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Quiz about US Trees and their Useful Wood
Quiz about US Trees and their Useful Wood

US Trees and their Useful Wood Quiz


The first step in woodworking is to choose the right wood. Match these eastern US trees with the characteristics of their wood.

A matching quiz by littlepup. Estimated time: 6 mins.
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Author
littlepup
Time
6 mins
Type
Match Quiz
Quiz #
384,190
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Difficult
Avg Score
5 / 10
Plays
168
(a) Drag-and-drop from the right to the left, or (b) click on a right side answer box and then on a left side box to move it.
QuestionsChoices
1. Heavy, almost impossible to split  
  sassafras
2. Tough but flexible, used for axe handles  
  locust
3. Hardwood to stain a famous golden color  
  poplar
4. Expensive, popular dark wood, stains beautifully, easy to work  
  elm
5. Durable outdoors, heavy and strong, used for fenceposts  
  persimmon
6. Lightweight, easy to work, almost white, sometimes with purple streaks  
  pine
7. Common softwood, sometimes has many knots  
  oak
8. Aromatic, easy-to-work, durable wood  
  curly maple
9. Hard, heavy, related to ebony, golf club heads  
  walnut
10. Hard wood with unusual striping, often quartersawn, used for rifle stocks and violins  
  hickory





Select each answer

1. Heavy, almost impossible to split
2. Tough but flexible, used for axe handles
3. Hardwood to stain a famous golden color
4. Expensive, popular dark wood, stains beautifully, easy to work
5. Durable outdoors, heavy and strong, used for fenceposts
6. Lightweight, easy to work, almost white, sometimes with purple streaks
7. Common softwood, sometimes has many knots
8. Aromatic, easy-to-work, durable wood
9. Hard, heavy, related to ebony, golf club heads
10. Hard wood with unusual striping, often quartersawn, used for rifle stocks and violins

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Heavy, almost impossible to split

Answer: elm

The American elm succumbed to Dutch elm disease, but the red elm is still here, hiding in the woods. Websites say it's susceptible too, but our woods are full of it and I've seen it elsewhere in the east. It's virtually unsplittable, for better or worse. It was once used for things like wagon hubs that had to be just as strong in every direction to hold the spokes.
2. Tough but flexible, used for axe handles

Answer: hickory

Hickory has the combined properties of being both strong and flexible, like ash too, so it's good for tool handles that need to gently flex, rather than making your hands feel as if they hit a rock. It takes a nice pale finish, or can be stained darker if you want. It's not too durable out in the rain.
3. Hardwood to stain a famous golden color

Answer: oak

The golden oak period of furniture was around the turn of the 20th Century, when everything from rolltop desks to telephones got the yellowish brown stain. Even painted, oak makes a nice basic hardwood for furniture, window frames, flooring, doors, etc.
4. Expensive, popular dark wood, stains beautifully, easy to work

Answer: walnut

This is an expensive hardwood to buy, but it's worth it, in my opinion. Not only is it easy to work with hand tools if you like doing that, it looks gorgeous with almost any stain, or just a clear finish. It makes heavy furniture, but can be combined with poplar, pine or something else to save both weight and cost, or added as veneer.
5. Durable outdoors, heavy and strong, used for fenceposts

Answer: locust

Ironically, growing locust trees are susceptible to diseases and the trees often die before getting big, but after they're dead, the wood resists rot naturally and makes excellent fenceposts. For general use, it's very heavy and strong, usually more than necessary for everyday uses, with a yellowish color.
6. Lightweight, easy to work, almost white, sometimes with purple streaks

Answer: poplar

Poplar isn't very strong, but splits well if you're working it with hand tools, and is strong for its weight. It generally is a light color with minimal grain, but sometimes will have purple or greenish streaks near or in the heartwood. Good for making projects that you want to be lightweight and that will be painted.
7. Common softwood, sometimes has many knots

Answer: pine

Pine is similar to poplar, lightweight, not too strong, but unlike poplar's few knots, pine can have so many it becomes decorative "knotty pine" that used to be all the rage for paneling. There are various kinds such as white pine and yellow pine with differing characteristics, but similar enough to be treated together. Most basic lumber, like 2x4s, is pine. If you're painting over knots, use a sealer on them first, or the sap will persistently bleed through.
8. Aromatic, easy-to-work, durable wood

Answer: sassafras

Sassafras wood is a light brown and aromatic when first sawn. It's easy to work, lightweight, durable outdoors, and is a darker substitute for old-time chestnut. The wood is sometimes hard to get, as the trees can be hollow or have diseases before reaching full size. It grows into northern Ohio and Pennsylvania, but doesn't get large enough for commercial logs till further south.
9. Hard, heavy, related to ebony, golf club heads

Answer: persimmon

An unusual wood, persimmon lacks ebony's blackness, but is heavy, fine grained, and hard to split. It can be used for anything where hardness and rigidity are required, like golf club heads before artificial materials superseded wood, or a mortar and pestle.

It will dull tools used to work on it, though, and is hard to split. It also needs to be dried carefully, if green, or it will crack.
10. Hard wood with unusual striping, often quartersawn, used for rifle stocks and violins

Answer: curly maple

If only there were a curly maple tree you could cut down! But there's no guarantee which maple will have this fancy grain coloration. There are variations: tiger maple, fire maple, birdseye maple. If you're lucky enough to find some, have the wood quartersawn if possible, to best show off the coloring, and use it for something very special.
Source: Author littlepup

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