Many woodworkers would say that Hemlock is an excellent wood for various woodworking projects, which is indeed true. You can use it to make roofing, crates, light framing, and boxes. Besides, it exhibits strength and other unique qualities necessary for many woodworking projects. But when it comes to its hardness, many woodworkers would often get confused about whether it is hardwood or softwood.
Of course, Hemlock is not a hardwood but a softwood. It has a Janka hardness rating of 540 lbf, which is, of course, higher than many softwoods. Besides, Hemlock increases in hardness over time, and its grain is also dense. For these reasons, it becomes even stronger than some hardwoods.
Understanding Hemlock Wood Further
Given its Janka Hardness Rating of 540 lbf, Hemlock is undoubtedly a softwood. Hemlock, also called Tsuga, has around ten species, the most popular of which are the Western and the Eastern Hemlock. Additionally, Hemlock has some excellent properties, making it best suited for sheathing, light framing, and plywood. Besides, it has some unique properties that distinguish it from other softwood.
Hemlock is valuable in the timber industry because of its wood pulp. Besides, its bark is often used for tanning leather. Of course, Hemlock tree is different from the poisonous hemlock plant. It is only named Hemlock because its crushed foliage smells like the poisonous hemlock plant.
Different Hemlock Species and Types
If you’re a beginner in woodworking and you intend to use Hemlock in your woodworking projects, it will be best to know more about Hemlock. It will also help if you are familiar with the following different types of Hemlock:
Eastern Hemlock
The eastern Hemlock, also called Canadian Hemlock, comes with a lightweight feature. It gets categorized as a medium-hard, with coarse grain and uneven texture. Its heartwood sports a light reddish-brown color, while its sapwood has a somewhat light brown color. You will also find growth rings in the sapwood of older eastern Hemlock.
It is not rot-resistant and not durable. Besides, insects can quickly attack it. Its hardness, however, is 500 lbf, and its workability is not that good. Moreover, it splinters with ease while you work it. Nevertheless, it absorbs stains, glues, and finishes nicely and might look excellent after finishing. You can use it for making pallets, crates, boxes, plywood, and framing.
Compared to other trees, it is only a medium-sized tree that could reach up to 100 feet tall. Its trunk, however, can be around one meter in diameter. It is a coniferous tree, and it is native to the eastern parts of North America. In the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe, this tree gets used as an ornamental tree.
Western Hemlock
There should also be western Hemlock if there is eastern Hemlock. The Western Hemlock, also called western hemlock spruce, is light to medium-hard. It features straight grains and comes with an uneven and coarse texture.
The color of western hemlock spruce is light reddish brown (heartwood) and light brown (sapwood). You will also see growth rings in the older tree’s heartwood.
Western Hemlock can reach up to 240 feet and has a maximum diameter of 9 feet. You can also find this more often in North America.
Its hardness is somewhat moderate with a 540 lbf. It also has overall good workability with power tools and hand tools. Besides, it accepts stains and glues well and can provide an excellent finish afterward. You can also use the Western Hemlock to make windows, doors, ladders, suspended ceilings, and framing.
Mountain Hemlock
The mountain hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana) is a beautiful softwood widely utilized for construction. It is moderately hard, with coarse straight grain and uneven texture. Its heartwood has a light reddish-brown color, while its sapwood sports a light brown hue. Besides, you will see growth rings in the older tree’s heartwood.
Mountain hemlock is a tall evergreen conifer that can grow up to 131 feet. It has a maximum 5ft diameter and is native to North America’s Northwest coast. It is susceptible to rot and is not durable. Besides, insects can attack it with ease. It also tends to deteriorate when exposed to external elements.
Mountain hemlock is slightly harder than the western and eastern Hemlock, with a 680-lbf rating. It is also workable using different tools. It can hold screws and nails well because it is medium-dense, absorbs stains and glues, and provides an excellent finish. It is likewise easy to paint and stain. You can use it for windows, doors, pulpwood, suspended ceilings, plywood, ladders, and framing.
Different Uses of Hemlock
Now that you know what Hemlock is and its different significant types, you can better decide if it is a suitable wood for your projects. Nevertheless, it will also help if you are familiar with the different uses of Hemlock in woodworking.
The Western Hemlock, for example, is valuable commercially. It usually gets sold as Hem-fir because it has similar features as the real firs. Besides, it belongs likewise to premium timber. It is available in North America and gets widely harvested.
You can use it in construction though it is not that durable and might necessitate treatment when used outdoors. You can also use it in projects like cabinetry, joinery, ceilings, and flooring. You can also use it for windows, doors, ladders, staircases, broom handles, paneling, and many other projects. Manufacturers also use its pulp for making paper and other paperboard products.
Benefits of Using Hemlock
Hemlock receives nails and screws well. Besides, it is highly receptive to glues. You can also sand Hemlock to achieve a silky and elegant smoothness because of its fine texture and straight grain. Furthermore, the western variety of Hemlock, compared to the eastern type, doesn’t have resin, allowing it to receive stain and paint with ease, leading to a good finish.
Hemlock receives nails and screws well. Besides, it is highly receptive of glues. You can also smoothly sand hemlock to achieve a silky and elegant smoothness because of its fine texture and straight grain. Furthermore, the western variety of Hemlock, compared to the eastern variety, doesn’t have resin, allowing it to receive stain and paint with ease, leading to a good finish.
Mills, nowadays, make frames, sheathes, and floors using Hemlock. They also convert this wood into doors, windows, panels, and moldings. You can also rely on Hemlock when making stairs and ladders because of its strength and resistance to wear.
Another remarkable quality of Hemlock is its workability. It is easier to machine and finish than other hardwood when making cabinets and furniture. Its lack of resin and pitch makes it perfect for many different applications.
Drawbacks in Using Hemlock
One disadvantage of using Hemlock is the lack of resistance to rot. It is not durable and decay-resistant. Besides, it is susceptible to attacks by insects. So, if you intend to use it outdoor, you better relent.
When it comes to longevity, Hemlock is not suitable for high-traffic spots because it is susceptible to denting and scratching. But if you use it in these areas, you need to provide it with regular maintenance.
The different varieties of Hemlock are also hard to identify. So, you may be a bit confused about which species is best to use because the types are very similar.
Since it is less durable and susceptible to the effects of outdoor elements, you can’t use it and expect it to last for a lifetime. Besides, you can’t use it in areas exposed to moisture. Furthermore, it will be best to provide hemlock wood with preventive treatment to ensure it will last longer.
Conclusion
If you are accustomed to wood types like butternut, pine, cherry, rosewood, and many other frequently used woods, you might not be inclined to use Hemlock. Besides, Hemlock is not easy to dry and will likely warp while drying. However, you must avoid knots when using Hemlock because they can reduce the wood’s strength, as well as cause other defects like shakes.
The knot’s diameter is always a factor regarding Hemlock’s strength. Nevertheless, Hemlock is good wood. It is heavy and strong and can retain nails well. Nonetheless, it will be best if you refrain from using ungraded Hemlock.