Hey Choppers! How hard is your wood? I KNOW mine is hard...

kdstrick

kdstrick

Joined
May 27, 2007
Messages
4,210
:eek:Thanks to the Janka Wood Hardness scale. :thumbup:

Well I always knew that Mesquite was harder than pine, but I did not know it was 525 points harder than Hickory on the Janka scale!!! :eek: It looks like the folks in Brazil have great need for INFI. Maybe Jerry should begin a marketing campaign down there. Or find a Brazilian Skunk. ;)

Anyway, I thought you guys would appreciate the fact that my wood is harder than yours (in STX).


http://tinytimbers.com/janka.htm

JANKA RATING
WOOD SPECIES (Hardest to Softest)
3684 Brazilian Walnut /Ipe
3220 Ebony
2350 Brazilian Cherry /Jatoba
2345 Mesquite
2200 Santos Mahogany
1940 Cameron
1925 Merbau
1860 Purpleheart
1850 Tigerwood
1820 Hickory and Pecan
1780 Rosewood
1725 African Padauk
1700 Locust
1630 Wenge
1630 Red Pine
1575 Zebrawood
1570 True Pine
1470 Sweet Birch
1450 Hard / Sugar Maple
1390 Kentucky Coffee Tree
1380 Natural Bamboo
1375 Australian Cypress
1360 White Oak
1320 White Ash
1300 American Beech
1290 Northern Red Oak
1280 Caribbean Heart Pine
1260 Yellow Birch
1225 Yellow Heart Pine
1180 Carbonized Bamboo
1136 Cocobolo
1010 American Walnut
1000 Teak
950 American Cherry
950 Soft and Ambrosia Maple
910 Paper Birch
900 Cedar
870 Southern Yellow Pine (Longleaf)
860 American Red Elm
840 Lacewood
790 Cumaru
770 Sycamore
690 S.Yellow Pine (Loblolly & Shortleaf)
660 Douglas Fir
630 Sassafras
590 Larch
540 Chestnut
540 Poplar
500 Hemlock
420 White Pine
410 Basswood
380 Eastern White Pine

Now bust out the choppa's boys... and get to work! :thumbup:
 
I didn't know that eastern white pine would be bottom of the list. Thats mostly what I chop here in Georgia.

I wood that is super hard that isn't on the list is Pecan. When I was in El Paso thats what we would burn in our fireplace and that is really dense, heavy and very hard wood.
 
Mesquite for me bud...I don't see manzanita on that list though...I know its hard and its all over where I use to live in North East Cali.
 
banana-clip said:
I didn't know that eastern white pine would be bottom of the list. Thats mostly what I chop here in Georgia.

I wood that is super hard that isn't on the list is Pecan. When I was in El Paso thats what we would burn in our fireplace and that is really dense, heavy and very hard wood.
Click to expand...

Pecan is the same as Hickory at 1820... pretty darn hard!
 
Look where white pines at, is'nt that the wood they use in competition cutting. Or is it some other type?
 
d762nato said:
Look where white pines at, is'nt that the wood they use in competition cutting. Or is it some other type?
Click to expand...

Yeah that's pretty much what they use.

Around here I chop mostly Oak and Yellow Pine.
 
That Brazilian Walnut must be some really hard wood to chop like concrete. I've chopped on some Dogwood too Ank and it some hard stuff i thought. Definately a noticealbe difference from pine or oak, around here in Missouri.
 
d762nato said:
That Brazilian Walnut must be some really hard wood to chop like concrete. I've chopped on some Dogwood too Ank and it some hard stuff i thought. Definately a noticealbe difference from pine or oak, around here in Missouri.
Click to expand...

Dogwood is like chopping concrete even green.

Oh yeah big difference in Oak and Pine.
 
How about "Osage Orange" or also called "Horse Apple Trees" around here? I didn't see it on the list but I've had to clear a few of those off some property and it seems a lot harder than Mesquite.
 
From Wiki:

The Janka hardness test measures the hardness of wood. It involves measuring the force required to embed an 11.28 mm (0.444 in) steel ball into wood to half its diameter. This method was chosen so that the result would leave an indention 100 mm² (0.16 sq in) in size. It is one of the best measures of the ability of a wood species to withstand denting and wear. It is also a good indicator of how hard a species is to saw or nail.

The hardness of wood usually varies with the direction of the wood grain. If testing is done on the surface of a plank, perpendicular to the grain, the test is said to be of "side hardness." Testing the cut surface of a stump would be called a test of "end hardness."

The results are stated in various ways, which can lead to confusion, especially when the name of the actual units employed is often not attached. In the United States, the measurement is in pounds-force (lbf). In Sweden it is in kilograms-force (kgf), and in Australia, either in newtons (N) or kilonewtons (kN). Sometimes the results are treated as units, e.g., "660 Janka".

To convert the United States pound-force (lbf) units to newtons N multiply pound-force by 0.453 592 37 then multiply by 9.80665 (1 standard g in units of m/s2). Janka hardness N = (lbf x 0.453 592 37) x 9.80665 OR multiply by 4.44822161526. To get lbf from N, multiply N by 0.224808943099736.

A common use of Janka hardness ratings is to determine whether a species is suitable for use as flooring.

