Noble tree species: oak and beech. The difference between beech and oak Beech and oak trees are typical forests

Wood is widely used by man in various branches of economic activity. The properties of wood of a particular species determine the possibility of its use in a particular production. The final appearance of the product, its quality and durability depend on the correct choice of material.

Wood: hardwood properties

Hardwood is characterized by an expressive structure and almost complete absence of smell. It is felt mainly immediately after the cut, as well as during processing. Most often, wood is used as a finishing and decorative material. There are ring-vascular (oak, ash, elm, etc.) and scattered-vascular hardwoods (birch, beech, walnut, aspen, linden, etc.). They have a different character of the arrangement of vessels in the annual layer. Let us consider in more detail the properties and structure of the wood of some hardwoods.

Oak

Oak wood is distinguished by its expressive structure and beautiful coloration. The breed is sound. It has well-visible annual layers, narrow sapwood, which differs significantly in color from the heartwood, which can be light brown or dark brown.

Oak wood is characterized by high strength and ability to bend. Due to the presence of tannins (in large quantities), it has the greatest resistance to decay compared to all hardwoods.

The properties of oak wood contribute to easy processing of the material, good staining and polishing. Quite widely used for carving, interior decoration and furniture making. Thanks to large vessels, the material is characterized by good bendability without breaking the fibers. The mechanical properties of wood make it possible to use oak for the production of bent furniture.

A valuable material for finishing is which, as a result of a long stay in water, acquires a very high strength and in most cases almost black in color.

Beech

The breed is non-nuclear. The wood has a beautiful texture, white with a yellowish-red tint. The annual layers are clearly visible. Beech wood is similar in some physical and mechanical properties to oak. It is strong, dense, hard, quite easy to bend, cut, processed with varnishes and paints. However, when dried, it tends to warp, and is also unstable to decay, which is why it is practically not used for making furniture.

Beech wood is more in demand in the manufacture of musical instruments, when carrying out some finishing work, in carving, and so on.

Ash

It has a dark brown heartwood and a light yellow wide sapwood with a beautiful grain pattern. Wood is characterized by high strength and toughness. It has a good ability to bend when steaming, is slightly prone to cracking, practically does not warp when dried. Rot resistant.

By value, ash wood is equivalent to Used for furniture and musical instruments. Valuable crafts are made from ash growths (caps).

Birch

The most widely used in industry is warty birch. The breed is non-core, has white wood with a yellowish or reddish tint. It has good strength and toughness. Hardness and density - medium.

The material is easy to work with. It is well cut, drilled, and also easily polished, glued and painted. However, despite all the positive properties of birch wood, there are some of its disadvantages. It is practically unstable to decay, dries out a lot, warps. But this does not affect the demand for this material for finishing work, since the properties of birch wood make it possible to imitate various valuable species. Also, the material is used for the production of a number of other veneer products (blocks, skis, etc.).

Karelian birch wood has a very unusual texture. Broken heart-shaped rays, wavy growth layers and dormant buds in the form of dark stripes combine to give a beautiful mottled surface. The material is used for the manufacture of art products, furniture veneer.

Elm

It has a dark brown heartwood and yellowish white sapwood. The material is strong, hard, dense, viscous. It does not crack or warp during drying. However, due to the too dense structure penetrated by small pores, the processing (in particular, polishing) of this material becomes much more complicated.

Used in carpentry. When steaming, it lends itself well to bending, due to which it is used for the manufacture of curved parts. For turning crafts, the influxes (burls) on the elm are especially valuable.

Walnut

Wood has a rich tonal range, as well as a variety of textures. Color varies from light brownish gray to almost black. When freshly cut, the wood is light-colored, gradually darkening over time. It is characterized by strength, moderate hardness, high resistance to decay. Keeps its shape, does not warp, easy to process. Well polished, cut, glued and impregnated.

It is used mainly in the decoration of premises, furniture, for the manufacture of carved products.

Aspen

During storage in a felled form, aspen wood acquires a white color with a slightly noticeable greenish tint. Heart-shaped rays and annual layers are practically invisible. A distinctive feature of aspen wood is the almost complete absence of knots. It has high resistance to moisture, does not warp, practically does not crack. Aspen is easy to work with. It is soft, pliable, cuts well, pricks, polishes easily, sticks together securely. The disadvantage of aspen is rapid drying.

