In article , "Em" wrote:
Commercially available softwood may be mostly conifers, but there are plenty
of softwoods that are not conifers.
Name one.
Take the magnolia for example. It's so soft that you couldn't build ANYthing
with it.
Botanically speaking, magnolia is a hardwood.
And hardwoods are definitely harder than softwoods. Just cut any hardwood
with a handsaw and you'll see it takes longer than cutting any softwood.
Botanically speaking, balsa is a hardwood, and southern yellow pine is a
softwood.
Methinks you need to go back and read what the OP wrote. *Much* more
carefully this time.
The truth I have discovered is that softwoods grow faster and less dense and
hardwoods grow slower and denser, and thus the hardness and softness.
You are confusing "softwood" with "soft wood", and "hardwood" with "hard
wood". Not the same at all, as the OP's post makes abundantly clear.
-BAM
"Bill" wrote in message
...
Well you learn something everyday and I sure learned something interesting
awhile ago. Seems that the terms hardwood and softwood have nothing to do
with the "hardness" of the wood!
From the link below...
"The terms softwood and hardwood are used to reference the taxonomical
division that separates a species and have little to do with the actual
hardness of the wood."
"Hardwood trees have broad leaves and are deciduous - they lose their
leaves at the end of the growing season. Hardwoods are angiosperms - using
flowers to pollinate for seed reproduction. Oaks, maples, birches and
fruit trees are examples of hardwood trees."
"Softwood trees are conifers (evergreens), have needles or scale-like
foliage and are not deciduous. Softwoods are gymnosperms, meaning they do
not have flowers and use cones for seed reproduction. Examples of
softwoods include pines, spruces, firs and hemlocks."
Wood Identification for Hardwood and Softwood Species...
http://www.utextension.utk.edu/publi...les/PB1692.pdf
--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)
It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.