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| Home Painting Skills and Basics Paperhanging Home Decorating Interior Decorating Wood Identification |
DogwoodDogwood, is found in many temperate countries, but the only source of commercial timber of more than local use  is eastern North America. Well known for its showy flowers, it is there a small tree, 5 to 10m in height, yielding logs no more than 15 cm in diameter. Of similar size, but less important as a source of timber, is European dogwood.Dogwood is hard, heavy, very fine in texture and usually straight-grained. It is typically yellow to pinkish-brown, sometimes with a small dark-brown core of heartwood, which is usually excluded from commercial supplies. Dogwood is slightly heavier than beech. Dogwood dries well but slowly. It is noted for its strength, particularly for its hardness and toughness. Although because of its weight it is hard to machine, its working properties are good and it finishes very smoothly. It is not resistant to decay. A special-purpose wood, dogwood is traditionally used in the textile industry for shuttles and spindles, because it is both hard-wearing and has the ability to remain smooth despite continuous use; commercial supplies are prepared in the form of blanks of a length and section suitable for their manufacture. European dogwood is sometimes used for hammer-handles, as it is tough. Extract from 'The International book of WOOD' curtesy Michael Beazley Publishers Limited 1979. |
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