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How to Identify Hardwoods and Softwoods | Ask This Old House

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Ask This Old House general contractor Tom Silva walks host Kevin O’Connor through the types of woods available and the best uses for each.
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1. The terms hardwood and softwood do not refer to density but rather to the type of tree- hardwoods come from deciduous trees and softwoods from conifers.
2. Softwoods grow fast and straight so they are a good option for framing material like fir and spruce. The less knots, the stronger the wood. These woods are typically dried in a kiln to prevent warping and shrinkage.
3. Some softwoods like pine are inexpensive and can be used for interior trim, but they can warp and twist.
4. A hardwood like maple is used for cabinets whereas oak is a good choice for flooring. Both of these are more common hardwoods.
5. Fine hardwoods are denser and include species like walnut and mahogany. They’re used for balusters and decking and are more expensive than common hardwoods.
6. Exotic hardwoods like purple heart and zebra wood are the most expensive and usually used for accents on fine furniture.
About Ask This Old House TV:
Homeowners have a virtual truckload of questions for us on smaller projects, and we're ready to answer. Ask This Old House solves the steady stream of home improvement problems faced by our viewers-and we make house calls! Ask This Old House features some familiar faces from This Old House, including Kevin O'Connor, general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, and landscape contractor Roger Cook.
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How to Identify Hardwoods and Softwoods | Ask This Old House
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20 авг 2024

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Комментарии : 270

@Aethelvlad Год назад

I can't believe I've struggle for so long trying to remember which trees are hard and which are soft, this makes its so simple lol

@IplayDrooms1 6 лет назад

0:29 he was shocked when he picked up the lignum vitae however he was the one who brought it into frame at the start

@oldtwinsna8347 6 лет назад

the whole show is scripted. nobody is shocked about anything

@reljin2 5 лет назад

Guys he thinks this is a hidden camera show with regular guys hanging out in a barn.

@mstchiefa7892 5 лет назад

Good eye

@mstchiefa7892 5 лет назад

@@barbwagner967 the guy is just pointing out an obvious discrepancy. You actually sound pretty miserable. Do you come online to point your fingers at people.over every little percieved fault??

@mstchiefa7892 5 лет назад

@@barbwagner967 i dont think you see how circular your argument is. Youre the one who ironically pointed it out while doing the exact same thing while also being demeaning.

@acidxero 4 года назад

Apparently I'm the only one who has been miserably let down by this video. I watched it hoping to learn how to identify hardwoods and softwoods, but all they really do is give you some information about where they come from and show you that some rare type of wood sinks. If I have a random scrap of wood in my hand and I want to determine what type of tree it came from, this video does absolutely nothing to help me figure that out. And considering the information they give about some hardwoods being soft and some softwoods being hard, this video has left me even more confused in regards to identifying the type of wood I'm holding in my hand. Which seems like a reasonable thing one might expect to be able to learn from a video labeled how to identify hardwoods and softwoods.

@Py_FoeHammer 3 года назад

I wish I could just follow him around for a few years and learn everything!

@echognomecal6742 4 месяца назад

Hey everybody! I found Tom's stalker!!!

@Robocoppat 4 года назад

I loved taking shop in school.. Wood shop Metal shop Leather shop Mechanics shop Home economics I learned so much from all the shopi was in. Now 30++years later, I'm still get excited when I get to build something out of metal and/or wood. To bad most schools due away with shop classes.

@MarkowskyArt 7 лет назад

Best explanation about the difference between different woods I've seen on the web, well done! TRUST This Old House!

@maksgonopolsky8374 6 лет назад

halfway through and im blown away by the amount of information in this video and the older gentlemans awesome accent. You guys just got a new sub.

@jamesdarnell8568 4 года назад

"the older gentleman" lol. host Kevin, master carpenter Norm, general contractor Tommy, plumbing and HVAC Richard, electrical contractor Scott, landscape contractor Jennifer, mason Mark, builder Jeff, painter Mauro and home technology expert Ross (Richard's son).

@blackfender100 6 лет назад

Good stuff guys as always.I am 57 years old and I have watched this show forever.Back to the Bob Vila days.

@nofurtherwest3474 6 лет назад

They should teach this to every kid in high school. I feel I was deprived.

