Birch: (Betula alleghaniensis) Ratings 1 to 5 (best):
Available Sizes:
4/4 through 8/4 Sel & Btr
-
Machining
4
-
Nailing
3
-
Screwing
2
-
Gluing
3
-
Finishing
5
Distribution
Eastern U. S., principally Northern and Lake States.
General Description
Yellow birch has a white sapwood and light reddish brown heartwood. The wood is generally straight-grained with a fine uniform texture.
Availability
Reasonable availability, but more limited if selected for color.
Working Properties
The wood works fairly easily, glues well with care, takes stain extremely well, and nails and screws satisfactorily where pre-boring is advised. It dries rather slowly with little degrade, but it has moderately high shrinkage, so is susceptible to movement in performance.
Physical Properties
The wood of yellow birch is heavy, hard and strong. It has very good bending properties, with good crushing strength and shock resistance.
Main Uses
Furniture, millwork and paneling, doors, flooring, kitchen cabinets, turnings and toys.