| Do you live in a humid environment, such as near a | | | | much more malleable properties. Harder, dryer |
| body of water, or in a basement apartment? If your | | | | woods, such as Oak and Ebony, will sooner break |
| kitchen cabinets are made of pine, you may be | | | | than bend. For this reason, knowledgeable |
| familiar with the flexible nature of wood. Maybe you | | | | cabinetmakers always choose harder woods such as |
| returned to your home one warm, humid night from | | | | Maple, Oak and Cherry for their projects. This |
| a fun weekend with friends, and saw that your | | | | ensures the integrity of their finished product, |
| cabinet doors were completely warped and unable to | | | | regardless of the customer's domestic environment. |
| close. As odd as it sounds, it does happen. This is | | | | Before you buy your new cabinets, or embark on a |
| because all wood types have a certain amount of | | | | new woodworking project, make sure you know |
| elasticity when put under stress. Of course, various | | | | your woods. Here is a quick reference list that you |
| factors are involved, including: the type of wood and | | | | can refer to: |
| its moisture content, as well as the amount of stress | | | | Soft Woods: |
| that is inflicted upon it. | | | | · Pine |
| The elasticity of wood is something that humans | | | | · Douglas Fir |
| have known about and leveraged for thousands of | | | | · Redwood |
| years, as can readily be verified by the wondrous | | | | · Spruce |
| creations of our ancestors, including, wooden wheels, | | | | · Poplar |
| elaborate battle ships such as Spanish Galleons and | | | | · Cedar |
| countless architectural works. However, it wasn't until | | | | Medium Woods: |
| the 17th Century that there was scientific insight into | | | | · Beech |
| the definitive properties of this mystery. An English | | | | · Walnut |
| physicist named Robert Hooke developed a theory, | | | | · Rosewood |
| which subsequently became Hooke's law that stated | | | | · Ash |
| that the amount by which a material body is | | | | · Chestnut |
| deformed is linearly related to the force causing the | | | | Hard Woods: |
| deformation. In layman terms, this means that stress | | | | · Mahogany |
| applied to a material translates to a proportional strain | | | | · Ebony |
| on this material. Increase the stress and a certain | | | | · Cherry |
| amount of strain will permanently deform the wood. | | | | · Maple |
| Because there are many different types of wood, | | | | · Oak |
| each with varying degrees of moisture content and | | | | · Teak |
| density, under Hooke's Law, some will break while | | | | · Hickory |
| others will bend. | | | | Copyright © Harold German, 2007. All Rights |
| Green, moist woods such as Pine and Douglas fir, | | | | Reserved. |
| which can hold a high amount of moisture, have | | | | |