The properties and structure of wood determine its use for the production of plywood, the manufacture of matches, dishes, toys and other small items.

Alder

The natural color of alder wood varies from white to pale brown. After a log house, as a result of interaction with air, it changes to red-brown in a short time.

Wood is not very durable, it can warp during drying, but it has a number of positive technological properties, as it is characterized by lightness, moderate hygroscopicity and softness. Easy to cut, polish, glue and paint. It has no odor and does not absorb foreign odors. It has a strong resistance to decay, due to which it is often used for equipping wells, as well as pantries. In addition, it is used for carving and finishing work. The physical properties of alder wood allow you to make imitations of some tree species (for example, mahogany and ebony).

Linden

The wood is white with a slight pinkish tinge. Annual rings are practically invisible. It is characterized by a uniform structure and strength. Such properties of linden wood as lightness, softness and toughness make it possible to easily process the material in all directions, both by hand and on. It is well painted, glued, and keeps its shape. The wood is resistant to decay, does not crack or warp during drying.

Due to its strong structure and low deformation, linden is used for the manufacture of large parts of carved furniture. Drawing boards, pencils, utensils, etc. are also made from this material.

Pear

The wood is reddish white or pinkish brown. The younger the tree, the lighter the color. The texture is uniform in density, the core rays and annual rings are barely visible. The material is hard, dense, heavy, characterized by high and also compressive strength. The mechanical properties of pear wood are superior to oak and ash. During the drying process, it practically does not warp or crack. It cuts pretty well in all directions. Easy to polish and paint.

It is often used as a material for decorating furniture, for carving, mosaic work. The physical properties of pear wood make it possible to make imitations of ebony from it.

Apple tree

The wood is pink in color with bright red veins, hard, heavy, rather viscous, has a homogeneous structure. Characterized by high strength and wear resistance. The wood of the apple tree is prone to severe drying and warping, so it is better to use it in a dried form. The material is well polished, polished, painted. When impregnated with drying oil or linseed oil, it acquires a dark brown color. It is used mainly for the manufacture of carving and joinery.

The main properties of coniferous wood

Coniferous wood is characterized by a specific resinous smell, a more clearly manifested macrostructure and greater biostability compared to hardwoods. These properties of wood of various species related to conifers contribute to their widespread use in the construction and production of various consumer goods. Conifers include pine, spruce, larch, yew, fir, cedar and juniper.

Pine

The color of sapwood in pine can be from pale yellow to reddish-yellow, the heartwood - from pink to brownish-red. It is characterized by a rather pronounced striped texture. The core rays are not visible. Annual rings are clearly visible on all sections.

The wood is strong, soft, light, very prickly. Due to the large amount of resin, it is characterized by increased resistance to decay. After drying, it practically does not warp. Easily processed, well sawn and cut, relatively well glued.

The high technological properties of pine wood and its wide distribution make it the most commonly used of all conifers. The material is used in construction (both civil and industrial), in furniture, carpentry and parquet industries. In addition, musical instruments, plywood, barrels, etc. are made from pine.

Spruce

Spruce wood is characterized by softness, lightness, good sharpness. A distinctive feature is the exceptionally uniform distribution of the fibers. The physical and mechanical properties of spruce wood are inferior to pine wood in a number of ways. It has less strength as well as resin content, which makes it not as resistant to precipitation and other weather conditions. Due to the less malleable structure and the large number of knots, spruce wood is more difficult to process.

The material is mainly used in the manufacture of furniture. Stringed instruments (violins in particular) are also made from spruce, since no other tree is capable of giving such a resonance.

Larch

It has a narrow light sapwood and a reddish-brown heartwood. Hard, resilient, resinous, extremely rot-resistant wood. The properties of larch wood, both physical and mechanical, are quite high. Distinctive features of the material are strength and durability. It is also characterized by a high density, which increases significantly with drying (to such an extent that a nail is not hammered into it).

Due to its high physical and mechanical properties, larch is widely used. It is an indispensable material for construction work. Parquet made from larch wood is highly durable and has a very long service life. The beautiful texture and high resistance to warping make it a valuable material in the furniture industry.

Siberian cedar

The wood is pinkish in color with a beautiful grain pattern. Annual rings are clearly visible on all sections. Differs in ease and softness. In terms of technological properties, cedar is inferior to pine, but outperforms spruce. The material is excellent for processing, but not very resistant to decay.

