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First, let's start with a simple introduction. Today, we'll continue our exploration of mortise and tenon joinery. To proceed step by step, let's first introduce the commonly used types of wood:
In fact, nature produces a wide variety of wood species. Broadly speaking, based on their characteristics, wood in China is generally divided into coniferous and broadleaf wood. Most coniferous woods are relatively dense and slow-growing, such as cedar, various pines, spruce, and fir, making them high-quality industrial timber. Broadleaf woods generally have a more complex texture, with some parts being relatively loose while others are exceptionally dense. Oak, ash, camphor, sassafras, various birch species, nanmu, and poplar are all common broadleaf woods.
Materials can be categorized into soft materials and hard materials. Soft materials are porous and are generally used in lower-end furniture or for auxiliary purposes. Hard materials are solid and are used for furniture structure and as the main material.
Next, I'll introduce the types of wood commonly used in mortise and tenon joints:
I. Elm wood
☆Characteristics: Prefers cold climates; its wood has straight grain, coarse texture, and is hard and heavy.
It is often referred to as a "blockhead," meaning someone who is stubborn, incomprehensible, and difficult to understand.
Elm wood is hard, with straight, bold, and unpretentious grain and a simple, natural color, all of which align with the ancient Chinese philosophy of life. Therefore, elm wood has been highly sought after from ancient times to the present and is the first choice for making furniture.
Purple elm is the most classic variety, with advantages such as clear texture, large size, and few knots.
II. Beechwood
☆Features: Straight grain, hard material, impact resistant, easily bent at high temperatures
As a type of wood unique to the south, it was once called Southern Elm, with the large-leaved beech being the most famous. The wood is hard, beautiful in color and grain, and has a wide range of uses, making it quite valuable. The older beech with a reddish tinge is specially called "Blood Beech". Its grain pattern, with layers like overlapping mountains, is called "Pagoda Pattern" by carpenters.
Due to its easy availability, beech wood became a primary material for early furniture making. Before the styles of rosewood furniture matured, beech wood was widely used in the production of traditional furniture in the Jiangnan region, with the saying "no furniture without beech" highlighting its popularity. Most pieces were made in the classic Suzhou style, and their designs were comparable to those of hardwood furniture such as huanghuali. However, as rosewood, with its collectible value, gradually gained a reputation in the high-end market, the status of beech wood slowly declined.
III. Catalpa wood
☆Characteristics: Dark color, loose texture, large and scattered pores, and little luster.
In Northeast China, walnut wood that does not bear fruit is called "Qiu". Qiu wood has plain and unadorned pores, dark color, soft texture and little luster, but it has low shrinkage and clear and delicate texture. It is often used in combination with Korean wood and walnut wood.
The officially defined catalpa tree belongs to the Bignoniaceae family. Its wood is of moderate hardness and light density, with low shrinkage, smooth surface after planing, and strong wear resistance. Its structure is slightly coarse; it has beautiful color and grain, is tough, and does not easily warp when drying; it has good processing performance, and its gluing, finishing, and coloring properties are all good; its texture is tough, dense, and fine. Catalpa wood is extremely scarce and expensive, and enjoys the reputation of "King of Woods" and "Golden Tree". It is one of the world's famous woods.
Of course, when we buy furniture, half of what we encounter is what Northeasterners call "catalpa wood".
IV. Teak
☆Features: Oily and glossy, not easily deformed, resistant to insects and corrosion.
Teak, known as the king of woods, is a national treasure of Myanmar. Its wood itself has beautiful grain lines and contains golden threads, hence the name "golden teak." It is highly resistant to decay and rot; while the sapwood is susceptible to insect infestation, the heartwood is extremely resistant to termites and marine decaying organisms. It possesses excellent mechanical properties and is resistant to decay.
V. Walnut wood
☆Characteristics: Coarse texture, golden brown or reddish brown color, stable wood properties
Walnut wood has a medium density, straight grain, fine and even texture, and moderate weight, hardness, shrinkage, and strength. It also boasts high impact toughness and good bending properties, making it an excellent material for carving. Furniture and carved handicrafts made from walnut wood are known for their rustic elegance, warm and delicate texture, beautiful grain, and durability, showcasing both skillful carving and the natural beauty of the wood grain.
