Beech

Also called: european beech, steamed beech, fagus

Beech is a hard, heavy timber used for furniture, flooring, handles and other joinery where a strong, shock-resistant wood is wanted.

Working qualities

Beech is strong, resists shock and bends well with steam, a process that heats wood so it can be curved. Ash is the safer comparison when a part must resist being pulled along its length: beech's short grain gives it less tensile strength. Tensile strength is resistance to being pulled apart along the length, so orient a beech part with its expected load in mind.

Common uses

Beech is used for flooring, furniture, brush blocks, handles and veneer, a thin layer of wood, as well as woodenware, containers and cooperage, the making of wooden barrels and casks. It stains and polishes well, and it has long been used for the constructive parts of cabinet work. A veneer face lets the maker use a thin layer of beech over a larger panel or another structure.

Bending and small components

A biscuit is a small beech insert for a slotted joint. Compression forms the insert before fitting; its fibres run diagonally, and wet glue makes it expand against the sides of its slot. This gives the insert a reinforcing role inside the joint.

Seasoning and storage

Seasoning means drying timber before use. Holtzapffel (1846) noted that beech can be attacked by worms when it remains stationary in a frame. Tredgold (1871) reported that water-seasoned beech was less subject to worms than beech seasoned in the usual way. Those positions describe different treatments, so do not treat seasoning as a guarantee against attack.