Hornbeam: The Unsung Hero of Temperate Hardwoods
What is Hornbeam?
Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) is also known as White Beech, although is not part of the beech family. Hornbeam is found throughout Europe and grows in hilly regions, in England it is common in the South especially on chalky soil.
Hornbeam is a fine textured hardwood that is whiteish to magnolia in colour. This hardwood can be even to irregular in grain, and the sapwood and heartwood can be difficult to differentiate from one another.
It is a dense hardwood for a temperate tree, at approximately 750kg per m3 and approximately 12% moisture content. The hornbeam is dense and elastic, resists crushing and is more resistant to breakage than oak.
Image Source: Woodland Trust
The Uses for Hornbeam
Hornbeam is not generally suited for carpentry due to it’s tendency to shrink and warp, this wood is non-durable and liked by longhorn and the common furniture beetle. However, this wood is resistant to crushing and ending, and is often used for wooden skittles, lead dressing hammers and windmills. Due to it’s incredible resistance to repeated blows, Hornbeam is also suited to drumsticks, butchers blocks and impact-resistant flooring.
The Pros and Cons of Hornbeam
Hornbeam is a non-toxic wood, that can be worked with the majority of tools and machines, sawing, planing and profiling are typically straightforward. Hornbeam stains and glues well, and turns well to give a highly polished finish.
It is also known for being a long-burning firewood, and when compared to other hardwoods it is highly efficient and one of the highest-quality options available. Although not as well-known as other options such as Oak, it is a fantastic firewood that is ideal for ensuring you do not have to refuel the fire too often.
Disadvantages of Hornbeam are finite, but include shrinkage, warping and this non-durable wood is favoured by Longhorn and common furniture beetle.
Unfortunately, Hornbeam is not planted commercially so is only available in restricted quantities. Contact us today to enquire about Hornbeam or any other timber required for your next project.
WL West Timber is a family-owned sawmill & timber merchant in West Sussex with over 155 years’ industry experience. We provide a wide range of air-dried oak and kiln-dried oak timber products and supplies. We also build and install custom projects for our customers.
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