Birch Wood - Complete Guide (Types, Uses and Pros & Cons) - Woodworking Trade

5/19/24, 12:59 PM Birch Wood - Complete Guide (Types, Uses and Pros & Cons) - Woodworking Trade
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Birch Wood – Complete Guide (Types, Uses and

Pros & Cons)
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As a woodworker, your primary concern would be to source the most suitable
wood for your woodworking projects. Unfortunately, the countless varieties of
wood can confuse you, with every lumber yard claiming that their wood is the
best!
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In this post, we take a close look at one of the most popular wood species in
the world of woodworking – birch. We discuss the different types of birch
that you can get and what you should look for while procuring it. We also
feature the uses of this wood and the pros and cons of this versatile wood.
Birch: Background
Birch is hardwood, and the tree comes from the Betulaceae family that includes
hazels and alders. There are between thirty to sixty species of birch. However,
eleven are on the endangered species list.
The sapwood is creamy-white, and the heartwood is golden brown. The grain
pattern differs between the various types. There is a tendency to compare birch
with maple as they both share similar properties.
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You need to take particular care while processing birch lumber. It has a fine, closed
grain with a uniform texture, and it is odorless. The wood loses about 15% of its
volume during curing. It tends to warp if it is not kept under adequate pressure
while drying.
Birch is stable but prone to insect attack, decay, and fungus. A characteristic
feature of birch is “spalting” caused by certain fungi. It creates some interesting
patterns in the wood grain and adds to the aesthetic value of the wood.
Types of Birch
As we mentioned above, there are thirty to sixty types of birch. But in this post, we
will discuss eleven of the most prominent species:
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Downy Birch (Betula pubescens)
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Other names for this wood are European birch and white birch. It grows in Asia,
Iceland, Northern Europe, and Greenland. Downy birch trees grow to a maximum
height of 65 feet with a trunk diameter of up to 0.6 meters.
Downy birch is soft with a Janka hardness number of 930 lbf, so it is easy to work
with. All other features fall in line with the general features of birch.
The outer layer of bark, when removed intact, makes canoe skins, water vessels,
and roofing tiles. The inner bark goes to make rope. Finally, the timber makes
plywood furniture, matches, toys, and coffins.
Sweet Birch (Betula lenta)

