Types of wood for beginners: softwood vs hardwood, plywood, MDF and choosing boards

TUREFF• •0

Walk into a timber yard or a DIY store for the first time and the choice is confusing: pine, oak, plywood, MDF, planed, sawn. Choosing the right material is half of a project going well. This guide explains the main types and what to check before you buy a board.

Softwood vs hardwood

The names describe the tree, not how hard the wood is.

Softwoods come from conifers such as pine, spruce, fir and cedar. They are generally cheaper, widely available, light and easy to cut, which makes them ideal for practice, shelving, frames and outdoor projects. Many dent easily and can have knots and resin pockets.
Hardwoods come from broadleaf trees such as oak, ash, beech, maple, walnut and cherry. They are usually denser, more durable and more attractive in grain, and cost more. They suit furniture, cutting boards and anything that takes wear.

Balsa is botanically a hardwood and is extremely soft; yew is a softwood and is quite hard. The labels are about botany.

Sheet materials

Plywood is made of thin layers glued with the grain alternating, which makes it stable and strong in both directions. It is good for cabinet sides, shelves and jigs. Quality varies a lot: better grades have more, thinner layers and fewer voids inside.
MDF (medium-density fibreboard) is wood fibre bonded with resin into a smooth, uniform sheet with no grain. It cuts cleanly, paints beautifully and does not warp much, but it is heavy, swells if it gets wet, and does not hold screws in its edges well. Its dust needs particular care (see the safety guide in this room).
Chipboard or particleboard is cheaper still and common in flat-pack furniture; it is weaker and not ideal for things you will build to last.

Grain and why it matters

Wood is much stronger along the grain than across it, and it moves (swells and shrinks) mostly across the width rather than the length.

Plan cuts so long, thin parts run with the grain.
Leave room for solid wood panels to move; a wide tabletop fixed rigidly on all sides may crack.
Plane and sand in the direction of the grain to avoid tear-out.

Moisture and wood movement

Wood gains and loses moisture until it matches the air around it. Furniture wood is commonly dried to roughly 6 to 8 per cent moisture content, although the right figure depends on the climate where the piece will live.

Wood bought from an outdoor yard and brought into a heated home will shrink and may twist as it dries.
Let boards rest in the room where you will work for a few days, or longer, before cutting.
A simple pin moisture meter takes the guesswork out if you buy a lot of timber.

Planed or sawn?

Planed timber (sometimes sold as PAR, planed all round) has smooth, flat faces and is ready to use. It costs more per board but needs no machinery.
Rough sawn timber is cheaper but needs planing flat, which is hard without a planer or a lot of hand planing.

Note that nominal sizes are often larger than the actual planed size; check the real dimensions before planning a project.

How to choose a good board

Sight down its length for bow, cup, twist or a crook along the edge.
Check the ends for cracks (checks) and look over the faces for splits.
Look at the knots: small, tight knots are fine; loose or dead knots can fall out.
Check for straight grain on parts that need strength, such as legs.
Buy a little extra to allow for defects and mistakes.

Good choices for a first project

Pine or spruce for practice pieces, shelves and boxes.
Good plywood for anything flat and wide.
A modest hardwood such as ash, beech or poplar (where available) once you want something more durable.
Avoid unknown reclaimed timber at first: hidden nails ruin blades.

Which wood do you use most, or which one are you trying to choose between? Ask in the comments below.