It’s quite a common thing that many people think that softwood is what is soft, and hardwood is what is hard. Right?
This is the most common thinking in many people’s minds. But, does this make any sense? Actually not, not at all.
The words may sound correct like calling softwood and hardwood, but the terms are not referring to their physical properties rather it’s simpler than that.
This is why pinewood is soft.
Speaking of pinewood, it belongs to the softwoods.
Even though you may think it’s quite hard to touch, the term softwood is not what it is referring to.
Instead, it means pine trees are gymnosperms, simply put their seeds are not covered by any shell-like walnut (a hardwood tree).
Also, since they don’t shed their leaves in winter, and have leaves like needles and cones, thus, such trees are classified into the softwood group.
Furthermore, the seeds of such woods are normally not covered, when falling on the ground many turn into trees as well.
Initially, pine cones are hard, but later they are dispersed by the wind through a wider area.
Reasons: why pine is softwood.
There are some reasons why a pine tree is called a softwood tree. Which we’ll discuss below.
- A pine tree doesn’t have any visible pores, even if you use a microscope you will not be able to see any pores since there are not any.\
- Furthermore, the leaves of pinewood are coned in shape and look like a needle. Which is another reason to say that It belongs to softwood.
- The trees are gymnosperms which means that their seeds are not covered with a shell or any type of skin. This is one of the most general rules of speciation.
Moreover, they have the ability to quickly grow and are readily available across the world.
- Lastly, they are lighter than many hardwoods, and traditionally found are light colors like creamy, white, pale yellow, which qualify them to be called softwood.
Is pine the softest wood?
NO, pinewood is not the softest wood of all even if it’s popular and also known as the one the softest wood.
But still, it didn’t beat the softness of the Balsa wood.
Balsa is the softest wood on the earth, interestingly it belongs to the hardwood category.
But, its physical nature is very soft to touch, even with hands it can get scratches and is more prone to dents.
Generally, the lightweight also means the wood is less dense, which speaks to the fact that their trees are fast-growing.
The Balsa tree, which is the fastest-growing tree, can reach a height of 30 to 45 meters within a span of 2-3 years.
Light-gray bark with white marbling is usually present on the stems. In terms of density, balsa is the softest wood on Earth.
Is pinewood stronger than plywood?
The strength and stiffness of pine wood are far superior to plywood.
It is less likely for a solid wood shelf to sag compared to it made of plywood.
Especially when it comes to wood flooring, solid wood or pine wood is the better option than any type of chipboard or plywood.
Natural wood is known to resist decay, over time it tends to get denser and gain more stability; contrasted with wood-engineered woods, which tend to become weaker over time.
Pine Wood is lighter than Oak
One of the common facts is that pinewood is one of the lightest woods out there.
Speaking of the oak wood compared to it, you will notice it will be 2,3x times heavier.
That’s due to the fact, generally, fast growers tend to produce less dense wood than trees that take a longer amount of time to grow.
For instance, oak wood takes around 15-20 years on average to produce lumber of wood that a pine tree can produce in less than 5 years.
This makes pinewood one of the lightest woods.
What makes pinewood cheaper?
Pinewood production is less costly because the seeds of pine trees can spread through wind.
Bbecause they require less maintenance, they grow more rapidly than other types of wood.
On the other hand, if we speak about hardwoods pricing.
You will find them very costly due to the fact they are angiosperms meaning their seed doesn’t spread through the wind.
Furthermore, most of the natural wood trees take years to grow.
That’s also affecting their overall cost since growers have to wait and maintain quite a long period.
Lastly, there is one more thing that affects the price, that is to get useful lumber.
Since mostly pinewoods produce long trees, which is why getting straight lumbers is not a big deal.
On the other hand, natural woods like redwood, are often found in curved shapes.
Making it difficult to get ideal lumber.
Types of pinewood- ideal for furniture.
Pinus is a genus of conifers, of which there are multiple types.
Pines are classified under the Pinaceae family. In this article, we will not talk about each of them, but rather share with you some of their names.
To remind you: the White pinewood is primarily used by carpenters when making furniture.
Some of the most common types of Pine include:
- Scots Pine
- Stone Pine
- Eastern White Pine
- Pinus Taeda
- Pinus Nigra
- Pinus Cembra
- Pinus halepensis
There are actually two types of pinewoods being used to make furniture, the ponderosa pine, and the white pine.
The ponderosa pine has less durability, so it’s more susceptible to decay than the white pine and gets brittle and prone to cracking.
Long Leaf Southern Yellow Pines, on the other hand, are hard, very strong, and resist decay well. As a boat building material, as well as a flooring choice, it is highly prized.
Advantages of pine for furniture.
Cheaper Than Hardwood-
One of the biggest advantages of pine wood for furniture is they are cost-effective.
The furniture takes less time to craft than hardwoods since the wood is easy to work with, also due to the tree’s fast-growing ability,
you can find furniture made out of this wood at affordable rates.
Lightweight-
Many homeowners prefer furniture made from pinewood due to its lightweight, which is why such furniture is popular.
Good flexibility-
The wood is durable, study, as well flexible enough so a shock would not break it off easily.
That’s even greater than many hardwoods which are strong yet cannot hold a shock.
Attractive Grain Options-
Unlike wood-engineered woods, this kind of furniture has attractive grains that give it an appealing look and feel.
In addition to that, they hold stain well that gives it a good overall look and feel.
Disadvantages of pine for furniture.
Often Features Knots & Knotholes-
One of the disadvantages of pinewood is that they feature too many knots, which is one of the reasons why the pricing sometimes goes crazy as it becomes hard to get a fine piece to build pieces of furniture.
Susceptible to Scratches and Dents-
Since pinewood is a softwood, it can get scratches easily due to its soft nature.
Therefore, you will need to take extra care of the pine furniture to prevent it from getting dents and scratches.
Concusion: What is Pine wood?
What is pinewood?
Pine is of the softwood which is readily available on the market.
It’s affordable for the reason being the tree grows sooner than many other trees as well can be found across the world, including US, Germany, Africa, which are some great sources of this wood.
Being called a softwood, it’s very much understandable that these woods are naturally softer than hardwoods.
Ultimately it’s to conclude its furniture will be lighter in weight which can be one of the reasons why a person would want to purchase it.
Moreover, despite being known as a cheaper and lighter wood.
Pinewood is also very familiar for its design, by assuming that we’re talking about white pine, which gives us a hint the color of this particular wood would be light something like a light yellow, or pale white.
Due to its lighter color, it can easily be stained in whichever color you wish, thanks to its excellent ability to absorb colors.
Pine is light in color, usually with a creamy white look, although the specific shade can vary somewhat.
Some varieties produce a very white color. Furthermore, pine has a distinctive grain with knots that are darker in color than the wood itself, which makes it stand out from other woods.