@germangarciajr4249 5 лет назад

Its sad

@prepperjonpnw6482 5 лет назад

You didn’t get a chance to take woodshop? Wow. We had wood shop, auto shop, metal shop, home ec, driving, and several more. And they wonder why we have a nation of snowflakes lol. You’re not a real man until you’ve seen a 14 year old idiot lose his fingers to a band saw while using it to trim his fingernails which is exactly what the instructor told him NOT to do lol

@michaelallen6754 5 лет назад

You must have taken ‘special’ classes if the instructor felt the need to remind the class not do something so idiotic, only to have it still happen, don’t know why there would be a special wood shop class, seems ill advised but then again you don’t want those kids growing up to be special snowflakes

@christophermckinney984 4 года назад

Prepperjon wow, some lessons are learned the hard way. I never had any wood, auto, or any other shop in high school, except for masonry which I took in 9th grade as an elective because there was nothing else I could take.

@buddyd.irishsr.5646 3 года назад

They used to teach at in high school back in the 40s 50s 60s and 70s

@sawdustcrypto3987 5 месяцев назад

2:17 "Twist and Wop" Hey, that was my uncle Vinny's favorite dance!

@KarlBunker 7 лет назад

2:15 "It will twist and wawp ..." LOL

@s3dchr 6 лет назад

Sounds like something you'd hear in a YTP.

@graceborg3410 6 лет назад

KarlBunker 8

@jameswoodbury1807 5 лет назад

*warp*

@Fazman81 5 лет назад

That's not good especially if you're making a draw. Lol

@splatterbrain3788 5 лет назад

Pahk the cah in the yahd, Mahk.

@joeellis2265 6 лет назад

Might have missed it, but while you shared interesting facts about different types of wood, I don't think after watching this video many people can identify whether a stick of wood is a hardwood or a softwood. The title of the video is: How to Identify Hardwoods and Softwoods.

@joeellis2265 6 лет назад

Are you this guy's mother? All I'm suggesting is that if a title claims to do a certain thing, the video should deliver on what the title "promises". Have a good day.

@bbdowntownbb 5 лет назад

I agree with you, there was no identification whats so ever, description of wood - yes, but to identify woods - no. I was going to post this initially but see you already did. and glad to see someone else on the same page as me.

@TheDarkToes 5 лет назад

Seems like you guys didn't watch the video

@prepperjonpnw6482 5 лет назад

TheDarkToes - Yes we watched the video. You may count telling us about needles vs leaves or conifer vs deciduous as how to identify them but I do not. The title infers that we will be taught how to identify the wood. Once the trees have been turned into lumber and shipped to the local lumber yard or big box stores how do you tell which is which? That is what the title infers. So in the video at what point do they explain how to tell the difference between hardwood and softwood?

@mekatrol 6 лет назад

'Hardwoods come from deciduous trees' is probably true for North America, but for other places (eg Australia) hardwoods are not deciduous. A few examples, Australian Buloke (harder than Lignum vitae), Reg Gum, Tasmanian Oak. Great article though, and can't get enough of this channel.

@timjacob9059 3 года назад

To add to the confusion, some softwoods are deciduous-larch, baldcypress, dawnredwood et al. U S native non-deciduous hardwoods include American holly, southern magnolia, live oak et al.

@ginoasci2876 6 лет назад

There is a restaurant located a half hour north of boston that used zebra wood for thier bar top..... they finished it with a high gloss urethane and it's amazing. Beautiful !!!!!!!

@alcarowisdom3508 5 лет назад

If I had that chance I will pay a visit to that particular place.Thanks.

@jmvasq65 7 лет назад

Wow talk about making it quick and easy to remember.

@brianreese9318 4 года назад

Great guys great info never distrust them they been in the work for years

@RockinGuy1994 6 лет назад

Black walnut is my favorite

@nickdipaolofan5948 6 лет назад

yup, me too!! I love the figure and the dark brown tones. My favorite project I ever did was a coffe table top that was highly figured walnut that has a nice reddish hue to it. Everyone looks at it with amazement and ask where I bought it.........hahaha

@keithsarty3039 2 года назад

Extremely informative 👏 Great video, thank you so much!

@drumtwo4seven 6 лет назад

They make drums out of some.of those as well very popular for that... maple, birch, mahogany to name a few and mostly all but not all are made using plies just as in plywood itself. Musical percussive drum shells.

@rustyfox2794 6 лет назад

There are THOUSANDS of hardwoods that don't drop their leaves. Balsa only loses its leaves in dry spells, not annually for winter. Almost all Australian hardwoods are not deciduous. The difference is whether they are conifers or not.

@jonniepalmer 5 лет назад

correct!

@mikestevens8012 5 лет назад

density is a string indicater , the pines that are hard are hard dense strait grained few knots , if you look up r value and heat value , good woods score high , also water content , it warps and twists as it drys

@jhi1947 6 лет назад

Tommy Silva is the man!

