Wisconsin Crafts Wood Identification
There are numerous wood craft projects you can do with Wisconsin wood. While many craft woods work for multiple projects, some work better for certain types of crafts. For example, a pine craft wood works well for making plaques, where walnut might be too hard a wood for that purpose. Pair the right wood with the right craft; get to know the Wisconsin crafts woods.
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Geography
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When you need to identify craft woods from Wisconsin, it can help to have a basic understanding of the type of trees found in the state. Located in a region rich in rain and snow, Wisconsin has hundreds of thousands of acres of forest, but not all these trees work well for crafts. Some of the popular options for craft woods include pine, walnut, balsam, cedar and birch.
Color
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One way to identify different types of Wisconsin crafts woods is to examine the color. Pine, birch and balsam are often a light color, looking almost white. Walnut tends to have a rich, dark brown color, and cedar wood has red tones to it. If you aren't familiar with the coloration of wood, you can compare several types at the same time to see the color variations.
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Types
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Regardless of whether you use Wisconsin woods for crafts, wood falls into three classifications: soft, hard and manufactured. A soft wood like pine or balsam tends to imprint from as little pressure as a thumbnail. Hardwoods like cedar, walnut and birch won't show any imprint until you apply a strong force. Manufactured wood, like plywood, is any wood created by a manufacturer and is not consider hard or soft wood because it can contain non-wood components. You can usually tell manufactured wood by its pressed layers.
Grain
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Wisconsin craft woods also have identifying properties in the flesh of the wood. Cedar has a fine grain usually interrupted by knots. Pine and balsam tend to have a very fine grain that can be hard to detect. Birch has a fine grain that curves throughout the flesh of the wood. With walnut, the lines of the grain spread out more than with other types of grain, making it easier to see the lines.
Other Characteristics
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Aside from the color, type and grain, certain Wisconsin woods have other identifying features. Cedar tends to have a sweet smell, especially after sanding. People often leave the bark on birch wood when making crafts because of its white background with black stripes. The flexibility of balsam, which can easily bend without snapping, usually distinguishes it from pine.
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