How Hard is wood?

[Darryl A]

I've attached wood hardness charts for everyone. Enjoy

[mtylerfl]

Hello Darryl A,

Thank you for posting the charts!

Here's an explanation of the Janka Rating...

"The Janka hardness test is a measurement of the force necessary to embed a .444-inch steel ball to half its diameter in wood. It is the industry standard for gauging the ability of various species to tolerate denting and normal wear, as well as being a good indication of the effort required to either nail or saw the particular wood."

[oldjoe]

Thanks to both on the chart and the explanation of the chart all this time I have been using the sliver chart. The harder the wood the longer it takes to fester out. LOL:rolleyes:

[mtylerfl]

Thanks to both on the chart and the explanation of the chart all this time I have been using the sliver chart. The harder the wood the longer it takes to fester out. LOL:rolleyes:

That's GOOD, oldjoe!;) I think the sliver chart is one we are all familiar with, as well as the "bit sharpness chart"!

[swhitney]

Been kinda interested in finding more info on hardness of wood. The charts are very helpful and have been printed and laminated for hanging in the shop as a reference.

thanx Darryl

and thanx to Mike for the explanation of how they got the number!

Scott

[bluecobra]

Thanks for the charts, very useful!

As a Carvewright newbie, what should be the approximate Janka minimum rating should we use for satisfactory results on the Carvwright?

I've used soft pine which had major tearout. Did some red oak too, was better than the pine but still had what I'd consider unacceptable tearout.

Trying to find a balance between wood cost and performance.

Thanks.

BLueCoBra
CompuCarve owner

[mtylerfl]

Hello BlueCobra,

Welcome!

Shoot, I carve pine all the time and don't have the problems that just about everyone else reports. I have some minor fuzzies to get rid of, but not too bad, and no tearout. Wish I knew what variety of pine I've been buying at our local Home Depot and Lowes - it's got to be different than what seems to be common in other parts of the country! (I'm in southeast Georgia).

Anyhow, most folks report that maple, cherry, white oak, and walnut carve best with the least amount of fuzzies. A few people also say that cedar has carved very well for them.

[oldjoe]

I use both the clear pine and the #2 pine from HD not too many problems fuzzies like Mike says but nothing major had problems with aspen not a good choice. Good luck and welcome

[pkunk]

There's lots of different species of pine. Southern Yellow pine is probably one of the hardest and best to carve while construction grade white pine is soft and coarse. I've had good results with old growth "sugar pine", which while soft, has a dense fine grain. Also good is (if you can find some clear) Douglas fir. When dry, it is quite hard and fine grained.