The characteristics of good wood are as follows.
Durability: Good wood should be durable. It should be able to resist the action of fungi, insects, chemicals, physical agencies and mechanical agencies.
Strength: Good timber must be strong enough to serve as a structural member such as joists, beams and rafters. It should be able to carry loads gradually or suddenly.
Texture: The texture should be uniform and the medullary rays should be hard and compact. Annual circles should be regular and closely spaced.
Mechanical Wear: Good wood should not be easily damaged by mechanical wear or abrasion. This feature is essential for areas where there is wood traffic, such as wooden floors and floors.
Hardness: A good wood should be hard. It should be able to offer resistance to shocks due to vibration.
Elasticity: It is the property by which wood returns to its original shape when the deformation caused by the load is removed. This property is important when the wood is used for bows, carriage shafts, etc.
Fire resistance: Wood is a poor conductor of heat. A dense wood offers good resistance to fire and requires a lot of heat to ignite.
Defects: A good timber should be free from serious defects such as dead knots, defects and shocks.
Fibers: The fibers in wood should be straight.
Shape: A good piece of wood should be able to retain its shape during warping or cooking.
Smell: Good wood should smell sweet.
Sound: A good wood should give a clear ringing sound when struck.
Weight: Heavy weight wood is considered sound and strong.
Workability: Wood should be easily workable. It should not clog the saw teeth and should be able to be easily jointed or smoothed.
Appearance: The freshly sawn surface of the wood should appear hard and shiny.
Color: The color of the wood should preferably be dark. A lighter color indicates lower power.
Hardness: Good wood should be hard, that is, it should offer resistance when it is being penetrated by another body. The chemicals in the heartwood and the density of the wood give the wood its hardness.
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