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Fagus grandifolia |
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Family: Fagaceae |
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American Beech |
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Beech (Fagus spp.) contains eight
species which grow in Asia [4], Europe (F. sylvatica), and North America (F. grandifolia). The word fagus is the classical Latin
name, from the Greek word meaning to eat, in reference to the edible beechnuts.
All species look alike microscopically.
Fagus grandifolia- beech, Carolina beech,
gray beech, red beech, ridge beech, stone beech, white beech, winter beech.
Distribution
American beech
grows in southeast Canada and in the eastern half of the United States, from
Maine to northern Florida, and west from the Atlantic Coast to Wisconsin,
Missouri and Texas.
The Tree
The American
beech tree grows in large pure stands and intermixed with sugar maple, yellow
birch, American basswood, black cherry, eastern hemlock, eastern white pine,
red spruce, sweetgum, Southern magnolia, ashes, hickories and oaks. It grows
best in deep, rich, moist, well-drained soils. American beech trees reach
heights of 120 ft (37 m), with a diameter of almost 4 ft (1.2 m). The bark is
thin, smooth, and gray to blue gray.
The Wood
General
The sapwood of
American beech is white with a red tinge, while the heartwood is light to dark
reddish brown.
Mechanical
Properties (2-inch standard)
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Compression |
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Specific gravity |
MOE x106 lbf/in2 |
MOR lbf/in2 |
Parallel lbf/in2 |
Perpendicular lbf/in2 |
WMLa in-lbf/in3 |
Hardness lbf |
Shear lbf/in2 |
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Green |
0.56 |
1.38 |
8,600 |
3,550 |
540 |
11.9 |
850 |
1,290 |
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Dry |
0.64 |
1.72 |
14,900 |
7,300 |
1,010 |
15.1 |
1,300 |
2,010 |
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aWML = Work to maximum load.
bReference (98). cReference (59). |
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Drying and
Shrinkage
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Type of shrinkage |
Percentage of
shrinkage |
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0% MC |
6% MC |
20% MC |
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Tangential |
11.9 |
8.8 |
3.7 |
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Radial |
5.5 |
4.1 |
1.7 |
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Volumetric |
17.2 |
13.0 |
5.4 |
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References: 0% MC (98), |
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Kiln Drying
Schedulesa
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Stock |
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Condition |
4/4, 5/4, 6/4 |
8/4 |
10/4 |
12/4 |
16/4 |
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Standard |
T8-C2 |
T5-C1 |
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1-in. squares |
T8-C3 |
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2-in. squares |
T5-C2 |
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aReferences
(6, 86). |
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Working
Properties: American beech ranks high in holding nails, but it should be
pre-bored. The wood wears well and holds a polish, and it bends readily when
steamed. Care is needed in gluing, but the wood finishes well with paint or
transparent finishes.
Durability:
Rated as slightly or nonresistant to heartwood decay.
Preservation:
Sapwood and heartwood are permeable when pressure-treated with a compound like
creosote. The red heartwood is extremely resistant to penetration.
Uses: Lumber,
veneer, charcoal, railroad ties, pulpwood, cooperage, boxes, crates, baskets,
pallets, furniture, flooring, sash, doors, trim, paneling, general millwork,
woodenware, novelties, handles, brooms and brushes, food containers, turnery,
and chemical extracts such as methanol, acetate and wood tar (creosote).
Toxicity: No
information available at this time.
Additional
Reading and References Cited (in parentheses)
6.?Boone,
R.S.; Kozlik, C.J.; Bois, P.J.; Wengert, E.M. 1988. Dry kiln schedules for
commercial woodstemperate and tropical. Gen. Tech. Rep. FPLGTR57. Madison, WI:
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory.
12.?Carpenter,
R.D. 1974. American beech. FS220. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service.
29.?Elias,
T.S. 1980. The complete trees of North America, field guide and natural
history. New York: van Nostrand Reinhold Company.
55.
?Little, Jr., E.L. 1979. Checklist of United States trees (native and
naturalized). Agric. Handb. 541. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service. U.S. Government Printing Office.
59.
Markwardt, L.J.; Wilson, T.R.C. 1935. Strength and related properties of woods
grown in the United States. Tech. Bull. 479. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service. U.S. Government Printing Office.
68.
Panshin, A.J.; de Zeeuw, C. 1980. Textbook of wood technology, 4th ed. New
York: McGraw—Hill Book Co..
74.
Record, S.J.; Hess R.W. 1943. Timbers of the new world. New Haven, CT: Yale
University Press.
86.
Simpson, W.T. 1991. Dry kiln operator's manual. Ag. Handb. 188. Madison, WI: U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory.
90.
Summitt, R.; Sliker, A. 1980. CRC handbook of materials science. Boca Raton,
FL: CRC Press, Inc. Vol. 4.
98.
U.S. Department of Agriculture. 1987. Wood handbook: wood as an engineering
material. Agric. Handb. 72. (Rev.) Washington, DC: U.S. Department of
Agriculture.
466 p.