Track 3
Timber Properties
How species differ in hardness, strength, durability, and more. Connects directly to the species library.
10 published guides in this track
Density and Why It Matters
Density is the most informative single number for comparing timber species, because it strongly correlates with strength, hardness, workability, and even movement.
Janka Hardness Explained
In Guide 1, we covered density — the most informative single number about any timber species. We noted that density and hardness are strongly correlated: more cell wall material per unit volume means more resistance at the surface.
Strength vs Stiffness (MOE vs MOR)
In Guides 1 and 2, we covered density and hardness — properties that describe what happens at the surface. This guide goes deeper: into the internal mechanical behaviour of timber under load.
Wood Durability Classes
In Guides 1–3, we explored the mechanical side of timber: density, hardness, stiffness, and strength. Those properties describe how timber responds to physical forces.
Rot Resistance and Fungal Decay
In Guide 4, we introduced durability classes and the broad principle that natural durability depends on heartwood extractives. This guide goes deeper into the biology: what fungi actually do to timber at the cellular level, the conditions that trigger and sustain decay, the diffe
Workability of Timber
In Guides 1–5, we covered the measurable mechanical and biological properties of timber. This guide shifts to something harder to quantify but just as important: how a species behaves under tools.
Resin and Extractives
We've already met extractives several times in this track: they drive natural durability (Guides 4–5), they affect workability and gluing (Guide 6), and they influence hardness and density in subtle ways. This guide brings all of that together and goes further — into what extract
Toxicity and Wood Dust
In Guide 7, we explored the chemistry of extractives — the compounds that give timber its colour, smell, and durability. This guide focuses on the dark side of that chemistry: the health risks posed by wood dust and the specific toxic, allergenic, and irritant compounds found in
Stability Differences Between Species
In Track 2, we explored why wood moves: moisture content, equilibrium moisture content, tangential and radial shrinkage, and the physics of dimensional change. That track treated all wood as if it behaved the same way.
Choosing the Right Timber for the Job
Choosing a species is never about optimising a single property. It's about balancing competing requirements against the realities of the application, the environment, the budget, and the supply chain. Every project involves trade-offs, and the best decisions come from understandi