Miscellaneous kinds of Timber.
Deal so completely takes precedence of all other timber in house-building, that a very slight notice of other varieties will suffice.
Beech is partially employed in ship-building for the keel and timbers near it; but it is not at all employed, in civil architecture. The principal use made of this wood is in the construction of machines, mill-work, lock-gates, &c., and for handles to tools; it is also a good wood for the turner, being of a close grain. It will not, however, bear alternations of moisture and dryness, and is liable to be attacked by worms, so that it is not extensively employed.
Chestnut belongs to the same tribe as the beech, but although a valuable wood, it is now little, if ever, used. Formerly it was extensively so, and the roofs of several ancient buildings were constructed of it. From some experiments, indeed, it seems to be as durable as oak itself.
Ash is the wood for the wheelwright and the maker of agricultural implements; it is one of the most valuable of all timber trees, combining great strength with elasticity and lightness; it, however, splits easily. Ash is not used either by the shipwright or the common carpenter.
Elm is a coarse-grained wood, but strong and durable, it does not work readily, and is therefore but little used. It is, however, employed for certain parts of ships, and for making casks, chests, coffins, posts for mill-work, and a few other purposes.
Next to oak and fir, the foreign wood Mahogany is by far the most valuable, and that most extensively used; it is the growth of the West Indies and South America, and the tree, the Swietenia mahogani, is, perhaps, the most majestic of all timber trees from the enormous dimensions to which its trunk attains, its vast height and size, and its dark beautiful foliage. The mahogany of the island of Cuba, and that from the bay of Honduras, is first in estimation. There are two East Indian species, but they are not imported in any quantities into this country.
The best mahogany is that which grows in dry, cold, and exposed situations. Such wood is fine-grained, hard, and dark in colour, richly variegated, causing it from its beauty to rank among the most ornamental of fancy woods, while the light, coarse-grained wood, which grows in warm moist climates, is sufficiently abundant to be used for ordinary purposes, and yet possesses admirable properties for all, where no great strength or tenacity is wanted.
Within the last twenty years the use of this wood has increased amazingly, and some ships have many of their upper timbers above the water-line constructed of Honduras mahogany. Its use in furniture and cabinet-making is well known, and, indeed, it may be said to be the principal wood used for this purpose, and to have entirely supplanted our own walnut, which was formerly in universal use for the same purposes.
The woods above enumerated are those most extensively or largely used by the carpenter; but there are several others employed for small articles, and for particular purposes, which deserve mentioning.
Box is the wood of the Buxus sempervirens, a hardy evergreen plant, indigenous in all the southern parts of Europe and Western Asia, and long domesticated in our shrubberies. Box is especially the wood for turning, it being closer-grained, denser, and tougher than perhaps all others, except iron-wood, Lignum Vitæ, and one or two rarer woods. Box is used for rules, scales, and for small cabinet works; but that which gives it particular importance is its universal use for wood-engraving.
Lance is the name given to the wood of the Guatteria virgata, a tree indigenous to Jamaica, and one of the most important that are so, from the valuable qualities of its timber, lance-wood far exceeding our ash in lightness, strength, and elasticity; hence it is admirably calculated for shafts to carriages, handles to spears, and for all purposes where straight, light, flexible, and tough wood is required. It is neither so close-grained nor so hard as box, but it turns well, and does not split; in colour, it is lighter than box.
Ebony is the name given to the wood of several different trees, which agree in being dark-coloured, dense, and durable; it is used for inlaying and for making rules or scales, as not being liable to warp. It is an excellent wood for turning; but, except for these purposes, it is less in request now than formerly, when it was much used in cabinet-making.
Lignum Vitæ is the wood of the Guaiacum officinale, a large tree indigenous in the West Indies. This wood is the hardest and heaviest known, and can only be worked in the lathe. It is much used for making the sheaves, or pulleys of blocks used in shipping, and for friction-rollers, &c.
There are various foreign woods which, from their beautiful grain and varied tints, are used in cabinet-making. But as these woods are too valuable to be used solid, they are sawed into thin leaves, called veneers, which are glued down on a backing of ordinary mahogany. The principal of these fancy woods are—
Rose-wood, which is produced by a tree a native of Brazil. This wood is much used for furniture, both as a veneer, and solid for legs of tables, chairs, &c.
King-wood is also the produce of Brazil; it is a dark chocolate wood, veined with fine black veins.
Beef-wood comes from New Holland; is of a pale-red even tint, and intensely hard and heavy. It is used for inlaying and bordering.
Tulip-wood is a wood of a clouded red and yellow colour, and very hard, and used for bordering to larger woods. The tree is unknown to our botanists.
Zebra-wood is a large-sized tree, and abundant enough to be used as a veneer in large furniture, like rose-wood: it is more curious than elegant.
Satin-wood is well known for its glossy yellowish tint, from which it derives its name; there are two varieties.
Maple, from our own indigenous tree, is a very elegant wood, of a light colour, or else, near the root, variegated with knots and twisted grain. It is much used in fancy work.