List of Softwoods for Building a Pirate Ship Playhouse Part 2
PINE (JACK) SOFTWOOD
As with many of the pines, this species is known by several common names, including "scrub,'' "grey,” and "black pine." The timber of jack pine has clearly distinguishable white sapwood, which sometimes comprises half the tree. The heartwood is light brown or orange. It is rather coarse in texture, somewhat resinous, and relatively light in weight.
Jack pine is low in many strength categories—bending, compression, stiffness, and shock resistance. It is often knotty, but dries well with little shrinkage. Principally it is used for pulpwood, fuel, and packaging. Is Jack pine good enough to be utilized for putting together a pirate ship playhouse? Yes it works just fine!
PINE (PITCH) SOFTWOOD
Pitch pine is the heaviest softwood used commercially. It includes several species that produce some of the heaviest and strongest pine timber. Pitch pine is highly resinous. Its yellow sapwood is easily distinguished from the red- brown heartwood and growth rings are very evident, each clearly marked by a band of darker, dense latewood or summerwood. (Latewood is produced by the tree for structural support after it has added its new layer of springwood.)
Pitch pine dries slowly and will sometimes split. It is moderately hard, strong, and stiff with good shock resistance, and it is fairly durable. Pitch pine is rather hard to work and the resin may be troublesome, as it tends to build up on tools. Pitch pine is used in industrial construction and is a traditional wood for school desks and church furniture, where its strength and hardness ensure long wear.
PINE (PONDEROSA) SOFTWOOD
A very large tree, the ponderosa pine grows quickly and has been known to live over seven hundred years. Other common names include "bull pine” and "black jack” (common in western states). Ponderosa is of the yellow pine group, but looks somewhat like the white pines. The heartwood is a light red-brown and the wide sapwood is nearly white, tending to pale yellow. It has straight grain and uniform texture. When knots are present, they are generally in groups with knot-free timber in between, as this is a characteristic branching pattern of pines in general.
Ponderosa will give off a strong turpentine-like smell when first cut, but this fades. It dries well with little shrinkage, is moderately light, quite soft, and is rather low in strength and stiffness. It also has low shock resistance. If you want your DIY pirate ship playhouse to be able to sustain some aggressive playtime from your child and his friends, then you will need to mix ponderosa pine with a durable hardwood such as elm.
Having said that, ponderosa pine is one of the most important timbers in the West for general building purposes. It must be treated for outdoor use, but this can be done successfully. Veneers are often rotary cut, revealing a flame pattern with groups of round reddish brown or black knots, and are used for traditional pine paneling.
PINE (RED) SOFTWOOD
Red pine is also known as "Norway pine" and is sometimes grouped with white pine in commercial sale. The heartwood of red pine is pale red to red-brown and the sapwood is almost white with a yellow tinge. The growth rings are quite distinct and it is straight grained for the most part. The texture is not as even as in Eastern white pine and the wood is somewhat resinous.
Red pine is moderately heavy and moderately soft. It falls in the medium range of strength, stiffness, and shock resistance. It dries fairly well, but shrinks considerably, and, after seasoning, it is stable in use. Red pine is used in flooring and siding plus a variety of general construction purposes.
PINE (SCOTS) SOFTWOOD
Often called "redwood,” because of the reddish heartwood, Scots pine has a very broad range throughout Europe, Asia, Scandinavia, Russia, Poland, and Japan. The growth rings are generally well marked, but the nature of the wood varies considerably depending on its source. Slow-grown trees (such as the northern Russian stock) produce fine-textured, dense wood.
The timber, in general, is mildly resinous and often knotty. Light in weight compared to most hardwoods, it would be considered of medium weight for a softwood. It is stable in use after seasoning and has good strength for its weight. It works well and finishes nicely, but is not naturally durable. Scots pine is generally used for house building and, occasionally, for furniture. It is an important pulpwood for wrapping paper.
PINE (SOUTHERN YELLOW) SOFTWOOD
Four pine species are grouped commercially under the heading of Southern yellow pine. These are longleaf (P. polustris), shortleaf (P. enchata), Loblolly (P. taeda) and slash (P. elliottii). These are among the heaviest and hardest of the pines and thus the preferred timbers for most uses.
The sapwood of the Western yellow pine is a yellowish white, the heartwood, a reddish brown. The growth rings are quite distinct and characterized by a band of dense latewood. The wood is heavy, strong, and stiff. It is hard and moderately high in shock
Shrinkage can be high upon drying, but the resulting timber is stable in use. The wood is not naturally durable and must be preserved for outdoor uses. Southern yellow pine is most generally used in construction and furniture. Lower-grade timber has a variety of uses in rough carpentry and packaging, where strength requirements are lower.