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Sweet birch grows in North America in the northeast region. The trees are high and
grow up to 100 feet, and the trunks have a diameter of up to 1 meter. It is a
hardwood with a Janka hardness rating of 1,470 lbf, making it a preferable choice
for making indoor furniture and indoor structures. This ad will end in 9
Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera)
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You will find the trees of this wood growing in North America in the northern and
central regions. The trees grow to a maximum height of 100 feet and develop
trunks of up to 1 meter in diameter.
The wood of paper birch is fairly soft, similar to downy birch with a Janka hardness
rating of 910 lbf, making it an easy wood to work with. The softness of this wood
makes it suitable for making paper and firewood if dried properly.
However, it is also used for making furniture, flooring, and popsicle sticks. It also
forms a component in the manufacture of engineered wood.
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Yellow Birch (Betula alleghaniensis)
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Yellow birch grows in North America in the northeast region. The trees are tall,
growing to a maximum height of about 100 feet with a maximum trunk diameter
of 1 meter. The wood is fairly hard with a Janka hardness number of 1,260 lbf.
Due to its relative hardness, yellow birch makes good flooring, furniture, doors,
veneer, cabinetry, gun stocks, and toothpicks. In addition, it played a prominent
role in making wagon wheels once upon a time.
Gray Birch (Betula populifolia)
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Gray birch grows in the northeast region of North America. The trees are of
medium height and only grow up to 40 feet, which thin trunks of a maximum of
0.3 meters (thirty centimeters).
The wood is very soft with a Janka hardness rating of 760 lbf, which makes it useful
for making high-grade plywood, furniture, drum shells, spools, and firewood.
River Birch (Betula nigra)
You can find river birch trees growing in the eastern region of the United States.
The trees are tall and grow up to a height of 10 meters with a maximum trunk
diameter of 1 meter.
It is a fairly soft type of birch with a Janka hardness rating of 970 lbf. Due to its
heavy knotting, river birch doesn’t have much commercial use. However, the local
people use it for making basic furniture and structures, and fuel.
Alder-leaf Birch (Betula alnoides)
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Alder-leaf birch grows in Myanmar, India, and Nepal. The trees grow up to a
maximum height of 100 feet with a trunk diameter up to 1 meter. The wood is soft
with a Janka hardness rating of 830 lbf. It finds extensive use for making plywood
and some other varieties of engineered wood.
Alaska Paper Birch (Betula neoalaskana)
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As the name implies, Alaska paper birch grows in Alaska as well as in Northern
Canada. The trees are quite tall, up to 65 feet, and the trunks grow to a diameter of
0.6 meters (60 centimeters).
Alaska paper birch is rather soft with a Janka hardness rating of 830 lbf. The wood
being soft is used for making paper pulpwood and firewood.
Silver Birch (Betula pendula)
This wood is native to Europe and southwest Asia. The trees are tall and grow up
to a height of 100 feet, with trunks up to 0.6 meters (60 centimeters) in diameter.
The wood is quite hard, with a Janka hardness rating of 1,210 lbf.
Silver Birch makes furniture, plywood, veneers, parquet blocks, skis, kitchen
utensils, and turnery.
Masur Birch
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This wood is not a particular species at all. But the grain structure is similar to that
of downy birch or silver birch. Therefore, it also goes by Karelian birch, as it grows
abundantly in Karelia, which lies between Finland and Russia.
Masur birch has a unique grain pattern that makes it resemble a burl. The knotty
nature of this wood renders it suitable for turned objects like knife handles and in
decorative veneer.
Baltic Birch
Baltic Birch Plywood (Image: Amazon)
Here again, we have a wood that isn’t a specific species but one that comes from
the countries around the Baltic Sea like Russia and Finland which explains its name.
Of course, the quality varies, but this wood generally makes excellent plywood, so
it is a preferred form of plywood by woodworkers.
Uses of Birch
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Birch is a useful wood in more ways than one. It is a light but strong wood, making
it versatile for making plywood. It also makes good skateboards thanks to the
stability of the wood that gives a smooth ride to the skateboarder.
Birch is a reasonably priced wood due to its ready availability. You will find it easy
to work on birch with hand tools and power tools. It also holds screws and nails
well and glues together perfectly. It is good for turning for making toys,
toothpicks, paper pulp, and even high-end furniture.
Some Interesting Facts About the Use of Birch
Image Credit: Chris Reynolds via Creative Commons

Some birch species like silver birch give off a pungent odor, making them useful in
the leather industry. In addition, the bark finds use in the cosmetic industry in the
manufacture of soap and shampoo. Due to its waterproof characteristics, the
native Americans used birch extensively for lining their canoes and making water
bowls.
Another interesting fact about birch is that engineers used it to construct airplanes
due to its lightweight but sturdy structure. For example, the largest flying boat
during World War II, the Spruce Goose with the largest wingspan in history, was
made of aluminum and birch wood.
Birch: Pros and Cons

Birch offers several advantages, but there are a few downsides as well. Let’s take a
good look at the pros and cons of birch:
Pros
Highest quality plywood, especially Baltic birch plywood

Lightweight and soft

Easy to work on with hand tools and power tools
Takes screws, nails, and glue quite well
Mechanically strong wood

Cost-effective material
Easily available
Cons
Wide variation in thickness

Commercial birch plywood veneer can be difficult to work with as it is
extremely thin
Finish not as good as woods like maple
Can be difficult to stain – the tendency to blotch
Tends to warp if not pressed adequately while drying the wood
Prone to rot, decay, and insect attack
Conclusion
Having read so much about birch, now, you should be more confident while
procuring and handling this wood in the future. First, we gave you a brief
background of this versatile wood and all its variations.
Then, we went into details of the major types of birch wood you can get in the
market and their uses thereof. Now, you have seen how this wood can benefit (and
some of its drawbacks). So, go ahead, get some birch and start working on it for
your next woodworking project.
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5/19/24, 12:59 PM Birch Wood - Complete Guide (Types, Uses and Pros & Cons) - Woodworking Trade