What You Need To Know About Woods for Making Playhouses
Wood is the most variable and adaptable raw material available and is used for a wide range of purposes. Modem technology has made available many alternatives, from plastics and metals to concrete and earthenware, yet timber continues to hold its own.
Each and every piece of wood you choose for your pirate ship playhouse-making project brings with it a hint of the faraway forest where it grew.
Each and every piece of wood you choose for your pirate ship playhouse-making project brings with it a hint of the faraway forest where it grew.
The rainfall that nurtured it, the condition of the soil, the movement of the sun, the amount of light it received, the proximity of surrounding trees, its preparation by the woodsman's ax, and the subsequent milling; all these features contribute to the ultimate transformation of a once living tree into an object we use and treasure.
Though hard and durable enough for everyday wear and abuse, wood is somehow sympathetic to our needs, especially in the playhouse-making process. It does not present the sharp or harsh edges of metal, glass, or concrete, and, with the exception of an occasional splinter, you are unlikely to hurt yourself on any piece of wood.
Its open network of air-filled cells and fibers makes it a poor conductor of heat, yet wooden objects are never cold to the touch. When treated with care and concern, they yield an unrivaled beauty not found in any other material.
Regardless of region, each variety of tree produces a different structure of cells in its timber. This only becomes visible under the microscope, but this variety of structure results in surface patterns, colors, textures, and lusters that the eye can easily detect and in qualities of weight and hardness that are readily recognizable.
Though each pattern is constant for that kind of tree, it can be expressed in different ways in individual trees and even within different parts of the same tree. The method you choose to cut, shape, and finish each wooden playhouse you make will also give, quite literally, a particular slant on its structure.
Due to the variability in all natural materials, no playhouses presented on this site could be reproduced solely for its individual grain feature or specific markings. No two pieces of wood are exactly alike. This is what makes wood fascinating, especially the more exotic types—patterns and properties peculiar to each piece. Wood identification and selection can be a bit tricky. No wonder. With the vast array of woods from which we can choose the selection seems to be infinite.
Fortunately, the factors that are often critical to wood choice—stress, length, expansion and contraction of fibers, durability under excessive wear and tear, and costs based on availability—are not so critical in wooden playhouse-making. The descriptions of woods used in some of the playhouse building projects mentioned on this site will help to eliminate some of the guesswork in the wood choices you'll have to make.
For our purposes the differences between African Mahogany and Honduras Mahogany or ash and aspen are slight if not negligible. For the discriminating woodworker, however, these differences will be noted. They may be considered especially important if a variety of woods are chosen that closely resemble one another in grain and color.
Color distinctions and differences between sapwood (the newly grown layer of wood just beneath the bark) and heartwood (the older wood at the center of the tree) are important details to notice when differentiating one wood from another. However, color is not the only means.
Rings, pores, grain, hardness, and weight may also help to establish the identity of woods if striking color characteristics are not evident. To assist in your choice of woods consult the list in this section (given alphabetically by wood name) and read over the particular features of each wood. Then check for its availability from your wood source or from numerous websites available out there.
Feel comfortable in selecting your wood based on surface appearances, such as color, texture, etc. In time, as your projects take shape, you will develop a like or dislike for certain woods, but be open to including new and different woods as they become available.
You will find that -woods, like so many other raw goods, will have "dry spells'1 or will experience "runs,'' during which times they will be purchased quickly by woodworking enthusiasts. Many of the more exotic and rare woods are sold by weight rather than linear feet, owing to their scarcity and exorbitant cost.
Though hard and durable enough for everyday wear and abuse, wood is somehow sympathetic to our needs, especially in the playhouse-making process. It does not present the sharp or harsh edges of metal, glass, or concrete, and, with the exception of an occasional splinter, you are unlikely to hurt yourself on any piece of wood.
Its open network of air-filled cells and fibers makes it a poor conductor of heat, yet wooden objects are never cold to the touch. When treated with care and concern, they yield an unrivaled beauty not found in any other material.
