Hemlock wood characteristics. Western hemlock is used as construction lumber and is commonly grouped together with other species of fir and hemlock and sold under the more generic label hem fir. A rapidly increasing proportion of the lumber manufactured in. Eastern hemlock is one of the two primary commercial species of hemlock harvested in north americawith the other being western hemlock tsuga heterophylla. Woodworkers may want to condition the wood in their shops to give it time to acclimate to temperature and humidity levels before working with it as this can reduce problems like shrinking or bowing.
Hemlock furniture is desirable in the foreign market because of its superior characteristics. Hemlock is a strong reliable wood to work with categorizing it among the top trees cultivated for their lumber. The wood of western hemlock weighs more about 29 pounds per cubic foot dry than that of its eastern relative. In crosscutting however expect some tearout.
The sap wood is usually not distinct from the heartwood but occasionally the last few annualrings nearthebark are. In fact hemlock wood grows harder with age making it a great alternative to costlier hardwoods. Characteristics and properties eastern hemlock wood is light brown to buff. The summerwood portion of each annual ring is normally slightly darker than the springwood portion.
When harvested the eastern hemlock produces a light reddish brown wood. It has been used for centuries ice noth fuel and as a construction material. Figueeh 2production of western hemlock lumber in the united states. See the articles wood allergies and toxicity and wood dust safety for more information.
The wood grips screws and accepts all glues without a. The wood grips well to screws and nails and it is easy to apply glue on it. Some industries want hemlock wood due to its tannic acid content. The information listed below talks about what the main characteristics of the tree are why it makes a great ornamental tree as well as basic hemlock tree facts.
1904 to 1926 advantage of these characteristics together with the fact that the existing stands are large will go far toward assuring a sustained supply of western hemlock wood. It is composed of 2 natural composite of cellulose fibers which are strong in tensio embedded in a matrix of lignin. Along with its strength and stability the nature of the wood allows it to glue stain and finish beautifully. Characteristics of eastern hemlock.
Western hemlock is one of the two primary commercial species of hemlock harvested in north americawith the other being eastern hemlock tsuga canadensis. Canada and the usa are the biggest hemlock furniture exporters because of. While working with hemlock lumber people can use screws or nails depending on personal preference and the wood shouldnt be prone to cracking or splitting if it was processed properly. You can work hemlock easily with hand or power tools.
It has straight and smooth grain.