Wood Species: Beech (Fagus grandifolia)
Appearance: Top portion is finished with water-base finish; bottom with oil-based finish.
Color: Heartwood is mostly reddish brown; sapwood is generally pale white.
Grain: Mostly closed, straight grain; fine, uniform texture. Coarser than European beech.
Variations Within Species And Grades: Only one species is native to the United States. Moderate to high color variation between boards.
Workability:
- Sawing/Machining: Difficult to work with hand tools, but good machining qualities.
- Sanding: Sands satisfactorily if correct sanding sequence is followed.
- Nailing: Has a tendency to split the tongues.
- Finishing: May be difficult to stain.
Properties: Hardness/Janka: Janka Hardness: 1300 (1% harder than Northern red oak.
Dimensional Stability: Below average (11.9%; 38% less stable than Northern red oak).
Availability: Moderately available. Origin is North America