Cedar wood has resonant properties, due to which musical instruments (guitars, harps, pianos) are made from it. In addition, it is used for the manufacture of furniture, in the production of pencils and so on.

Fir

The structure of fir wood is close to that of pine. It is quite strong and dense, easy to process. But it contains few resinous substances, which is why it is characterized by low resistance to decay and requires additional processing.

Fir wood is quite often used in the construction of houses for the production of window and door blocks, flooring. Also, this material is widely used for carving.

Yew

It has a narrow yellowish-white sapwood and a brownish-red heartwood. The annual layers are characterized by a sinuous shape and are clearly visible in all sections. Yew is included in the list of species called "mahogany". Hard, heavy, dense wood. The properties of wood are mostly positive. It has a high resistance to decay. Good in processing, polishing and staining. It is considered one of the best materials used in finishing, turning and carpentry. Burls are very valuable, often formed on yew trunks and used mainly as a finishing material.

Juniper

The wood of the shrub is characterized by a sapwood of a pinkish-white color and a yellowish-brown core. It has wavy annual layers, which are clearly visible on all sections. Heart-shaped rays are not visible.

The wood is strong and heavy. Differs in resistance to decay, almost does not lose in volume during the drying process and practically does not swell when interacting with moisture. The more dry the material, the more beautiful the cut. It lends itself well to processing, polishing and coloring.

The use of the material is somewhat limited due to the small size of the shrub trunks. Most often, juniper wood is used for carving, making decorative items, small crafts, toys, turning products, and so on.

Oak wood has long been considered one of the best among all tree species. Thanks to its unique characteristics, among which durability, strength and reliability can be noted, it has gained fame on all continents. At the same time, among hundreds of varieties of oak, Russian-European species are rightfully considered the best, the advantages and features of which will be discussed in this article.

Features of oak products

Strength, hardness and durability are the hallmarks of oak products. The history itself speaks about the reliability of this wood - many medieval household items made of oak have survived to this day in almost perfect condition. Long service life is due not only to the qualities of the wood itself, but also to its proper processing. By varnishing oak products, you can protect them from the harmful effects of moisture, cracking and fading, which will allow them to last for more than a dozen years.

Beautiful appearance and versatility. Oak has a stunning noble texture. At the same time, it is not extravagant, which allows products made from this type of wood to organically fit into any interior - whether it is a bench in the garden or furniture for the living room. In addition, due to the absence of a shortage of oak, it is easier to pick up various interior items from this tree that are similar in appearance than when using rare wood species.

Ease of production and processing. Oak wood lends itself well to processing, lends itself well to painting and varnishing. And the smooth surface of the wood allows you to accurately carve, creating real masterpieces.

Good energy. In rooms with oak interiors, a favorable atmosphere is created, harmony and tranquility reign in them.

Profitable investment. The durability of oak products and their rich appearance can turn oak interior items into an investment. With proper operation, such things can last for decades without changing their appearance and only increasing their own value.

Differences between oak and other types of wood

In the world there are a huge number of tree species that faithfully serve man. There is a lot of exclusive wood, much more expensive than our usual oak. But despite this, oak has always been and remains today the real king of trees, which is not difficult to verify by comparing it with some popular wood species.

Beech

Beech is also one of the most popular types of wood in the production of interior items. Nevertheless, in terms of quality characteristics - durability, strength, hardness - he still cannot get around his main competitor. And although these two types of wood do not differ too much in terms of density, beech has one very serious drawback. This tree is able to accumulate moisture, as a result of which the product can be significantly deformed. In addition, beech is susceptible to mold and fungus (especially if beech products are installed outside), which also significantly reduces its value.

Ash

Often among the interior items there are products made of ash, which is also read as a valuable wood species. However, like beech, it is inferior to oak in terms of moisture resistance. Ash in rooms with a high level of humidity can be deformed and become unusable.

Pine

Pine wood, often used in the production of interior items, is significantly inferior in terms of characteristics to oak due to its low level of hardness (which leads to scratches and chips on the product over time). In addition, such products are heterogeneous in structure and density and may begin to darken over the years.

Alder

Alder in some cases - for example, in exterior decoration - may rot. In addition, this wood is quite capricious when processed, it does not have elasticity and strength. So, it cannot be considered a better choice for the manufacture of interior items than oak.

