Hardwood Lumber

Hardwood lumber comes from deciduous trees, the ones that shed their leaves annually. Some popular domestic species are oak, maple, cherry, birch, walnut, ash and poplar. Of these common native hardwoods, only red oak and poplar are usually stocked in home centers and lumberyards, where they're frequently sold in the same sizes as pine boards. But most hardwoods are carried by specialty suppliers and are sized according to a different convention.

The thickness of hardwood lumber is specified in quarters of an inch, measured when the wood is in a rough, unplaned state. The thinnest stock is 4/4, representing 1 in., and the thickest usually available is 16/4, representing 4 in. Most suppliers will plane and straighten the edges of their stock before selling it. Expect to pay more for this, but without a fully outfitted workshop at home, you have no sensible alternative. Of course, the finished thickness is different from the rough thickness. For example, 4/4 stock ends up being 13/16 in. thick.

Instead of being milled to specified dimensions, like pine, hardwoods are sold in random widths and lengths. Normally, the narrowest boards are 4 in. wide and the shortest lengths are 6 ft. long. Depending on the species, boards can range up to 12 in. or 14 in. wide and 16 ft. long. This variety in sizing means that you must calculate the yield of a given board in the context of your specific project. To help you do this, take advantage of your lumber dealer's expertise. Talk to him or her about the nature of your project and be prepared with a list of the cuttings you need.

While the popular notion has always been that pine lumber is less expensive than hardwoods, that isn't the case anymore. These days you can purchase some hardwoods, like poplar and soft maple, for the same price as pine. Hardwoods like walnut and cherry, however, are much more expensive. The cherry we used for our console table project cost nearly $5 a board foot, compared to $3 a board foot for pine.

Not only are hardwoods sized differently from softwoods, but they're also priced differently. Most suppliers sell pine boards at a price per lineal foot, based on the width of the board. Hardwoods are sold by the board foot, which is defined as a square foot of rough lumber that is 1 in. thick. When a board is thicker than 1 in., the dealer multiplies the square footage by the thickness to arrive at the sale price. An 8/4 board will therefore cost twice as much as a 4/4 board of the same size.

Working with hardwoods is quite different from working with pine. With the exception of poplar and basswood, which tend to be rather soft, you cannot drive a nail through hardwood lumber without first boring a pilot hole. And cutting and planing hardwoods requires extremely sharp tools. But the resulting edges are clean and crisp. Because of this, when a project calls for fine detail work, a hardwood is the best choice.

Some hardwoods, such as oak and ash, are known as open-grain woods. These species have alternating areas of relatively porous and dense wood. The grain patterns in these boards tend to be quite striking. When stained, the open-grain areas absorb the color readily while the harder areas are more resistant. This contrast accentuates the grain patterns, creating a dramatic effect.

Cherry, maple and birch are closed-grain woods. These woods demonstrate a more uniform texture throughout a board. They are excellent choices for projects with a formal or reserved appearance. Poplar is also a closed-grain wood, but its color ranges from a creamy beige to olive green, and frequently has purple highlights thrown into the mix. Because of this unusual coloration, poplar is rarely used if a furniture piece is going to have a clear finish. This wood is best when stained or even painted.