VI. Camphor wood
☆Features: Not easily deformed, has a strong, pleasant fragrance, and repels insects.
Camphor wood comes in blocks of varying sizes, with a reddish-brown to dark brown surface and visible growth rings in cross-section. It is heavy and hard. It has a strong camphor aroma, a cool taste, and a spicy sensation. It is an excellent material for construction and furniture making, as it does not warp and is resistant to insects.
Camphor wood (small-leaf camphor) is the most precious, with a rich fragrance and superior insect-repellent, moth-repellent, mildew-repellent, and moisture-proof effects compared to other camphor woods.
7. Cypress
☆Characteristics: Fragrant, corrosion-resistant, fine-grained wood, but prone to boils.
The wood is resinous, of excellent quality, with straight grain, fine texture, and resistance to decay. Cypress is easy to process, with a smooth cut surface and excellent gloss after painting; it is easy to glue and has strong nail-holding power. Its sturdiness and durability, remaining undamaged for hundreds of years, make it highly prized.
However, due to the scarcity of the tree, it has been listed as a Class II protected wild plant in China.
8. Chicken Wing Wood
☆Features: The texture closely resembles chicken wings.
Chicken wing wood is divided into new and old. New wood is coarse, with alternating shades of purplish-black, and the grain is unclear, stiff, and lacks any sense of movement. The wood fibers are also prone to warping and cracking. Old wood has a fine and dense texture, with alternating shades of purplish-brown forming patterns. In particular, the longitudinal section has fine, floating fibers, possessing a brilliant and shimmering luster like the head and wings of a bird.
Currently, the market for chicken wing wood is flooded with both high-quality and low-quality wood, making it difficult to distinguish between genuine and fake products, and most of it is new wood.
The beautiful shape and the antique wood grain made chicken wing wood a favorite of scholars and officials, and its refined taste made it a noble material with many followers.
9. Ironwood
☆Characteristics: The wood is hard and heavy, the heartwood is light red, and the medullary lines are fine and beautiful.
Ironwood is hard and durable, with a dark red heartwood that is somewhat similar in color and texture to chicken wing wood. It has a rough texture, coarse grain, and prominent pores, and is very durable.
Because it sometimes has patterns that resemble chicken wing wood but are coarser, it was once used to impersonate chicken wing wood and sold as such.
10. Rosewood
☆Characteristics: Reddish in color, hard in texture, and fragrant; old wood has a curled grain, while new wood has a straight grain.
Rosewood is of excellent quality, with pale yellow sapwood that is slightly loose in texture and reddish-brown heartwood that is hard, heavy, and has a dense grain, making it a superior material for furniture.
The best rosewood comes from Hainan, China. Its most distinctive feature is the presence of "ghost faces" on the grain, which are the tree knots. Wood with coarse grain and pale color is of lower quality.
Its sapwood is grayish-yellowish-brown or light yellowish-brown, hence the name "Huanghuali" (yellow rosewood) given to it by later generations. However, Hainan rosewood was almost completely depleted by the end of the Ming Dynasty. Most of the rosewood now is imported from Southeast Asian countries such as Myanmar, but there are many varieties and different qualities.
11. Phoebe zhennan
☆Features: Hard and corrosion resistant
The *Bowu Yaolan* records three types of nanmu: fragrant nanmu, also known as purple nanmu; golden nanmu; and water nanmu. The southern variety is mostly fragrant nanmu, with a slightly purplish hue and a delicate fragrance, and beautiful grain. Golden nanmu comes from river valleys, and its grain contains golden threads. The most beautiful nanmu, when placed in sunny locations, may form patterns resembling figures, landscapes, and mountains.
Nanmu wood is hard, durable, and has excellent resistance to decay. It also has a special fragrance that helps prevent insect infestation.