Red tree

Of course, products made of mahogany (as a group of tropical tree species with a characteristic color is generally called) look extremely impressive and are deservedly considered luxury items. However, in some cases, oak wins over them. In particular, in financial terms: after all, with the same level of quality, the price of oak wood is significantly lower than that of mahogany. In addition, traditional oak is much more versatile than rare woods and is much easier to fit into any interior.

Oak wood has always been associated with the concept of strength, power, health. The oak tree itself is a majestic picture. Its wood is dense, hard, heavy and has high strength. It is also characterized by resistance to moisture, decay and various fungi.

The wood is porous with a beautiful texture. The color is brown or yellowish brown. The sapwood part of oak wood has a light yellow color. From time to time, the color of its wood darkens, which, however, gives it a more noble appearance.

Oak is a perennial tree, more than a century old is not the limit for it. The height of the oak reaches 30 meters, and the diameter is from 1.2 to 1.8 m. Oaks growing in forests are characterized by the presence of a straight trunk without knots up to 15 meters high.

Wood density: about 700 kg/m3. Hardness: 3.7 - 3.9 Brinell.

Influence of growing conditions on wood properties

If we compare the properties of wood from trees grown in different natural conditions, we can notice significant differences. The worse the soil on which the oak grows, the better its wood. That is why oak wood from the northern regions is more valued.

So, oak, which grows in oak forests on sandy soils, has a thick dark-colored bark, and its wood is painted in a light straw color. The hardness of the wood of such oaks is high, but it lacks elasticity.

If an oak grows near water, for example, on the banks of a river or stream, or among alder bogs, then it is called lead, water, iron or ols oak. It differs from its counterparts in a straight trunk and a dense crown. The bark is leathery, spotty. Its color is light gray with a bluish tint. The wood has a pink tint, the layers are large. Elasticity is very good, but when dried, it has a tendency to crack. Unusually heavy.

Intermediate varieties of trees that grow in places located between oak forests and alder bogs have average values ​​of elasticity in their qualities, and are lower in hardness than those of upland and ols. The bark of such oaks is thick, its color is brownish-gray. Often in the butt part of these trees there are hollows, and the top part of the trunks is dry.

Where is oak wood used?

Summer oak wood is widely used in construction, and its moisture resistance properties make it possible to use it in underwater structures or in the hulls of wooden floating craft. It is also good for making souvenir crafts.

Winter wood is used in carpentry, furniture and parquet production. Oak wood is not the best option, as the coal cools quickly. And to maintain combustion, you need good traction. Yes, and it is a pity to use such valuable wood as fuel, unless waste from other industries can be used for firewood.

Features of working with oak wood

Drying of oak wood should be carried out in natural conditions. It is not recommended to try to speed up this process as this may lead to cracking.

Stained oak wood takes on a dark purple hue

In order for the wood to acquire a decorative look, staining is used - for oak, this is done by keeping it in water for several years. After such an exposure, the color of the wood becomes dark purple and silky. Hardness from long soaking only increases, although it becomes more brittle.

When working with oak wood, it should be remembered that it does not like alcohol varnishes, and polishing is useless due to its high porosity.

Oak wood does not like oils - they form ugly spots on its surface. This wood does not need staining, because it has a beautiful natural texture and color. To finish, it is enough to cover the surface of the product with a transparent varnish, preferably one that dries quickly.

For construction purposes, it is better to use wood with a large width of annual rings. This wood is highly resistant to wear. For the manufacture of furniture, souvenir crafts, wooden sculptures and chiseled products, lighter and softer wood with narrow annual rings is better suited.

(lat. Fágus) - a genus of deciduous trees of the Beech family. The beech family (Fagaceae) is one of the most common families of dicotyledonous deciduous and evergreen trees in the world, rarely shrubs. The family contains 8 genera and about 100 species. The most famous in the Northern Hemisphere are 3 species - beech, oak and chestnut. All of them are valuable forest-forming and mountain-reinforcing rocks.

Beech (Fagus) is the second most common and valuable genus of the beech family after oak. These are monoecious deciduous trees, slender, columnar, 45-50 m high, with a trunk diameter of up to 2 m. The crown is wide-cylindrical or ovoid. The bark is smooth, gray, hardens and becomes brittle with age. In forest plantations, trunks acquire characteristic spotting due to the development of lichens on them. During the growing season, beech consumes up to 400 liters of water per day. Every day it releases up to 5 kg of oxygen into the atmosphere and absorbs up to 6 kg of carbon dioxide. Thus, the beech purifies up to 20 m3 of air daily. The leaves are elliptical, lowered from below, dark green in summer, turning straw yellow or bronze in autumn. The number of leaves in the crown for plants over 100 years old is 200 thousand. Such a beech covers an area up to 100 m2. Flowering begins at the same time as the leaves bloom, the flowers are pollinated by the wind.

