibers of interlocking grain have a weaved structure, thus making the wood strong and less apt to split and suitable for bending. Irregular grain is caused by an interruption in the growth of the tree by branches or crotches. For ship building irregular grain is used for natural curved members such as knees.
Texture: a woods' texture is directly related to the suitability for carving and the fineness of detail which can be achieved. Texture ranges from coarse to medium to fine and to ultra fine. In ship building, coarse and medium textured woods are suitable for heavy timbering such as hull framing and deck beams. Fine textured wood is used for planking, moldings, rails ect. Fine and ultra fine texture is for carving small fittings and delicate parts. Texture is also uniform or uneven. An uneven textured wood has different size cell cavities giving the wood hard and soft spots. When machining or carving a piece and it suddenly breaks, it is because you hit a large cell cavity or a soft spot. Uniform texture is like cutting a soft plastic like material.

	Aformosia Color: an even medium brown color with a tint of yellow Detailed Description
	African Blackwood Color: black with a marble like figure of dark purple and charcoal gray. Detailed Description
	Alaskan Cedar Weight: 31 Grain: is always straight Figure: is an even sulfur color with no distinctive pattern Texture: fine and uniform Properties: for a soft wood, Yellow Cedar is quite heavy with a density about the same as Cherry. A very stable wood and it holds it shape with no shrinkage. This wood is exceptionally easy to work, turns well on a lathe, finishes smooth and carves well. Easy to glue. A durable wood resistant to decay. Use: masting and spars, deck and hull planking, hull timbering and carvings. A good wood where a hand cutting joinery is used.
	Alder Weight: 35 Grain: straight Figure: the wood ranges from a light cream to a pale reddish brown with no outstanding figure. Texture: is smooth and fine Properties: Alder is a flexible wood and easy to bend. It is stable and will hold its shape. A very good wood for carving and machining. It leaves a clean sharp edge and finishes to a smooth surface. It is an all around easy working wood. Use: a prime use is for bent structural members and hull planking. Alder would make a nice deck. Well suited for framing and timbering. Nice for turning masts and spars. Suitable for quarter scale and larger carvings.
	Apple Weight: 48 Grain: prone to small knots, causing an irregular grain of bends, twists and swirls. Apple is also found with a straight grain when clear of knots. Figure: heartwood is a red brown with swirls and veins of dark maroon, blue gray, yellows or red gold. Sapwood is a narrow band of creamy yellow with a tint of pink. Texture: is fine and uniform Properties: excellent for carving, milling and turning. The wood will hold a clean sharp edge and finishes to a smooth polished surface. Apple is strong and flexible suitable for bending. Use: One of the top choices among model builders because of this woods versatility, working properties and wide range of color and figures. Apple is suitable for natural curved timbers. The wood can be used for all aspects of model work, from fine fittings to delicate turned items and carvings to hull timbering. The cream color of the sapwood makes nice planking.
	Avodire Weight: 20 Grain: interlocked, straight to slightly wavy. Figure: looks like a yellow colored Mahogany. The range of color is from pale lemon yellow to a golden yellow. Texture: is uniform and on the soft side. A bit coarse for fine texture. Properties: a nice wood to work with, easy to cut with any hand or power tool. Strong for its weight, a stable wood not prone to warpage. Takes a kind of satin finished surface. Use: deck or hull planking, hull timbering and framing. Works well for making masts and spars.