Creative Woodworks & crafts 2005-11, страница 44

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Although many call this species "White Birch," you can readily sec that it looks almost dirty when compared to Betulci papyrifera. It is classified as a nurse tree which means that as a pioneer species it protects the seeds of" longer-lived species, ultimately succumbing to the shade of the trees il protected. It grows in clumps in dry soil from Nova Scotia west to Wisconsin and south to Maryland. It normally attains a height of less than 50' and DBH of less than 18". The wood is used for spools, toys, turnings, and firewood.

Gray Birch bark

Although all of these species are similar, there are some differences. Yellow and Black, which are the hardest and strongest, are the primary lumber and veneer species. Birch hcartwood is small and reddish in color, the sapwood is light in color with varying shades of cream, and there arc varying degrees of hardness between the species. The wood has a large shrinkage factor. Yellow, Black, and Red will shrink 9.5% or 5/16" from 20% to 12% and a further 1/4" from 12% to 6%. White Birch shrinks just a little more, so you can see how important it is to plan on seasonal movement.

All birch wood requires pre-drilling for screws and nails to prevent splitting. Yellow Birch, like any of the harder woods, requires a little extra care for a good fit. I have not had any glue failures with any of the birches, although 1 usually scratch the contact surfaces for a better mechanical bond. 1 know that there are those who believe the smoother joint is best, but my grandfather always scratched the surfaces and his joints arc still holding with hide glue after 75 years! The wood works well with

machine and hand tools, but it can burn if your machine tools are not sharp or left in one spot too long. Do not take too heavy a pass with a drum or belt sander bccausc you will go through belts like crazy and end up with a lot of extra woTk removing the burnt areas.

All birch species are good turning woods, and they take sharp carving detail as long as your edges are honed properly. 1 have successfully used all sorts of finishes, including lacquer, and they take paint very nicely.

If you mill your own logs, be sure to cut them before the sap flows or wail until the leaves are fully matured before you cut them for lumber. Mill, stack, and sticker the wood as soon as , possible to prevent staining, and watch your air flow so you do not dry it too quickly or slowly.

Black, Yellow, and White Birch (to an extent) can be tapped for syrup production, They have less sugar content than Sugar Maple but nearly the same as that of Red Maple. In fact, Alaskans are developing a syrup industry based on Alaskan White Birch. Our ancestors made root and birch beer from the sap and soakings of the inner bark and twigs. Oil of Winteigreen was also produced from birch until modern scientists discovered how to synthesize it, but modern herbalists still use birch extracts for a number of home remedies. It is a very good firewood; White Birch is the most popular because it has a higher caloric content than the rest of the species.

All of the birches are important to wildlife. Besides serving as nesting cover for birds, they also provide browse for moose and deer, their seeds are important food sources for many bird species and small mammals, and the sap that wells up in the holes made by the yellow-bellied sapsucker provides food for hummingbirds and red squirrels.

In today's woodworking community, no discussion of birch would be complete without the mention of "Baltic Birch," or Beiula pendula. It is sold in North America as European Weeping Birch and used here as an ornamental wood. Its native growing area ranges across Scandinavia and Russia north to the Arctic Circle. Along with the boreal species of Spruce and Fir, it has played an important part in local and national economies and continues to be an important product for the worldwide wood market.

For questions concerning this article, send a SASE to: Wei Demarest, 66 Snover R<1., Sussex, NJ 07461; email: wex@woodworksaiulcrafts.com ^

44 • Creative Woodworks fi Crafts November £005