Timbers

How woods behave in joinery: movement, grain, and which timber suits which joint.

• Temperate hardwoodsThe home-grown and European hardwoods: oak, ash, beech, walnut, and the rest.
• SoftwoodsPine, deal, fir, spruce, and the coniferous timbers of joinery and building.
• Imported & tropical hardwoodsMahogany, sapele, teak, iroko, and the imported hardwoods of modern joinery.
• Sheet materialsPlywood, MDF, and veneer: the manufactured boards.
• How wood behavesGrain, movement, seasoning, and the parts of the tree — the properties that decide a joint.