@TheOvechkinG 6 лет назад

Hardest wood, morning wood

@sgvpotter 6 лет назад

as you get older it turns to a soft wood, but they make a pill for that

@graciegordon6552 6 лет назад

Lol

@Rodiraskal 4 года назад

sgvpotter mine must be made from rubber wood 😢

@johnnywhite1681 6 лет назад

A well lit close up of the grain would have been helpful.

@MyDearKyoKun 5 лет назад

Thank you for this clear explanation - has helped me with a school project I'm doing ^^

@olelaustsen8657 6 лет назад

Great explanation on soft and hard wood guys! Thanks for the video!

@smellthewooodcom942 4 года назад

Quick, easy, and beautifully explained. Thank you!!

@olf-xj4pc 7 лет назад

can you also make one about different kinds of plywood, mdf, multiplex etc. and when to use what?

@justinwoods240 4 года назад

I use one for my projects cause I'm a kid and can't afford nice wood but I like the knot look I make furniture and cool projects out of them in my shop and random house needs

@Arieeeee 7 лет назад

Nobody knows his wood like Tom Silva

@David-fv7zg 7 лет назад

Arie M Except for Norm

@Arieeeee 7 лет назад

Yup...Norm and Tom can erect anything.

@brokenwave6125 6 лет назад

That's not even slightly true.

@rustyfox2794 6 лет назад

Might know about softwoods, but completely wrong on all hardwoods being deciduous! WRONG!

@prepperjonpnw6482 5 лет назад

Except for Mrs Silva lol She knows his wood lol

@26rwplay 6 лет назад

Tom is the jack of all trades

@ishanparkashsingh6879 6 лет назад

Great help for my Product Design revision! Thanks for this great explanation of hard and softwoods. :)

@bronyponyy 3 года назад

Hello people from loreto I’m assuming you’ve been sent here from your teacher Lol

@ginoasci2876 4 года назад

purple heart flooring is amazing

@donna30044 6 лет назад

Angiosperm, "enclosed seed", which include fruits and nut, yield hardwoods, while gymnosperm, "naked seed", mostly conifers, yield softwoods. The terms have absolute nothing to do with the relative hardness or workability of the wood. Balsa is a hardwood, and yew is a softwood. Go figure!

@JohnvanGurp 6 лет назад

Very interesting - thanks!

@willmorrison1022 5 лет назад

That's what I learned, as well. It's the seeds that determine which it is. The needle thing is close, but not totally accurate. I believe that myrtle is a soft wood, for instance.

@prepperjonpnw6482 5 лет назад

Will Morrison Myrtle is considered a hardwood. It grows mainly in Southwestern Oregon and the Holy Land. It’s a relative of the Laurel and Bay trees. Go to myrtlewoodgallery.com for a wealth of information. And yes I live in southwest Oregon lol Cheers mates and happy trails

@bradleyrussell1973 4 года назад

Poplar????? Answer carefully. Not what you think!

@robgoldsmith9238 2 года назад

Not sure Yew is a softwood. If you look at it's needles, they are actually tiny leaves. Also, seed is in a fruit rather than naked. :-). Just saying ;-)

@JoniAntonio 7 лет назад

Good timing! I just finished setting up a workshop at home and i will be looking to build a computer desk and a dining table this summer and i am learning more about wood as i begin to look for lumber to build my stuff this summer! Sweet!

@bobscruggs8886 5 лет назад

I use cypress siding wood for several projects and has beautiful grain Cypress is as hard as Oak even though it is considered a softwood

@tchevrier 4 года назад

I believe the difference is actually with respect to the seeds, rather than the leaves.

@jays7708 7 лет назад

Amazing learned alot

@goodlife1500 6 лет назад

Still the best home show around

@josepineda2268 2 года назад

It's crazy how lignum vitae is super heavy and could actually sink.

@OlympusHeavyCavalry 4 года назад

Interesting. Here in Australia, we have some really nice Hardwoods and Softwoods. Others have to imported sadly. Cheers for the video :-)

@crepps 5 лет назад

This was very informative.

@williamturns341 3 года назад

Excellent presentation!

@izthebutcher 7 лет назад

Yup it's wood!

@Denbig. 7 лет назад

No mention of Sapele, Acoya, Idigibo or Green Heart woods. All these are hard woods as well.

@TripleAAA53 7 лет назад

VERY INFORMATIVE !! THANK YOU !!!

@AxcelGamer97 6 лет назад

Love balsa on Rapalas.