Regardless of region, each variety of tree produces a different structure of cells in its timber. This only becomes visible under the microscope, but this variety of structure results in surface patterns, colors, textures, and lusters that the eye can easily detect and in qualities of weight and hardness that are readily recognizable.
Though each pattern is constant for that kind of tree, it can be expressed in different ways in individual trees and even within different parts of the same tree. The method you choose to cut, shape, and finish each wooden playhouse you make will also give, quite literally, a particular slant on its structure.
Due to the variability in all natural materials, no playhouses presented on this site could be reproduced solely for its individual grain feature or specific markings. No two pieces of wood are exactly alike. This is what makes wood fascinating, especially the more exotic types—patterns and properties peculiar to each piece. Wood identification and selection can be a bit tricky. No wonder. With the vast array of woods from which we can choose the selection seems to be infinite.
Fortunately, the factors that are often critical to wood choice—stress, length, expansion and contraction of fibers, durability under excessive wear and tear, and costs based on availability—are not so critical in wooden playhouse-making. The descriptions of woods used in some of the playhouse building projects mentioned on this site will help to eliminate some of the guesswork in the wood choices you'll have to make.
For our purposes the differences between African Mahogany and Honduras Mahogany or ash and aspen are slight if not negligible. For the discriminating woodworker, however, these differences will be noted. They may be considered especially important if a variety of woods are chosen that closely resemble one another in grain and color.
Color distinctions and differences between sapwood (the newly grown layer of wood just beneath the bark) and heartwood (the older wood at the center of the tree) are important details to notice when differentiating one wood from another. However, color is not the only means.
Rings, pores, grain, hardness, and weight may also help to establish the identity of woods if striking color characteristics are not evident. To assist in your choice of woods consult the list in this section (given alphabetically by wood name) and read over the particular features of each wood. Then check for its availability from your wood source or from numerous websites available out there.
Feel comfortable in selecting your wood based on surface appearances, such as color, texture, etc. In time, as your projects take shape, you will develop a like or dislike for certain woods, but be open to including new and different woods as they become available.
You will find that -woods, like so many other raw goods, will have "dry spells'1 or will experience "runs,'' during which times they will be purchased quickly by woodworking enthusiasts. Many of the more exotic and rare woods are sold by weight rather than linear feet, owing to their scarcity and exorbitant cost.
If you need a small piece of wood for plugs or accents in the playhouse, this hardly necessitates the buying of a linear foot, which could conceivably be ten times the cost and amount of wood called for at one time.
There are wood suppliers who will not sell small pieces by weight, so it is often necessary to call or correspond with someone in charge before contemplating a purchase. Most kinds of wood are possible to identify by their general appearance. In the technical identification of wood, specific differences can be pointed out.
Some woods, such as black walnut, ebony, padouk, and purpleheart, can be identified by their color, which is plainly obvious; others, such as Douglas fir, cypress, and the cedars, can be distinguished by their odor.
Also, many woods have a pronounced difference in color between sapwood (from the newer wood layers under the bark) and heartwood (from the core of the tree), whereas in other woods there is no such difference.
The color of wood is not always vivid. In fact, woods with vivid color are in a small minority. Wood color is directly linked to the presence of infiltrated compounds in the cell walls and the concavities of their linings. From ash to ebony, the range is immense and offers to the woodworker enormous selection.
Wood charts composed of actual specimens are usually on display at well-stocked lumberyards. If you plan on ordering wood, it is suggested that you consult What Wood Is Thatl by Herbert Edlin, at your local library. It includes actual samples of woods.
If possible, it is always better to go to the source so you can carefully examine the wood before you buy. Knots, pinworm holes, bird pecks, decay in isolated pockets, bird's-eyes, mineral streaks, swirls in grain, and ingrown bark may appear as you work the wood and are usually undesirable if a relatively smooth and uninterrupted project is to result from your finishing efforts.
