Hi, all –
I had a customer ask about using birch in a furniture project and I discovered that birch (solid wood, not plywood) isn’t near as available as most other woods I’ve used. My first reaction is to respond that the visual differences between birch and maple are pretty slight, but wanted to ask this group about the workability of birch.
I’ve used hard maple in a number of project and found it very hard, which makes any little flaw difficult to get rid of. How does it compare to birch?
Second question, why is birch used so much in plywood, but solid wood is less available. I’m in western Ohio and have access to a number of good sawmills, within 25 – 75 miles and none of them list birch in their inventory.
Thanks for you help.
Les
Replies
Les, you will find that birch and maple do not look very much alike. Birch has a very distinct pore structure and relatively little grain figure. Maple is just the opposite. It has a distinct grain and almost no pore structure. They are both woods that tend to stain unevenly however.
Much factory furniture is made from birch. It is generally heavily stained and you see little grain structure. It's not considered a particularly attractive wood on its own but it is used to mimic lots of other woods in factory furniture.
Les -
Birch and maple can be hard to distinguish between at first, especially prior to finishing, but with time, the experienced eye can readily make the distinction.
With a (clear) finish on it, birch tends more to yellow or golden, while maple stays whiter. The figure is also considerably different.
In my experience, birch is considerably harder to work than maple, the grain direction can change more frequently, and I frequently find it to be a bit "stringy". Also, I've found it to contain more tension, with relatively narrow rips frequently ending up crooked.
That said, I will sing the praises of red birch - the heartwood of the yellow birch tree. It can be spectacular - one of my favorites.
You might find that soft maple resembles birch more than hard maple....it also works a little easier.
Les ,
Birch was the rage 25 - 35 years ago just as Red Oak was the fad 10 -20 years ago . Much household cabinetry as well as commercial projects were made of Birch .
The color can vary like Hickory and the grain as was mentioned is more like Ash open pored and switching , but beautiful .
The veneer sliced off Birch logs can be quite beautiful , and was plentiful at one time perhaps it is underused currently but it machines much like Maple and takes a finish wonderfully , try it you'll like it !
dusty
dusty,
And the smell of fresh cut Birch!
I have a goodly stack of White Birch drying that has a hankering to become kitchen cabinets. And some straight grained cherry to compliment it in the form of face frames.
Will make for a fun project this Fall,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Morning Bob ,
I remember some what from years ago, Birch saw dust made my arm break out like a rash that soon went a way .
I have cut and used thousands of sheets of Birch plywood but never have done any large jobs with the solid stock , mostly restoration works .
Happy Fathers day to you and all
dusty
I get a little bit of a reaction from birch, too. The worst is a splinter, because it gets all inflamed. But it doesn't seem to last.
-Steve
Try it you will like it is sort of like not liking turnips.
Until sombody makes then with REAL Butter and Apple slices!
Edited 6/19/2008 2:54 pm by WillGeorge
Les - If your customer insists, birch, while not common, is not that difficult to find. In particular, Steve Wall of Wall Lumber in Mayodan, NC stocks it on a regular basis:
http://www.walllumber.com/premier.asp
You may also be able to find a supplier that's closer to you by using Woodfinder:
http://www.woodfinder.com/
Keim Lumber in Charm, OH has Birch. If you go there with full and deep pockets you can easily spend it. They have anything you could possibly want, and a great supply of exotic lumbers too.
The Show Room alone is worth the trip, 1000's of BF of Cherry paneling and trim. It's the Cabellas of woodworking.
Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
This thread reminds me of going into the local orange big box store once. I heard a salesperson there telling a customer that birch and maple come from the same tree. The customer tried to explain that they didn't but the guy was insistent. The customer just shook his head and walked away. ;)
Dave ,
That must have been the same clerk that when asked if he could tell us anything about this video camera he said " well it's Black and here is the handle and it comes with a case "
Many years ago I went to purchase some 6/4 CVG Fir for a porch banister that needed to be reproduced for a home on the historical register , that's why they hired a cabinet maker , well the lumber yard guy told me how much a foot it was and showed me the stack and told me to go ahead and pick out what I wanted and let him know when I was ready .
I did and I tallied the footage and told him I had like 260' , I figured 1 1/2 bf per since it was 6/4 he told me I didn't know how to figure and came up with like 130' well , I tried . What a deal !
regards dusty
A dump clerk is the devils own, but a dump cashier can be a gift from the gods.
Doug Meyer
dave,
last summer i was in need of several different sizes of glass. after twenty, or so, minutes wandering around home depot looking for someone to cut glass for me, a sales clerk agreed to do so. i handed him my cut list, sat down behind him and waited. although he had his back to me, i could see that he was looking down at his tape measure. he did so for quite some time. finally he raised his head, turned to face me,pointed to his tape measure and asked "do you know how to read one of these?"
eef
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