When attempting to identify a wood sample, it’s important to keep in mind the
limitations and obstacles that are present in our task. Before starting, please
have a look at The Truth Behind Wood Identification to approach the task in a
proper mindset; I consider the linked article to be required reading for all
those visiting my site with the intent of identifying wood.Now here you may also
interested in balsa wood.
1. Confirm it is actually solid wood.
Before proceeding too much farther into the remaining steps, it’s first
necessary to confirm that the material in question is actually a solid piece of
wood, and not a man-made composite or piece of plastic made to imitate wood.
Can you see the end-grain? Manufactured wood such as MDF, OSB, and
particleboard all have a distinct look that is—in nearly all cases—easily
distinguishable from the endgrain of real wood. Look for growth rings—formed by
the yearly growth of a tree—which will be a dead-giveaway that the wood sample
in question is a solid, genuine chunk of wood taken from a tree.
Is it painted or printed to look like wood? Many times, especially on medium
to large-sized flat panels for furniture, a piece of particleboard or MDF is
either laminated with a piece of wood-colored plastic, or simply painted to look
like wood grain. Many of today’s interior hardwood flooring planks are good
examples of these pseudo-wood products: they are essentially a man-made material
made of sawdust, glues, resins, and durable plastics.
2. Look at the grain color.
Some questions to immediately ask yourself:
Is the color of the wood natural, or is it stained? If there is even a chance
that the color mrhazbzqb isn’t natural, the odds are increased that the entire
effort of identifying the wood will be in vain.
Is it weathered or have a patina? Many woods, when left outside in the
elements, tend to turn a bland gray color. Also, even interior wood also takes
on a patina as it ages: some woods get darker, or redder, and some even get
lighter or lose their color; but for the most part, wood tends to darken with
age.
Is it possible to sand or plane the board to see the natural raw color of the
wood? The most predictable baseline to use when identifying wood is in a freshly
sanded state. This eliminates the chances of a stain or natural aging skewing
the color diagnosis of the wood.
Article resource: http://www.balsafactory.com/ .
