WOOD SPECIES

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Oak

Ash

American Walnut

Oak

OAK

European oak (Quercus robur) – grows in all of Europe and North Caucasus.

Description:

Heartwood of oak is light brown, sapwood is white to creamy white. Oak has open grain with rays, occasional swirls and burls. Plain sawn oak boards have a flared grain appearance, while quarter sawn oak has a flake pattern (sometimes called tiger rays).

Physical Properties:

Quarter sawn oak has excellent dimensional stability. Oak is very strong and durable, measuring 1360 on the Janka scale. Tannic acid in the wood protects it from insects and fungal attacks.

Uses:

Oak has always been a very popular choice for hardwood flooring. Today, oak flooring is available in nearly all types, styles and sizes. Wide, quarter sawn boards of white oak have been extremely prized since the Middle Ages, when oak was used in designing the interior of prestigious buildings, flooring and fine furniture. As a symbol of elegance, strength and endurance, oak has been chosen as a national tree of many countries.

Ash

ASH

European Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) grows in mainland of Europe and east to the Caucasus.

Description and Physical Properties:

Ash is a strong and very hard-wearing wood (it measures 1320 on the Janka scale). Ash is similar in appearance to oak, but is frequently more yellow lighter. Heartwood color varies from light tan to dark brown, while sapwood is creamy white. Ash is distinguished by straight, coarse and moderately open grain that has some occasional wavy figuring. Ash is a hard, elastic wood with excellent shock resistance properties.

Uses:

Because of its resilience and rapid growth, ash has historically been one of the most versatile woods with far-ranging uses. Until World War II, ash trees were widely used for building and woodworking. In Scandinavian mythology, ash appears as the holy World Tree, Yggdrasil. It is said that its roots are anchored in the abyss of the underworld and watered by the streams of wisdom and faith. The trunk of the sacred ash is said to be supported by the earth while its crown touches the arc of heaven.

American Walnut

AMERICAN WALNUT

Black walnut (Juglans nigra) – grows only in central parts of North America.

Countries: Central states of the USA

Description:

American Walnut is known for the pronounced color difference between its sapwood and heartwood. While heartwood ranges from a deep, rich dark brown to a purplish black, sapwood is nearly white to tan. American walnut has mostly straight and open grain, although the grain can be curly or burled on some boards. Prominent color contrast and variation is what distinguishes American walnut hardwood from other species’ and gives it sought after exotic appearance and charm. Unlike most other wood species, American walnut tends to lighten over time.

Physical Properties:

Although softer than oak (1010 on the Janka scale), American walnut is a strong wood with excellent shock resistance properties.

Application:

Throughout history, American walnut has been a popular choice for manufacturing gunstocks, paddles, furniture and flooring.

HARDNESS JANKA

Coswick flooring is manufactured from 7 different domestic and tropical wood species. Oak and ash flooring are classic choices that will fit most contemporary interiors. Flooring from American Walnut, Jatoba and Santos Mahogany is distinguished by exotic color tones and make flooring the focal point of any space.

In woodworking and hardwood flooring manufacturing, different wood species are compared to one another using the Janka method. Janka is a test which measures (in pounds) the force required to drive a metal ball (11.28 mm in diameter) into the wood to the depth of ½ the ball’s diameter. The hardness of a given wood species is directly proportional to its Janka value: the higher the value, the higher the wood hardness.

Janka hardness test is calculated as an average between plain sawn and quarter sawn cuts and is meant to inform about structural properties of a given wood species, its resistance and durability.

The table on the right shows how wood species used to manufacture Coswick flooring compare against one another according to Janka scale. More detailed information about each of the wood species is found under the corresponding tabs above.

* Figures in the table are taken from Forests Products Laboratory (FPL, Madison, USA).

WOOD SPECIES

Oak

OAK

Ash

ASH

American Walnut

AMERICAN WALNUT

HARDNESS JANKA

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