Wood is the preferred material of choice for many purposes ranging from furniture, building houses, tools, and figures. Wood is also being used these days for a wide variety of purposes like wood crafts, which carve out intricate shapes and figurines for use in home decoration.
There are two types of wood used for any said purpose – hardwood and softwood. This basic classification of wood comes from the types of trees from which they originate. Described below are the different types of craft woods available out there.
Hardwoods
A hardwood is denser and is, therefore, more difficult to cut open. However, this sturdy nature of hardwood has made it the preferred choice of most people. Moreover, hardwoods consist of more textures, patterns, and color, and are therefore more expensive. Some of the different types of hardwood are:
Mahogany
Mahogany is most commonly used for making designer furniture. The surface of this wood will take staining well as its grains are deep brown in color. Mahogany is very expensive, as they are not grown on tree farms and are not available at retail home stores.
Ash
Ash is a type of hardwood that has a lighter color. Due to this, it is considered as an alternative to white oak and is much easier to work with. Ash is also difficult to find and is only available in select lumberyards.
Oak
Oak is commonly used for making furniture and wood crafts. Oak is available in two varieties, white and red, and both are easy to work with. The white oak variety has water resistant features making it perfect for use in the outdoors such as tree houses, outdoor chairs, tables, etc.
Softwoods
Softwood can be easily cut and are less expensive. They can be easily grown in tree farms and have better availability than hardwood. Some of the different types of softwood are:
Cedar
Cedar is one of the most popular softwood and is used by many professional woodworkers. Western red cedar is the most favored one because of its reddish appearance. Besides, this type of cedar does not rot in moisture and is used for building furniture.
Pine
Pine is another type of softwood, which is available in different types such as yellow, sugar, and white. Pine is easy to work with and is therefore mostly used in making furniture.
Fir
Fir is a popular choice for use in wood crafts. Many expert woodworkers favor its distinctive straight grain and reddish tint and use it for different wood craft projects. However, unlike other softwoods, fir can be expensive sometimes.