These flaws or irregularities may be desirable from a decorative stand-point, but are objectionable for fine, detailed work. Although one of the basic themes underlying many of the playhouse construction projects on this site is the use and finishing of the more exotic species of woods, you would do well to consider using scraps or wood from discarded furniture and other objects before investing in new wood.
Logs can be secured from tree surgeons, gardeners, the scrap bins in mill yards, and occasionally from the Forestry Service. They will earmark certain felled trees that can be had gratis provided that you do the sawing and hauling. Salvage companies often keep on hand a large variety of wood turnings, laminated beams, and old wood fittings for the person interested in designing objects or features within the home.
Search for secondhand furniture that has been painted, and, if possible, attempt to identify the wood used in its construction. A small end table might yield a bountiful amount of mahogany, bird's-eye oak, or maple wood and can be had for a few dollars, especially if the piece is somewhat rickety or of dubious value.
Solid- core doors, wood window casements, balustrades, railings, and thick counter tops from old hotels, stores, and demolished homes may prove useful and well worth the effort. Whether you are purchasing new wood or using found scraps, there are certain facts you need to know before you can make intelligent selections.
Firstly, there are two general groups of trees--hardwoods and softwoods. The terms "hardwood" and "softwood” refer to the botanical origins of woods and not necessarily to their densities or physical hardnesses.
Sap conduction, physical support, and food storage are carried out by cells which constitute a part of the physical makeup of the tree. In general, softwoods have a simpler structure and more consistent overall appearance than hardwoods.
In softwoods, the conduction of sap (a fluid that circulates through the plant, bearing water, food, and essential nutrients) is carried out by thin-walled cells; in hardwoods it is done by vessels. The tree adds a new layer of sap-conducting cells each year, usually in the spring when rapid growth occurs. This layer, a part of each annual ring, is called "springwood.”
The physical support in softwoods is made possible by thick-walled cells; in hardwoods it is by fibers. Softwood cells tend to be longer than hardwood fibers. After the spring wood growth, the tree produces a layer of cells or fibers for support called "latewood” or "summerwood."
Latewood appears on the outer edge of each annual ring and is often darker or denser than the springwood. In some varieties of hardwoods the spring and summer woods are not distinctly separated. This quality is called "diffuse porous.” In "ring-porous” hardwood the springwood is concentrated in a visible band of large pores.
As a general rule, softwoods are softer and easier to work than hardwoods, which are harder and stronger. But there are exceptions in both groups. For example, yellow pine, a softwood, is harder than Philippine mahogany, a hardwood. Softwoods come from cone-bearing trees that often have evergreen needlelike leaves.
Hardwoods come from broad-leaved trees, either evergreen or deciduous (those which shed leaves annually). In both hardwoods and softwoods, storage of food occurs in small boxlike cells arranged in horizontal bands (called "rays"), which run from the center of the tree outward at right angles to the annual rings.
Where the rays are large, as in oak and beech, they give a characteristic "figure” on cut surfaces that can be considered beforehand by the woodworker in determining how the wood is to be cut and, eventually, finished. Hardwoods have more obvious rays than softwoods where rays are often indistinguishable to the naked eye.
Terms used in the description of wood are often applied rather loosely. “Grain/' for example, can refer to the size of the pores or the direction of the fibers ("straight/' ''curly/' etc.). For the purposes of this site, we will use the following definitions: "Grain" of the wood indicates the direction and nature of the fibers. These can be straight and consistent, or irregular with curves or distortions.
Generally, woods with straight grain are easier to handle, but irregular grain can add interest and individuality to the finished piece. "Texture” refers to the overall surface of the wood. If it has large pores or holes, it is "coarse" and if the pores are small, it is "fine.''
Uniform texture means that the surface is fairly even with pores being similar in size and evenly distributed. "Stability" pertains to the wood's ability to remain the same size and shape once it has been properly dried. A wood which is not stable will absorb moisture in humid conditions and swell.
"Durability" refers to the chemical composition of the wood and its ability to resist rot and fungi. Durable woods can be used outdoors without treating them with preservatives. Durability is also critical for playhouses that will be used indoors.