@cynthiaarmstrong7972 Год назад

Great info!

@edkinsel3553 3 года назад

Very helpful.

@magicrobharv 7 лет назад

Great explanation! !!

@williamsmith7221 7 лет назад

Great video!!

@AntonioDeVido1 5 лет назад

fine but you didn't mention old houses at all

@jelie2k 6 лет назад

Great info. Thank you

@splatterbrain3788 5 лет назад

It'll twist and wop.

@djamelazerty7549 7 лет назад

thenks

@scottsmith6571 5 лет назад

My study is all dark walnut

@philipvernejules9926 5 лет назад

......learning a bit more about the other timbers was good but I won't accept the definition given. If a timber is easy to nail and cut then it's a softwood and if it bends nails hammered into it ,then I call it a hardwood and also the chainsaw blade requires more frequent sharpening. The hardest timber on the planet is the Australian iron gum ( ironbark ) and it's very dangerous to hit it with an axe.

@ozzy2753 7 лет назад

Wow I have never even seen that purple wood

@dwightemorgan4367 6 лет назад

Oswaldo Rabanal can be found in Guyana in the Caribbean

@steveburian 6 лет назад

Here is the most extraordinary example of Purpleheart you may ever see: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-GKm460QWupM.htmlm32s

@americanwoodworkingtrickss6543 5 лет назад

Very nice video.Thanks

@will_bond8343 6 лет назад

i am satisfied with this explination

@tonym6920 5 лет назад

God sure gave us a lot of choices for sure.

@robertbrunston5406 6 лет назад

Very good! Thank you.

@minshullj 6 лет назад

Fantastic. Thanks for the info.

@anthonyacosta9398 Год назад

Saw this

@brokenwave6125 7 лет назад

What about a nice Spanish Cedar? Its a softwood but still very quality and could make very nice furniture

@daveburp3031 5 лет назад

No u forgot hedge aka Osage orange aka bois darc it’s one of the best all round woods

@micahbush5397 Год назад

2:18 "It will twist and wah-p and everything else..."

@pikarose5367 5 лет назад

That 2x4 was not fir, it was pine! Fir, although it has some white wood, is mostly reddish toned. They don't usually make 2x4s out of fir. Because it has more structural strength, they tend to reserve fir for 2x8s and up-joist and rafters, etc. But perhaps he was just mentioning fir while showing the pine 2x4 for construction, though he didn't mention that.

@prepperjonpnw6482 5 лет назад

Pika Rose are you certain of that? Here in the Pacific Northwest we use Douglas Fir for everything including 2x4’s. We even use it for 2x2’s and 1x4’s

@timjacob9059 3 года назад

Several true firs-noble, grand, red and others are commonly used for framing lumber. These trees are in the genus Abies and have generally light tan wood. They are the F when a mill mark reads SPF. Douglas-fir, genus Psuedotsuga ("false hemlock") is not a true fir. Its wood can be tan to pink to a rather deep red. You will see DF in the mill mark.

@alpacamale2909 2 года назад

Cedro is king

@rachelh4319 4 года назад

Why didn't he cut the 2 woods the same size to put in the water for his float experiment? Is the lignum wood harder to cut a flat small sample from?

@christopherburgess96 4 года назад

Not one scrap about how to tell them apart, though, or even why they're used for different purposes. For example, why frame with a softwood? What's it good for?

@josepineda2268 2 года назад

So bigger long trees=more logs and longer boards

@ThisIsNotAVideo 5 лет назад

Another thing to factor into wood selection is the environmental impact. Most tropical hardwoods are sourced from countries without the forestry regulations and best practices of Europe, the US, etc. As beautiful as the exotics are, I don't trust any supplier to source sustainably. I prefer softwoods, maple, oak, and other domestics.

@philipvernejules9926 5 лет назад

.....timber sourced from Indonesia has been a problem.

@NoferTrunions 5 лет назад

Might want to mention how toxic dusts of these woods can be!

@andrewgarratt5191 5 лет назад

No joke...I went into a woodcraft knowing NOTHING about that...picked what looked best to me to play with... I picked Cocobolo...I was amazed at how “sweet” it smelt and how the dust looked like glitter in the sunlight. That night : super sore throat,head ache and even my very first nose bleed! 😵 Please know what your messing with when it comes to all that exotic stuff!

@philipvernejules9926 5 лет назад

......Tasmanian huon pine shavings should not be used as bedding for hens and cypress is also toxic. The hens get poisoned and die.

@CashIsKing_UseItOrLoseIt 5 лет назад

good vid tq.

