10 Surprising Facts About Wood

Recently, we were asked what type of nailer to use with a specific wood. And it got us thinking—what about wood? We talk a lot about tools and fasteners, but not so much about the actual material we use to build, make and play. So we compiled 10 interesting tidbits about wood. After all, where would we be without pine for lumber, or the hickory bats used in America’s favorite pastime? So, let’s take a swing and learn a few things.

Here are 10 Cool Facts About Wood:

1. Trees not only absorb water, they filter and produce it. A single tree can absorb up to 100 gallons of water and release it into the air—in a day.

2. There are more than 23,000 types of trees. They’re broadly divided into two groups—hardwood and softwood.

3. The terms “hardwood” and "softwood” can be a bit misleading, as they don’t necessarily refer to the strength of the wood, but rather how the tree propagates. Hardwood trees are deciduous, have enclosed seeds and lose their leaves in a season. Most softwoods are evergreen with their seeds residing in cones. 

4. Cedar, pine, fir, and other softwoods make up approximately 80% of the lumber used in construction, including framing and roofing. (Shop our framing or roofing tools and fasteners here). Softwoods are fast growing, more easily worked, and feature a wide grain.

5. Often used for carving, oak is extremely durable but difficult to work. It has a high tannin content, which makes it resistant to attack by insects. Take a wild guess at America's national tree.

6. Oak and southern yellow pine (SYP) are the two most common woods used in pallet making. (See our tools for pallet and crate assembly.) 

7. A softwood, cedar is used to make roof shingles. Easily sawed and nailed, cedar is a good insulator and it's resistant to humidity.

8. Some of the most common natural woods used in flooring include the hardwoods maple, cherry, and oak. Other popular choices are teak and walnut. Click here to shop flooring tools and fasteners.)

9. Native to North America, the Douglas fir is the traditional choice of Christmas trees. Other popular types include Scotch pine, cypress, cedar, and Colorado blue spruce.

10. A 12-ton Norway spruce was used for the 2018 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. After the holidays, the wood will be cut into pieces, kiln dried and milled. The finished beams will be donated to Habitat for Humanity.

Need a fun project for using leftover pallet wood? Habitat posted some steps for making a pallet Christmas tree. If anyone decides to try it, please post about it, below!

~ The Nail Gun Depot Team