A stack or "unit" of beams.
Everyday conversation at a lumberyard can sound like secret code to the unfamiliar ear. Getting the right beam for the job requires at least a rudimentary knowledge of the basic properties of wood beams -- their tree of origin, hardwood or softwood, changes their characteristics as well as the part of the tree from which the beam was cut, such as heart or sapwood. Once you familiarize yourself with basic beam properties, you'll be able to communicate your needs and find the right beam for your project. Does this Spark an idea?
Hardwood
A common misconception is that hardwood beams are physically harder than their softwood counterparts. The term refers not to physical hardness, but to differences in taxonomical classification -- hardwoods are broad-leafed, deciduous trees that use pollination for reproduction. Deciduous trees are those that shed their leaves for the fall season. Pollination is a reproductive process that requires flowering and interspecies exchange of floral pollen. While hardwood beams often command premium prices, keep in mind that you are likely paying for aesthetic value and rarity, rather than physical hardness.
Softwood
Softwood beams come from coniferous, evergreen trees with typically needle-like foliage. Coniferous trees directly produce seeds through cones, and they do not shed foliage for the fall and winter season. Pine, spruce and fir are examples of softwoods. The low price of softwoods as compared to hardwoods is due in part to the large portions of North America that are covered by these species. As with hardwoods, price does not correlate to physical properties. Fir, for example, is one of the strongest woods for framing, but remains the cheapest type of lumber in many parts of the United States.
Heartwood
Whether a beam is composed of heartwood greatly affects its characteristics and price. Heartwood is a tree's oldest wood. Trees transport nourishment, or sap, through what is most easily understood as veins that run from root to top. The veins that are most active reside where a tree's growth occurs -- in the outer ring. As growth continues outward, the old veins on the tree's interior (or heart) carry less and less sap and, therefore contain less moisture than their sap-laden counterparts. This wood, the old wood at the center of the tree, is called heartwood. Because of its age and low moisture content, it is stronger and less likely to bend, twist, warp or split. The advantages of heartwood's characteristics are reflected in its inflated price.
Sapwood
Sapwood is the newer wood, relative to heartwood. Sapwood occurs beneath the tree's bark. Because of its youth and usually high moisture content, sapwood bends, twists, warps and splits more easily than heartwood. Most construction lumber is milled from sapwood and, once fastened in place with nails or screws, a softwood beam can resist the aforementioned damage for many years.
Tags: hardwood beams, moisture content, physical hardness, right beam, than their