The selection of woods is a difficult one, especially when there is a vast array of woods before you from which you are to select the few that are to harmoniously blend and enhance the playhouse and complement the other woods. Some woods, notably pine, fir, and white cedar, exhibit something less than their more exotic counterparts, ebony, zebrawood, teak, lignum vitae, and tulipwood.
However, these should not be overlooked because of their plain appearance, but used for their simple and unaffected features. Many fine utensils, vessels, and objects of universal use, venerated by craftsmen and laymen alike, are made from the more available woods for the very reasons that they are within reach and do the job well.
There are wood suppliers who will not sell small pieces by weight, so it is often necessary to call or correspond with someone in charge before contemplating a purchase. Most kinds of wood are possible to identify by their general appearance. In the technical identification of wood, specific differences can be pointed out.
Some woods, such as black walnut, ebony, padouk, and purpleheart, can be identified by their color, which is plainly obvious; others, such as Douglas fir, cypress, and the cedars, can be distinguished by their odor.
Also, many woods have a pronounced difference in color between sapwood (from the newer wood layers under the bark) and heartwood (from the core of the tree), whereas in other woods there is no such difference.
The color of wood is not always vivid. In fact, woods with vivid color are in a small minority. Wood color is directly linked to the presence of infiltrated compounds in the cell walls and the concavities of their linings. From ash to ebony, the range is immense and offers to the woodworker enormous selection.
Wood charts composed of actual specimens are usually on display at well-stocked lumberyards. If you plan on ordering wood, it is suggested that you consult What Wood Is Thatl by Herbert Edlin, at your local library. It includes actual samples of woods.
If possible, it is always better to go to the source so you can carefully examine the wood before you buy. Knots, pinworm holes, bird pecks, decay in isolated pockets, bird's-eyes, mineral streaks, swirls in grain, and ingrown bark may appear as you work the wood and are usually undesirable if a relatively smooth and uninterrupted project is to result from your finishing efforts.
These flaws or irregularities may be desirable from a decorative stand-point, but are objectionable for fine, detailed work. Although one of the basic themes underlying many of the playhouse construction projects on this site is the use and finishing of the more exotic species of woods, you would do well to consider using scraps or wood from discarded furniture and other objects before investing in new wood.
Logs can be secured from tree surgeons, gardeners, the scrap bins in mill yards, and occasionally from the Forestry Service. They will earmark certain felled trees that can be had gratis provided that you do the sawing and hauling. Salvage companies often keep on hand a large variety of wood turnings, laminated beams, and old wood fittings for the person interested in designing objects or features within the home.
Search for secondhand furniture that has been painted, and, if possible, attempt to identify the wood used in its construction. A small end table might yield a bountiful amount of mahogany, bird's-eye oak, or maple wood and can be had for a few dollars, especially if the piece is somewhat rickety or of dubious value.
Solid- core doors, wood window casements, balustrades, railings, and thick counter tops from old hotels, stores, and demolished homes may prove useful and well worth the effort. Whether you are purchasing new wood or using found scraps, there are certain facts you need to know before you can make intelligent selections.
Firstly, there are two general groups of trees--hardwoods and softwoods. The terms "hardwood" and "softwood” refer to the botanical origins of woods and not necessarily to their densities or physical hardnesses.
Sap conduction, physical support, and food storage are carried out by cells which constitute a part of the physical makeup of the tree. In general, softwoods have a simpler structure and more consistent overall appearance than hardwoods.
In softwoods, the conduction of sap (a fluid that circulates through the plant, bearing water, food, and essential nutrients) is carried out by thin-walled cells; in hardwoods it is done by vessels. The tree adds a new layer of sap-conducting cells each year, usually in the spring when rapid growth occurs. This layer, a part of each annual ring, is called "springwood.”
