Generally speaking, softwoods (pine, fir, etc) grow much faster than hardwood species and typically this results in a relatively softer wood. With few exceptions, you can generally assume that woods from a softwood tree will be less dense than woods from a hardwood tree.
Putting aside technicalities, when it comes to woodworking, most hardwoods you will find available at local retailers will be significantly more dense than common softwood lumber which is typically pine and fir. There is an objective test available to determine the relative hardness of a wood species known as the Janka test. This test is performed by measuring the force needed to embed a small steel ball halfway into a sample of wood. The Janka test is most commonly referred to when selecting wood species for your projects, but depending on your project needs, you may wish to research the hardness of those species that are readily available to you.
Pine lumber- Pine is a type of evergreen coniferous tree that belongs to the family of pines. There are multiple species of pine today that can be found in temperate and boreal regions of the northern hemisphere. Used mostly in the construction of houses as it’s cheap, grows fast and is readily available.
The Janka hardness of pine is 660 lbf (liner board food), Give or take a few points for where the hardness scale is taken from.
Some will say Pine is great as furniture, but that is where we, at I know a Guy Designs, will part ways. Softwoods have their places of usefulness but for long lasting furniture that is not somewhere we feel it belongs. A rule of thumb is the average movement (shrinkage or swelling) for pine and spruce in both a radial and tangential direction is around 0.26 percent per percentage point of change in the moisture content. Southern pine has a moisture content of 15-19 percent as a rule of thumb. So what does this mean? Using a calculator online (RSCalculators) we get roughly 0.25” of expansion and contraction per piece of lumber. So that rustic table you just paid someone online to make for you will effectively move in length, width or a combination of both as much as 1.0” or more as seasons change.
We have all seen images online of people selling brand new, hand made, custom made and whatever else made tables, dog kennels, end tables, beds, dressers and the list goes on. The pictures look great. All the seams seem tight, its shiny and looks like something that would make a real statement in your house.
Well how long until that straight table becomes separated or so twisted you couldn’t rest a pen on it with it tumbling to the floor?
That’s not a black and white answer. The moisture content in your house is a huge factor. Also, how wet the lumber actually was when it was built. It may take 3 months to start seeing signs of damage all the way up to a year. At some point you will see signs.
Because of this. We recommend and always quote our jobs out using hardwood materials. The biggest difference between hardwood and softwood is in the names, Hardwoods are harder and denser, they take longer to grown and have a much lower moisture content due to the fibers being closer together. Walnut, Cherry, Oak, Wenge, Padauk, Maple and the list goes on and on. There is a wide range of hardwoods that are very cost effective when compared to pine and the density, reliability and look of the wood far surpasses that of Pine.
5 choices to consider on the next project would be Maple, Poplar, White Oak and Birch. Using Walnut for the example going forward. Remember that website with the calculator from above? Well if we use that same one- and this-time punch in walnut with a moisture content of 8 percent. We get about 0.03125 or 1/32nd of an inch in expansion and contraction on the same size of material as above. Now that’s a number we can get behind. The amount of movement your furniture will make throughout the years is substantially smaller which means the chances of your brand-new table showing undesirable characteristics is reduced making your hard-earned money go further.
Hardwood lumbers tend to be high up on the Janka hardness scale. Remember Pine has a rating of 660 lbfm, Walnut is 1010 lbf, Cherry comes in at 995 lbf , Maple at 1450 lbf and Oak 1290 lbf. All these lumbers will be harder to dent, ding, cut and scrape then that of pine resulting in a far more durable piece of furniture.
There are numerous differences between softwoods and hardwoods. Costs, grain, workability, availability, lengths, colors, ability to absorb stain. Ultimately it comes down to what your budget will allow for and what your end look you are going for. Using hardwood when having furniture made for you will always have a beneficial result when compared to softwoods and we at I know a guy designs will always recommend to our customers to take that into consideration when working with us.
Hardwoods give rich grain patterns, absorb stains well and really make a project pop. Pines, spruces and fir tend to have that DIY look to them do not like to absorb stains very well, and the grains because they grow so fast tend to be really spread out and sloppy looking.
