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NAME/S
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Norway Spruce (Picea abies)
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SUB NAMES/S
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Spruce, Pine, Fir
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TRADE NAME/S
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Knotty Spruce, Knotty Pine, Knotty Fir, Whitewood
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ORIGIN
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Mainland Europe extending from Scandinavia in the North West through to Russia. It is also found in the Alps and the Pyrenees mountains in Central Europe. It is familiar to everyone as a Christmas Tree!
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APPEARANCE
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Light yellowish colour with a calm and distinctive stripy grain.
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MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
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Relatively lightweight and prone to insect attack. Density is approximately 450 kg/m⊃.
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AVAILABILITY
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Readily available as a veneer, plywood and in solid section.
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USE AS TIMBER CUTS FEATURES
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Popular for constructional timber use: door and panel cores and plywood. Inferior to redwood in terms of its resistance to decay. Not easily treated with preservatives even when administered under pressure. For this reason, it is generally not suitable for outside work.
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USE AS VENEER CUTS APPEARANCES
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Widely used in the furniture industry to create an antique rustic impression, particularly in the kitchen industry.
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RELATIVE COST/of 10
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5
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PROPERTIES-MACHINING, FINISHING
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The wood works easily by hand or machine tools with little dulling effect on cutting edges. In terms of nailing and screwing, no difficulties are likely to occur.
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SEASONING
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There is little risk of degrade in kiln seasoning which can be completed relatively quickly - the timber is remarkably stable (more so than redwood) and not prone to distortion.
