If you’re a beginner in woodworking, you will understand how intimidating it is to go to a wood store to purchase materials for your first woodworking projects. Besides, the sight of many wood types is overwhelming. You will also feel you would spend more on wood because many of them are expensive. So, it will be best if you are familiar with the different wood types best for woodworking.
One wood you will often see in the wood store is Beech. If you’re not sure whether Beech is good wood for your projects, it will be best to learn more about this wood. Beech, of course, is a hardwood with a Janka Hardness rating of 1,300 lbf or 5,782 N. This rating is a bit higher than most wood types.
Is Beech Really Hard?
There are around 13 species of Beech, each of which has a specific Janka Hardness rating. The European Beech, for example, has a 1,450 lbf Janka Hardness rating, while American Beech has a Janka Hardness rating of 1,300 lbf. However, both types of Beech are dense and hard. But Beech isn’t naturally durable. Nevertheless, you can make it rot-resistant via chemical steaming.
Woods taken from deciduous plants usually get classified as hardwoods. Beech Tree is a deciduous tree, though it comes with unique features that make it a special deciduous tree. It has a more complex structure of fibers compared to softwoods. Besides, as a hardwood, it grows slowly.
Its wood also features elements, vessels, and pores seen only in hardwoods. Its growth rings are distinct, and pores are diffused.
Moreover, its pores are solitary and small and get irregularly distributed.
Beech also has a high density, which makes it hard. It is also solid and heavy. Since Beech has a high Janka rating, it is highly resistant to dents.
Beech Wood’s Properties, Colors & Texture
Beech wood has peculiar light tones that accept finishes of all types. It is heavy, hard, and leafy. Besides, its hardness is remarkable that miners once used to utilize it for making rails. It was also a favorite for making cabinets, floors, and furniture in the past.
The beech tree has a delicate and thin bark. It is also bendable and split with ease. Moreover, its grains are straight. For example, the Fagus Sylvatica, found in Europe, shows toughness and heftiness, making it hard to deal with using hand tools. Nevertheless, it gets used for carpentry, joinery, and other applications like furniture framing and construction.
Beech seldom gets used for aesthetics. However, you will see it more often in the interior and framing of some architectural forms like log houses and chalets. It is excellent for woodwork involving structural supports.
Nevertheless, it does not imply that it is durable. Beech, of course, is not weather-resistant or moisture-resistant. For this reason, it is not suitable for outdoor usage.
Beech wood is characterized by lightness or whitish color. Over time, it takes on a particular reddish-yellow color, though still relatively white. This wood often undergoes vaporizing to darken its hue to reddish-orange tones. Beech wood that underwent this process is called vaporized Beechwood, and many people think this is the natural color of Beech.
Yet, Beech wood is naturally light in color, often leaning toward a whitish color, though it naturally can sport a yellow or reddish hue. The application of protective chemicals and products and the steaming process often darkens its color, even turning it red.
Once you cut the Beech wood, it sports a white color. Afterward, it takes a light reddish hue, transitioning into dark red over time. Besides, it has very fine medullary rays that get evenly distributed.
Advantages of Using Beech Wood in Woodworking Projects
After having known the different natural properties and characteristics of Beech wood, it will also help if you are familiar with the following upsides of using it in your woodworking projects:
Affordable
Beech is not that expensive. In the price continuum of hardwood, it lies in the lower-priced hardwoods. Besides, it is often used as an alternative to more expensive woods like Maple, Mahogany, Cherry, and Walnut and can mimic these costly woods.
Dense and Hard
Beech is dense and solid, which means it is firm. Beech tree has a 650 to 750 kg/m3 density, which means it is more solid than many hardwoods and oak.
It is Odorless and Doesn’t Contain Resin
Other wood used for woodworking may exude a pungent odor. However, Beech doesn’t emit any odor, distinct smell, or taste. It is a good choice for wood vessels used for food. Besides, it is clean and presentable when used for food vessels. Plus, it doesn’t contain resin.
Excellent Firewood
Beech is excellent as firewood because it offers high calorific value and carries the heat well. It burns slowly compared to other firewood. Hence, you can purchase Beech wood briquettes and pellets, which are excellent for grilling.
Very Solid and Tough
Beech is suited for furniture making and interior fittings. You can use it for making doors, stairs, tables, and chairs. It can also withstand heavy usage and loads. Moreover, it doesn’t dent easily, which is excellent for flooring.
Highly Sustainable
The use of Beech is highly sustainable because it gets farmed. Besides, it is not included in the list of endangered wood species.
Disadvantages of the Using Beech Wood in Woodworking Projects
You may be encouraged to use Beech wood after reading all the glittering advantages of its use. Nevertheless, its use also comes with some downsides, which would be good to know if you intend to use it:
Difficult to Stain
If you enjoy the natural color of Beech, it is suitable for you then. But if you want to stain it, you may find staining it challenging. Besides, it is not a good idea to stain it. Beech doesn’t stain well and doesn’t accept stains well. Thus, you can’t easily alter its color in the future.
Not Ideal for Exterior
You might think that Beech wood is perfect for exterior use because it is hardwood. Well, it is not recommended for exterior use because it is not weather-resistant or decay-resistant, especially if it comes in contact with the ground or moisture.
Absorbs Water Well
Beech wood is also known to absorb water fast. Thus, it is not ideal for damp places. If you want to use it for these places, you should treat it.
But treatment would only pad up the costs of using Beech. You can also paint it or polish it to prevent it from absorbing moisture.
Tends to Crack
Beech wood might crack. To lessen this tendency, you must oil it and do maintenance of the wood regularly.
Not Weather-resistant
Beech wood, as mentioned above, is not weather-resistant, meaning it is reactive to the vicissitudes of the weather. As such, you need to treat it if you want to make it weather-resistant.
Gradually Loses Moisture
You need to store Beech wood for up to two years to let it dry. Since it dries slowly, it is best suited for firewood.
Expensive
Beech wood is not cheap. It is expensive, and its use is more costly than those of other wood. It also requires regular care and maintenance.
Frequently Asked Questions on Using Beech Wood for Furniture
You might have already decided whether to use Beech wood or not for your projects after reading the pros and cons of its use. Nevertheless, it will also help if you are familiar with the FAQs about Beech wood, for they might also be the questions playing on in your mind:
Is Beech Wood Water-resistant?
Beech wood is not water resistant and waterproof. It will be best if you treat it to make it more impervious to moisture and water. For this reason, it is not often used for outdoor furniture and applications.
Is the Use of Beech Wood Expensive?
Compared to other wood types like Mahogany and Oak, Beech wood is not that expensive. The price, however, of Beech wood differs from one kind of Beech to another. One square meter of Beech may cost three hundred Euros or more.
Beech wood is also more accessible than other expensive wood types. Besides, in Europe, Beech is more common, and for this reason, it is less costly there.
Conclusion
As a woodworker, the excellence of your wood projects also depends on the type of wood you use. So, a good knowledge of the different wood types will go a long way. Beech wood is one of those readily available wood in wood stores. As such, you might be considering its use.
The use of Beech wood, of course, has its upsides and downsides. Knowing these upsides and downsides, you can decide wisely whether the wood is perfect for your current project.