The physical support in softwoods is made possible by thick-walled cells; in hardwoods it is by fibers. Softwood cells tend to be longer than hardwood fibers. After the spring wood growth, the tree produces a layer of cells or fibers for support called "latewood” or "summerwood."
Latewood appears on the outer edge of each annual ring and is often darker or denser than the springwood. In some varieties of hardwoods the spring and summer woods are not distinctly separated. This quality is called "diffuse porous.” In "ring-porous” hardwood the springwood is concentrated in a visible band of large pores.
As a general rule, softwoods are softer and easier to work than hardwoods, which are harder and stronger. But there are exceptions in both groups. For example, yellow pine, a softwood, is harder than Philippine mahogany, a hardwood. Softwoods come from cone-bearing trees that often have evergreen needlelike leaves.
Hardwoods come from broad-leaved trees, either evergreen or deciduous (those which shed leaves annually). In both hardwoods and softwoods, storage of food occurs in small boxlike cells arranged in horizontal bands (called "rays"), which run from the center of the tree outward at right angles to the annual rings.
Where the rays are large, as in oak and beech, they give a characteristic "figure” on cut surfaces that can be considered beforehand by the woodworker in determining how the wood is to be cut and, eventually, finished. Hardwoods have more obvious rays than softwoods where rays are often indistinguishable to the naked eye.
Terms used in the description of wood are often applied rather loosely. “Grain/' for example, can refer to the size of the pores or the direction of the fibers ("straight/' ''curly/' etc.). For the purposes of this site, we will use the following definitions: "Grain" of the wood indicates the direction and nature of the fibers. These can be straight and consistent, or irregular with curves or distortions.
Generally, woods with straight grain are easier to handle, but irregular grain can add interest and individuality to the finished piece. "Texture” refers to the overall surface of the wood. If it has large pores or holes, it is "coarse" and if the pores are small, it is "fine.''
Uniform texture means that the surface is fairly even with pores being similar in size and evenly distributed. "Stability" pertains to the wood's ability to remain the same size and shape once it has been properly dried. A wood which is not stable will absorb moisture in humid conditions and swell.
"Durability" refers to the chemical composition of the wood and its ability to resist rot and fungi. Durable woods can be used outdoors without treating them with preservatives. Durability is also critical for playhouses that will be used indoors.
The selection of woods is a difficult one, especially when there is a vast array of woods before you from which you are to select the few that are to harmoniously blend and enhance the playhouse and complement the other woods. Some woods, notably pine, fir, and white cedar, exhibit something less than their more exotic counterparts, ebony, zebrawood, teak, lignum vitae, and tulipwood.
However, these should not be overlooked because of their plain appearance, but used for their simple and unaffected features. Many fine utensils, vessels, and objects of universal use, venerated by craftsmen and laymen alike, are made from the more available woods for the very reasons that they are within reach and do the job well.
Bamboo, the most universal of all woods, is used in the making of tools, fences, bowls, houses, boats, and even scaffolding more than any other wood of the world. It possesses a low profile when compared to rare wood, which has many of the visual qualities that bamboo lacks. However, for many countries, bamboo works admirably and, in many ways, has no counterpart.
The following woods and their characteristics are provided to assist you in your selection for any of the playhouse building projects described on this site. Each wood will differ not only in the above-mentioned features, but also in the manner in which it will respond to your tools. Keep a journal of woods, noting their features and workability. This can be a valuable aid for all woodworkers.
If woodworking is new to you, you might begin by selecting woods of contrasting colors or grain markings—zebrawood and ash, padouk and walnut, or a triple laminate of mahogany, beech, and brazilwood.
The following woods and their characteristics are provided to assist you in your selection for any of the playhouse building projects described on this site. Each wood will differ not only in the above-mentioned features, but also in the manner in which it will respond to your tools. Keep a journal of woods, noting their features and workability. This can be a valuable aid for all woodworkers.
If woodworking is new to you, you might begin by selecting woods of contrasting colors or grain markings—zebrawood and ash, padouk and walnut, or a triple laminate of mahogany, beech, and brazilwood.