I’m sure many of you know that there are hardwoods and softwoods – but do you really know what that means? What about grades? That’s right, these boards got a grade and didn’t even go to school! We’ll here’s a basic intro all about wood and how you can choose the right type for your project. What’s a grade? Generally, there are two basic grades: select and common. And I’m pretty sure you can guess which might be better. When you’re concerned about the appearance of the wood for use on something like a piece of furniture, you’d select, well, select! And if you’re using it for basic construction, common is more your speed - more affordable and although structurally solid, not as pretty. As for grades, Select is judged by letter grades. Just like in school – B or higher is a pretty blemish free piece of wood. C is average with some blemishes while D has knots and other imperfections which can always be covered with paint. Common grade sticks with numbers ranging from 1-5 with 1 being the best and 5 not so lucky, but still structurally stable. Now to take it a step further, there are various species of wood. Just like trees, the wood that comes from them has different colors and characteristics and best uses. Taken from Reader’s Digest, here are some good overall descriptions of each (although I must say - the uses are quite interesting!): HARDWOODS Mahogany: Fine grained, reddish brown in color. Very durable and resists swelling shrinking, and warping. Used for quality furniture such as cabinets; boat construction; wood facings and veneers. Walnut: Fine textured, strong, easy to work with and resists shrinking and warping and finishes well. Best used for solid and veneered furniture, novelties, cabinetry and wall paneling. Oak: Strong with good bending qualities. Is durable and finishes well and resists moisture absorption. Used for furniture, trimming, boat framing, desks and flooring. Maple: Fine textured and is strong and hard. Has moderate shrinkage and machines well. Best used in flooring, fine furniture and woodenware such as bowling alleys. Cherry: Close-grained and resists warping and shrinking. It will redden when exposed to sunlight and ages well. Used in cabinet making, boat trim, novelties, solid furniture handles and turned projects. Rosewood: Very hard and has a dark reddish brown color. It is fragrant and close grained. It is hard to work and takes high polish. Used in musical instruments, piano cases, tool handles, art projects, veneers and furniture. Teak: Hard and durable and resistant the moisture and rot. It resists warping, cracking and decay. Best used in fine furniture, paneling, shipbuilding, doors, window framing, flooring and general construction. SOFTWOODS Pine: It has uniform texture, works easy and finishes well. It resists shrinkage, swelling and warping. Used in house construction, paneling and trim. Also used for furniture, molding and boxes. Hemlock: Light in weight, uniformly textured. It machines well and has low resistance to decay and nonresinous. Used for construction lumber, planks, doors, boards, paneling, sub flooring and crates. Fir: Works easy and finishes well. Uniform in texture and nonresinous. Has low resistance to decay. Used in furniture, doors, frames, windows, plywood, veneer, general millwork and interior trim. Redwood: Light in weight, durable and easy to work. Has a natural resistance to decay. Used in outdoor furniture, fencing, house siding, interior finishing, veneering and paneling. Spruce: Strong and hard. Finishes well and has low resistance to decay. Has moderate shrinkage and light in weight. Used for masts and spars for ships, aircraft, crates, boxes, general millwork and ladders. Cedar: Fresh sweet odor and reddish in color. Easy to work and uniform in texture and is resistant to decay. Used in chest making, closet lining, shingles, posts, dock planks, novelties and Venetian blinds.