The Janka Hardness test below is done in accordance with ASTM D 1037-7 testing methods. Please note, no flooring is ever tested. The test is done on raw material stock that can range from 1" to 2" thick. Note these numbers are an average! A standard deviation exists for each species, but these numbers do not get published. The chart is not an absolute; it is meant to help you understand which woods are harder than others. There are other factors that can affect how flooring performs: type of core (for engineered flooring), grain direction and thickness floor or top wear surface.

---------------------------------

The "Hardness" Testing for Wood is very similar to the common hardness testing for steel.

For steel, they also "Indent" the steel to measure hardness for Rockwell, Vickers, and Brinell hardness testing.


Like steel, I think it is worthy to point out that "Hardness" is not the same as toughness. However, in regards to chopping on a given type of wood, that hardness can very much be "Felt" and a test on the knife and chopper. ;)

Wood Flooring Species Janka Hardness (pounds-force)

4500 - Lignum vitae / Guayacan / Pockenholz
3692 - Brazilian Ebony
3684 - Ipê / "Brazilian Walnut" / Lapacho
3680 - African Pearlwood / Moabi
3650 - Bolivian Cherry
3640 - Lapacho
3540 - Cumaru / "Brazilian Teak" sometimes: "Brazilian Chestnut," "Tiete Chestnut," "South American Chestnut," "Southern Chestnut"
3220 - Ebony
3190 - Brazilian Redwood / Paraju / Massaranduba
3040 - Yvyraro
2900 - Bloodwood
2697 - Red Mahogany, Turpentine
2670 - "Southern Chestnut"
2473 - Spotted Gum
2350 - Brazilian Cherry / Jatoba
2345 - Mesquite
2330 - "Golden Teak"
2200 - Santos Mahogany, Bocote, Cabreuva
2170 - Pradoo
2160 - Brazilian Koa
2140 - Sucupira sometimes "Brazilian Chestnut," "Brazilian Walnut"
2135 - Brushbox
2030 - Karri
2023 - Sydney Blue Gum
1980 - Bubinga
1940 - Cameron
1933 - Tallowwood
1925 - Merbau
1912 - Amendoim
1910 - Jarrah
1860 - Purpleheart
1850 - Goncalo Alves / Tigerwood
1820 - Hickory / Pecan, Satinwood
1810 - Afzelia / Doussie
1798 - Bangkirai
1780 - Rosewood
1725 - African Padauk
1720 - Blackwood
1712 - Merbau
1710 - Kempas
1700 - Black Locust
1686 - Highland Beech
1630 - Wenge, Red Pine
1624 - Tualang
1575 - Zebrawood
1570 - True Pine, Timborana
1557 - Peroba
1540 - Kambala
1510 - Sapele / Sapelli
1490 - Curupixa
1470 - Sweet Birch
1450 - Hard Maple / Sugar Maple
1390 - Caribbean Walnut
1390 - Coffee Bean
1380 - Natural Bamboo (represents one species)
1375 - Australian Cypress
1360 - White Oak
1350 - Tasmanian Oak
1349 - Ribbon Gum
1320 - Ash (White)
1300 - American Beech
1290 - Red Oak (Northern)
1280 - Caribbean Heart Pine
1260 - Yellow Birch, Iroko Kambala
1230 - Movingui
1225 - Heart Pine
1220 - "Brazilian Mesquite" / Carapa Guianensis
1200 - Larch
1180 - Carbonized Bamboo (represents one species)
1150 - Teak
1136 - Cocobolo
1125 - Brazilian Eucalyptus / Rose Gum
1100 - Makore
1100 - Siberian larch
1080 - Peruvian Walnut
1023 - Boreal
1010 - Black Walnut/North American Walnut
1000 - Teak
995 - Sakura
950 - Black Cherry, Imbuia
940 - Boire
910 - Paper Birch
900 - Cedar
870 - Southern Yellow Pine (Longleaf)
840 - Lacewood, Leopardwood
830 - African Mahogany
800 - Mahogany, Honduran Mahogany
780 - Parana
770 - Sycamore
710 - Shedua
690 - Southern Yellow Pine (Loblolly and Shortleaf)
660 - Douglas Fir
590 - Alder (Red)
590 - Larch
540 - Chestnut
500 - Hemlock
420 - White Pine[disambiguation needed]
410 - Basswood
380 - Eastern White Pine
100 - Balsa

.
 
My Ak was literially bouncing off some Oak my father was cutting up - and I mean bouncing off - I was getting worried about rolling the edge of her!
 
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^^^^I've had several 'old timers' tell me that the Kiowa and Comanche around these parts used the Osage orange, or 'bodark' as they call it down here, was the preferred wood when it came to bow making.

Seeing the hardness of the wood I can see why that may be the case.
 
DWRW, Great link thanks its very informative on the hardness levels of different types of wood. :thumbup:
 
Code: 
Osage Orange is rated at 2400

There is a VERY large list here: http://ejmas.com/tin/2009tin/tinart_goldstein_0904.html

Great! Thanks for the info and link.


Code: 
^^^^I've had several 'old timers' tell me that the Kiowa and Comanche around these parts used the Osage orange, or 'bodark' as they call it down here, was the preferred wood when it came to bow making. 

Seeing the hardness of the wood I can see why that may be the case.


Yeah, "Bois de Arc," I've heard it called by that name too. Great thread, very informative. Thanks! :thumbup:
 
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