Birchwood impresses you with its characteristic properties that offer you interesting advantages for a variety of uses. The wood from birch trees is fairly easy to care for and is generally considered sustainable. The lightweight material is particularly suitable for a variety of design ideas when it comes to model making and varied DIY projects.
Birchwood from two common species of birch trees
Birchwood is the wood of the birch trees, which you mainly find in the temperate climate zones of Europe, Asia and North America. Only two types of birch play a crucial role in the timber industry. These are the downy birch and the silver birch. Other types of birch are usually too small to produce lumber of comparable quality.
Despite its high water consumption, you can often find silver birch in dry locations. This type of birch is particularly common in sandy soils. Bog birch trees, on the other hand, grow particularly often on waterlogged and acidic forest floors. The birch species also often appears in the moors that give it its name. Because birch trees are generally relatively undemanding, these trees are relatively widespread.
Lightness and other characteristic properties of birchwood
The texture of the birchwood is even and fine. In addition, a simple grain with relatively few patterns is one of the characteristic properties of the wood. You will discover birchwood with a variety of discolourations. The following colours are typical:
- bright
- reddish-white
- yellowish-white
- light brownish
You will also notice birchwood because of its light, silky shine. Occasionally you will see red-brown spots on the material. The wood of the silver birch also has an additional characteristic feature: flame-like patterns. When the advantages of birchwood are listed, the lightness is particularly notable. You can process the wood relatively easily. The durability of birchwood is also remarkable, especially indoors. With proper care, there is a chance that the wood will last for years or decades.
Birchwood is primarily used indoors
Birchwood is primarily used indoors. Outdoor use is a sensible option only with a protective glaze to prevent weathering damage. You can purchase the wood primarily in the following forms:
- Lumber
- round wood
- plywood
- peeled or sliced veneers
Furniture, cutting boards and flooring are typical products made using birch trees as raw materials. The wood is also very popular for craft projects or home decoration.
Advantages and disadvantages of birchwood
Birchwood usually impresses you with the following advantages, among others:
- natural beauty
- low tendency to deformation
- considerable stability
- below average weight
With regard to ecological aspects, it is also worth noting that it is a rapidly renewable raw material. At the same time, sustainability is an advantage because the ease of making furniture means that smaller amounts of material are required. The disadvantages are a rather below-average load-bearing capacity and susceptibility to the weather, which can, however, be avoided with a high-quality glaze.
Care and maintenance for wood from the birch tree
By properly caring for products and surfaces made of birchwood, you can significantly extend the life of the objects. You must protect birchwood furniture from dangerous environmental influences. Moisture, like heat, poses the risk of furniture deforming and material swelling. In addition, the wood of birch trees often discolours after the surfaces have been exposed to intense sunlight for too long.
You can avoid such problems by taking the following precautions:
- Protection from direct sunlight
- No fireplaces, radiators or comparable heat sources directly on site
- Using a dehumidifier when indoor humidity levels are above average
As soon as you notice small splits or cracks in the birchwood, a quick reaction is essential. Otherwise, damage often worsens without countermeasures. By regularly tightening loose fasteners on birchwood furniture, you can avoid serious damage.
When cleaning birchwood, you should never use abrasive cleaning agents or aggressive chemicals. Only special and gentle cleaning solutions for wooden surfaces are suitable. You can remove dirt particles with a suitable vacuum cleaner attachment or a soft cloth. In general, you should not expose birchwood to too much moisture while cleaning.
The wood care set from Mr Beam is beneficial for surface treatment. This gives you pine oil, which has an antibacterial effect that works deep into the birchwood pores. In addition, by impregnating it with the beeswax from the wood care set, you prevent water or dirt from penetrating.
Special considerations on the application and aspects of birchwood
Birchwood is a very popular raw material in the production of plywood. Particularly because of its lightness, many companies prefer to use birchwood to produce plywood panels. At the same time, birch plywood offers you advantages because the material is flexible and yet relatively strong. These properties make plywood panels particularly interesting for hobbyists and do-it-yourselfer.
Plywood birch 5 pack
Sale price
€ 49,90 EUR
Mr Beam wood care set with stone pine oil and beeswax
Sale price
€ 59,90 EUR
EuerKonstantin "handicraft box", wooden trial set
Sale price
€ 60,00 EUR
In model making, birch plywood is often used under the name aircraft plywood. The material is well suited for model aircraft that need to be both light and strong. For this special purpose, it is important that the birch plywood is glued as waterproof as possible.
Sustainability and environmental aspects with regard to birchwood
Because birch trees require less time to grow back than other trees, the sustainability of using the wood is a convincing argument. By choosing sustainable wood sources such as birch trees, you are making a particularly important contribution to protecting nature. With many other tree species, there is a greater risk that entire forests will be lost to produce a wooden product.
Despite the general advantages of birchwood in terms of environmental aspects, you should also take into account the specific origin of the raw material and the conditions during processing and trading with the material. There are various certifications that identify sustainable wood. The FSC symbol is particularly well known. For certification, it is crucial that forests can be preserved in the long term even without the birchwood obtained. In addition, the following requirements, among others, are checked during the evaluation of the wood products:
- Avoiding any negative impact on the environment
- Fair working conditions throughout the entire product chain
- Compliance with laws and human rights in all production processes
- No genetic modification of birch trees
Birchwood project ideas with easy DIY instructions for DIY enthusiasts and hobbyists
There are a variety of ideas that allow you to use birchwood for impressive craft and DIY projects with simple DIY instructions. Many people use the wood of birch trees, among other things, to build shelves or make decorations for tables and walls in an flat. For example, you can make the following products using the material during a DIY project:
- fairy lights
- wardrobe
- Tea light holder
- Photo stand
- and many more
With projects like this, the Mr Beam laser cutter gives you the opportunity to add an exceptionally personal touch to your works of art. This allows you to both engrave and cut birchwood. There are hardly any limits to your imagination.
Conclusion: Birch wood is an excellent craft material
Birchwood will particularly appeal to you if you want to make attractive decorations with wood. The lightweight material opens up a wide range of design options for easy processing, which can be supplemented with useful tools such as the Mr Beam laser cutter. There are hardly any limits to creative ideas, especially when it comes to model building.