PINE (SUGAR) SOFTWOOD
Found along the western coast of the United States, sugar pine is also known as "California pine." Its heartwood is buff-colored to light or reddish brown and the sapwood is creamy. It is straight grained and has a fairly uniform texture.
Sugar pine is easy to work. It saws well and is easy to nail, it dries well with very little shrinkage, and it is quite stable, staying in place well after seasoning. It is a light wood, low in strength, and moderately soft; stiffness and shock resistance are rated low.
Sugar pine is used extensively for lumber because it can be milled in large pieces of very good quality. Since it is so easy to saw and nail, it is a favorite for interior carpentry and can be found throughout an average house wherever great strength is not required. So you can use it for constructing a pirate ship playhouse– or any other type of playhouse for that matter—but you definitely need to add other types of woods as well or else, the playhouse won’t be able to last very long.
SEQUOIA SOFTWOOD
Often called "redwood” for its distinctly reddish color, this timber comes from one of the tallest of all trees and grows only in California. It is closely related to the giant sequoia, which grows to mammoth proportions and is now a protected species.
The reddish brown wood is typically straight grained and non-resinous with a clearly marked growth-ring figure. The wood is lightweight but firm and is moderately strong and stiff. It dries well and is stable in use. Noted for its decay resistance, sequoia works easily and takes an excellent finish, provided it is worked with very sharp tools. It also splits particularly well.
Stable and durable, redwood is used for any number of uses, including fencing and garden furniture. It is excellent for window and door construction and other joinery.
SPRUCE SOFTWOOD
Second to pine in commercial softwoods, spruce is particularly important in North America, where it abounds in coniferous forests. In Europe, it is known as 11 white wood.”
Spruce is a wood of high natural luster, almost white in color. Some wood is pinkish, notably that of the Western Sitka spruce. It is straight grained with moderately fine and even texture. It dries fast and consistently and has good strength (this is especially true of Sitka), works easily, finishes well, and is less resinous than the pines. Spruce is not decay resistant.
Spruce is used as a structural wood and for interior joinery. It is important as a pulp wood, especially for newsprint because of its white color. Special uses for selected wood include the fronts of violins and piano soundboards. Veneers are used for core material in various plywoods.
TAMARACK SOFTWOOD
Tamarack, also known as "larch,” is unique among the softwoods because it sheds its leaves in the winter. Tamarack sapwood is whitish and the heartwood is usually yellow-brown to rust-brown. It is a coarse-textured wood with growth rings well defined by the distinct contrast between early and latewood.
Quite dense and heavy, the wood is considered moderate in most strength properties. It is notably tough and somewhat resistant to decay. It may distort in drying, but is stable in use. While not difficult to work, care must be taken where knots are present, especially in the finishing process.
Tamarack is a good choice for outdoor use and is traditional for fishing-boat construction. It is used as an estate wood and for general construction and packaging purposes. In the round it is used as pole and post stock.
YEW SOFTWOOD
This beautiful wood is very slowly grown and is one of the heaviest of the softwoods. When first cut, the wood is reddish, but it turns brown with long exposure. Growth rings are evident, though not well marked, and the texture is very fine and even. Irregular grain often makes the wood especially decorative.
Yew dries well and fairly rapidly. It is strong and has almost the hardness of oak. The wood is particularly resistant to splitting and is known for its resilience—it is one of the few softwoods that can be steam bent. Yew works well, turns well, and is durable. Care is needed in finishing because of the irregularities in grain, but a smooth surface can be achieved. I would like to add that I did use several planks of yew to build my son’s pirate ship playhouse. I like the results, so I can’t recommend it enough.
Anyway, a traditional use of yew is in archers’ bows, where its strength and suppleness are important. It is also a fine furniture wood, and veneers are used for various decorative purposes.
Yew dries well and fairly rapidly. It is strong and has almost the hardness of oak. The wood is particularly resistant to splitting and is known for its resilience—it is one of the few softwoods that can be steam bent. Yew works well, turns well, and is durable. Care is needed in finishing because of the irregularities in grain, but a smooth surface can be achieved. I would like to add that I did use several planks of yew to build my son’s pirate ship playhouse. I like the results, so I can’t recommend it enough.
Anyway, a traditional use of yew is in archers’ bows, where its strength and suppleness are important. It is also a fine furniture wood, and veneers are used for various decorative purposes.