@jasonrobertson216 4 года назад

I have a house in southern Missouri which was built in 1923, I'm trying to find out what kind of wood is on top of the concrete foundation, it's 4x6s, single layer in most places but double layered up front of house, is a very red, dark red wood, and when I put vents under house each vent spot burned through 3-4 sawzall blades each, but had to get done - termites had field day before those vents. Any ideas how to tell if red oak, or redwood??

@syedjavedahmad9719 4 года назад

the prices you dipped in the water were not the same size?.

@brokenwave6125 6 лет назад

You never want your boards to wop.

@graciegordon6552 6 лет назад

I love how he just puts a small shim-like piece of the balsa, then throws in a sizeable chunk of lignum vitae and is like "wow! I wonder why it didn't float!" Lol

@timjacob9059 3 года назад

Reverse the sizes and you get the same results. It's a matter of density (weight divided by volume) and not just volume. You cannot make a piece of lignumvitae small enough to float without the help of surface tension or a piece of balsa large enough to sink.

@charliebrown4007 5 лет назад

question is it ok to burn pine wood in the fireplace or wood stove

@prepperjonpnw6482 5 лет назад

Tim Bolt yes I do it every winter. As do most people in this part of the country

@kirksway1 5 лет назад

as long as it's not treated. you don't want chemicals in the air you breath

@ladytradiej8027 6 лет назад

Hi, I want to make a timber box to cook my cakes in, in the oven. What type of timber would be the best to use please? I will be lining the box with baking paper, not putting the cake mixture straight into the box. PS, I am in Australia so it has to be something I can get easily. Thanks.

@cammoore___ 4 года назад

Who else is here cause of COVID-19

@chado468 5 лет назад

honestly like they're almost arguing

@bryanrobin2952 5 лет назад

What do the pro’s recommend for building outdoor furniture, that will withstand many years of weather. With or without paint.

@bryanrobin2952 5 лет назад

Thank you

@anatoly86 5 лет назад

I have a piece of wood that I have been working on with hand tools it is very hard. And it is tan colored with a very distinctive tightly woven burlap fabric look. I haven't any ideas as to what it is, as I purchased it online from a Chinese store with no description in Chinese or otherwise. Any ideas?

@danlangston4074 6 лет назад

where would cypress wood fall into this? i have family from Lousiana who always talk about how great it is because it can hold up so well in wet climates.

@brokenwave6125 6 лет назад

dan langston Cypress is a softwood.

@johnrielley7756 5 лет назад

Botanically it's a softwood, but the lumber industry treats it as a hardwood. Just another example that hard and fast rules don't always fit.

@TheXboxName 5 лет назад

Mmm mahogany.

@page76metalcraft19 2 года назад

Watchedthe whole video and still don't know how to tell the difference between softwood and hardwood

@rogerscottcathey 5 лет назад

Yew is pretty darn hard, but called a softwood.

@carljdipietro 5 лет назад

Wow, Tommy's wicked smaht!

@davidsolis35 4 года назад

They never actually said how to identify hardwood and softwood. They said what they are--where they come from. But if you have a random piece of lumber--is it soft or hard? Didn't really say how to find out.

@rodney73991 5 лет назад

should have garden show how do tree identification.

@rodney73991 5 лет назад

so Groot hard wood or soft wood? think said had nuts ? or maybe cartoon. look poison oak vine then any other trees. way branch grow new him. kinda make think like willow tree pound. cut branch stick mud grow new tree. flexible like ash.

@thecostyandbunnyshow1135 3 года назад

👍🏻

@yarinfantonejulio2962 6 лет назад

sono completamente compiaciuto dal esperienza del signore anche se mi sembra ambiguo un botto

@richardpowell9620 6 лет назад

When did you build Pinocchio

@aboubakarmohammad240 6 лет назад

Sir from mahogany and cedar. Which one is best for outer main door.

@georgeshepherd3307 6 лет назад

Twist and. waaaaap !!!

@brawler631 4 года назад

hard woods are detirmened by there leaves

@ChaNnArD-mD Год назад

Where's cedar 😢

@samanthamonaghan7579 6 лет назад

why are the two wood sample dropped in the water different shapes and sizes?

@leopoldstotch4383 6 лет назад

Samantha Monaghan ....the two pieces used may have been scrap pieces they had around, but the demonstration shows the density of the two different woods. The fact that one was bigger has nothing to do with it sinking. For example, even a small rock will sink because of the density of the rock itself. It has a greater gravitational pull downward than the water pressure pushing up beneath it.