Beeches grow up to 350 years, most intensively at the age of 40-100 years. Life expectancy is over 500 years. Refers to wind-resistant breeds.

Beech forests (beech forests) - a plantation with a predominance of beech in the stands. These forests are common in the countries of Western Europe and in the southern regions of Scandinavia, in the east of the Balkan Peninsula, in the northern part of Turkey and Iran, in the USA, Japan and China. Beech forests are concentrated in mountainous regions, where they occur in various altitudinal zones; on rich burozems, the timber stock reaches 1000 m3/ha.

beech wood

Beech is a scattered vascular non-nuclear ripe wood species. Beech wood is white with a yellowish or reddish tinge. The annual layers are clearly visible. The core rays are wide, on the radial section they look like shiny stripes, and on the tangential section they look like brown lenticels, creating a characteristic mottled pattern. Older trees sometimes have reddish-brown mature wood ("red core"). This does not affect the quality of the wood; on the contrary, such trees are especially valued by cabinetmakers, but they are quite rare. Beech wood, steamed in a special way, takes on a more pronounced red-brown color.

Beech has a characteristic rich structure due to well-marked annual rings and a developed system of core rays, colored darker than the base wood.
Macrostructure indicators

Beech belongs to the species with high uniform density. The number of annual layers per 1 cm of the cross section of the forest beech is 4.5 and the percentage of late wood is 30%. The microroughnesses remaining after processing the surface of beech wood, like many other scattered vascular species, are 30-100 microns, which is approximately two times lower than that of oak.

Freshly cut beech wood has a moisture content of about 80%. The maximum humidity at water absorption - 120%. Beech, like oak, is a highly drying species. Beech wood is less prone to warping and cracking during the drying process than oak wood. Beech belongs to the species of medium density. The density of beech wood is 670 kgm3. Hardness (according to Brinell) 3.7 - 3.9.

The air permeability of beech is more than an order of magnitude higher than that of oak core wood. In terms of strength properties, beech wood is practically not inferior to oak.

In terms of long-term resistance to deformations, beech is practically not inferior to oak, as well as in another indicator - the ability to hold fasteners. Beech has, perhaps, the highest bending ability, which was widely used in the production of bent furniture. In terms of resistance to rotting (biological damage), beech (ripe wood) is classified as medium-resistant species (it is noticeably inferior to heartwood of pine and, especially, oak), and sapwood is classified as low-resistant. Compared to oak, beech wood is lighter and more often affected by fungi, more actively absorbs moisture from the air. This explains the limitations placed on the use of beech for the exterior of houses. Beech wood is well processed, perfectly finished, accepts various paints and varnishes, stains and stains.

Application of beech wood

Beech wood has always been valued by furniture makers for its rich texture and good workability. However, the Austrian furniture maker Michael Thonet provided the greatest popularity to beech products. His bent Viennese chair (chair no. 14), made mainly of beech, set a record that is unlikely to ever be broken. Over the period from the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the First World War, over 50 million pieces of such chairs were produced around the world.

Elegant beech parquet gives the room a discreet and noble atmosphere. A light pinkish tint evokes feelings of warmth. The simple and noble structure of this flooring is the perfect finishing touch to any interior. True, there are some peculiarities. The color scheme of beech wood is quite diverse - from pink to white. To remove this coloration and give the wood a more uniform shade, as well as make it more stable, beech requires pre-steaming. If this is not done, the texture of the wood will be very colorful. In time, this procedure takes about three days.

Due to its high wear resistance, beech is widely used for the manufacture of wooden stairs. The pleasant warm tone of beech wood is the reason why it is often used for separate small items: tool handles, etc. From Beech, excellent sliced ​​veneer is obtained, especially from large assortments, and it is used for finishing. Barrels are also made of beech (albeit less often than oak), mainly due to its strength and ability to bend easily. Beech is also used to produce high-quality charcoal and a number of forest chemistry products.

It is well known about the use of beech chips in brewing a well-known brand of beer. Budweiser.