Here is a link, courtesy of rec.woodworking, which gives some characteristics of "exotic" wood species.
Exotic in that most of the species are what are found in Europe, Africa, South America, etc. A few are North American.
http://www.tis-gdv.de/tis_e/misc/holzart.htm#anfang
It is a German site but it is in English.
A couple of terms I am not familiar with: "not teredo-resistant" and "insensitive" to ....
That list has Hickory and Ash labeled as "Low Durability". I know ash does not fair well in wet conditions but that alone is not the whole story on overall durability. Man I thought I would never see the day when someone said Hickory was not durable! Cripes. There are ash baseball bats 150 year old and hickory ax handles still in use after generations.
They don't even list some of the exotics we have here in Texas. That alone says they have no credibility. ;D
Quote"not teredo-resistant"
That is the 'Ship Worm', Doug. It was notorious for destroying a wooden hulled sailing vessel in just one trip across the Atlantic. The Captains were always looking for a way to sail up rivers to fresh water to kill the worms so that the ship would get them back home.
I don't know what the context of insensitive was.
They are probably using the term durability the way the wood handbook defines it.
"a general term for permanence or resistance to deterioration. Frequently used to refer to the degree of resistance of a species of wood to attack by wood destroying fungi under conditions that favor such attack. In this connection the term "decay resistance" is more specific"
I'm sure you're right Don. I figured there was a reason, but I will never be able to think of Ash or Hickory as having low durability.
Quote from: TexasTimbers on March 26, 2008, 07:28:05 PM
I'm sure you're right Don. I figured there was a reason, but I will never be able to think of Ash or Hickory as having low durability.
Tex
What woods do you think have low durability?
and what woods do you think have high durability?
Shucks I don't know. I guess I think of all wood as having high durability now that you ask. But I never think of a specie as being used in a way it isn't suited.
So Don's explanation makes sense to me. The chart is geared toward people who have no understanding of how wood "weathers" I guess. I wouldn't use Ash for fence pickets for example but I would for indoor furniture so I think of it as having high durability. You ought to know by now my brain is not wired right. :)
PS your green tractor is way far cool.
The use of the word "durability" can conjure up a number of different meanings, for sure. I think Don P explained it pretty well. Around here, hickory will rot fast in ground contact.
Thanks to Dave Shepard on the Deere avitar...but I'm trying to get the front wheels repaired..so they will turn. Need to figure out how to break down the gif into its separate images...then I might be able to fix it.. ::) ::) ::)
I didn't know Dave could do that stuff too. He's a purty talented fellow. Yeah I guess your fuel milage is pretty bad right now the way it is. Is it a gas or diesel? That looks like gray smoke coming out of the stack - I think you might be running some homebrew in that thing aintchya?
The first thing to pop into my mind when I hear "durability" is how it holds up to abuse around the house with my kids pounding on it. Maybe that should be "shock resistance." ;)
"shock resistant" :o describes metalspinner when he has to look after the whole scout troop. :D