The growing popularity of domestic hardwood lumber is apparent. You can see it in so many different projects around the world. Whether you prefer a hard or soft wood, the beauty of the wood is obvious. One common soft wood is Basswood.
Basswood (also referred to as Tilia Americana) is taken from the beautiful American basswood tree, which reaches heights of 130 feet and diameters of 4 feet. Basswood sapwood is white in color, while its heartwood is creamy white to a pale pinkish-brown. It has straight grains and a fine, even texture. This makes the wood easy to work with. Basswood is most commonly used for picture framing, trim, paint grade trim, glued paneling, boxes, crates, baskets, toys, venetian blinds, veneer, mallet heads, and pattern making. However, it is most popularly used for carving projects, like relief carving. Relief carving is described as carving pictures into wood. Basswood is ideal for carving because is has soft, tight grains, so the wood shows such intricate details. Hobbyists find it to be the best carving wood for airplane models, ship models, and wood sculpting.
Tom Elberson, a lumber salesman, has much experience working with domestic hardwood lumber. Although he enjoys the natural beauty of Basswood, he prefers to paint it.
"Basswood has closed grains, which means it is non-porous. This makes it a great option for painting because the paint doesn't absorb in the wood. It sits on the surface of the wood. However, staining the wood is unsatisfactory. The stain should be absorbed in the wood to show its uniform texture, but the grains aren't defined enough."
Basswood has such great potential for such a soft wood, but it does pose some problems. It has a Janka hardness of 410, which means it is one of the softest domestic hardwoods available. This softness gives the wood unique characteristics, but also specific restrictions in its use. Basswood is pliable, so it has no trouble being glued and it doesn't split easily. For best results, sharp tools are recommended. On the other hand, it has low strength properties, which affects its durability. This causes basswood to have poor resistance to decay. Its softness also influences its nail holding abilities and causes it to have poor steam bending properties.
There is such a wide variety of domestic hardwoods available. Depending on your project, there are different features to look for in a particular wood. Lumber ranges from hard wood to soft wood. Both offer advantages that make them great choices in wood.
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