Golden silk nanmu is the finest type of nanmu. Under light, it displays shimmering golden threads, gleaming brilliantly and exquisitely. Formerly reserved for the imperial family, it was extremely precious. Most of it originates from the deep mountains of Sichuan, making it rare and its price comparable to gold.
12. Boxwood
☆Features: Hard wood, vibrant color
Boxwood has a fine and dense texture and extremely vibrant color, some of which is egg-yellow. Because it is difficult to grow, large pieces are rare, and it is often used as an inlay material for furniture.
Boxwood grows very slowly, flowering in winter and bearing fruit in spring. It generally takes forty to fifty years to grow to 3-5 meters tall and less than 15 centimeters in diameter. Hence the sayings "It takes a thousand years for boxwood to grow" and "It takes a thousand years for boxwood to be used to make a clapper".
Thirteen, Rosewood
☆Characteristics: Its surface has a vinegary smell when cut open.
The heartwood and sapwood of rosewood are quite distinct. The heartwood is orange, red, purple, or dark brown, while the sapwood is yellowish-white to yellowish-brown. Rosewood has a fine and dense wood structure, a smooth feel, and a glossy appearance under light. When cut, the wood has a sour or sour-scented aroma (a few varieties have a rose scent). It has a fine and uniform structure (a few have a medium structure), is rot-resistant, and highly durable. The wood is hard, heavy, and strong, and sinks in water.
Generally, rosewood with "oil" is of superior quality, with a fine and dense structure, hard and heavy, and can sink in water.
14. Ebony
☆Characteristics: Black in color, brittle in texture
Ebony (also known as petrified wood) is inherently hard, and its color ranges from brownish-black, dark red, golden, to yellowish-brown. Its cut surface is smooth, with fine grain; when properly polished, it can achieve a mirror-like shine. Some ebony even surpasses the quality of rosewood in some aspects. It never fades, rots, or attracts insects, making it an ideal material for crafting art pieces and antique-style furniture.
Ebony combines the elegance of wood with the spirit of stone, earning it the titles of "Oriental Sacred Wood" and "Plant Mummy." It originates from trees buried in silt or mud after earthquakes, floods, and mudslides have buried all terrestrial plants and organisms in ancient riverbeds and other low-lying areas. Under anaerobic and high-pressure conditions, bacteria and other microorganisms undergo a carbonization process that lasts for tens of millions of years, transforming the wood into ebony, hence its other name, "carbonized wood."
Throughout history, ebony has been used as an amulet to ward off evil spirits, and has been used to make handicrafts, Buddha statues, and amulets. An ancient saying goes, "Having half a square of ebony in the home is better than having a chest of treasure."
15. Sandalwood
☆Features: Hard wood, long-lasting and fragrant aroma
Sandalwood mainly grows in tropical regions. Its wood is hard, has a lasting and fragrant aroma, and boasts a variety of beautiful colors. It is also immune to all poisons, is immortal, and can ward off evil spirits, hence it is also known as sacred sandalwood.
Currently, the only remaining types of sandalwood in the world are agarwood, sandalwood, green sandalwood, purple sandalwood, ebony, red sandalwood, and golden sandalwood.
China uses sandalwood most extensively. Sandalwood has been considered one of the most precious woods since ancient times, often used for carriages, musical instruments, high-end furniture, and other exquisite objects. During the Ming Dynasty, the court initially procured sandalwood from southern my country. Later, due to shortages, officials were sent to Southeast Asia regularly to purchase more, resulting in a large stockpile of sandalwood. Because sandalwood grows slowly, taking hundreds of years to mature, the sandalwood reserves in Southeast Asia were nearly exhausted during the Ming Dynasty. By the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, the vast majority of the world's sandalwood production had been concentrated in China. The early Qing Dynasty also utilized the Ming Dynasty's stockpile. However, after the mid-Qing Dynasty, the stockpile was depleted, and supplies were temporarily interrupted. Therefore, from the mid-Qing Dynasty onward, rosewood replaced sandalwood in furniture making.
16. Shadowwood
☆Features: Rare in number
"Burl wood" is not a specific tree species, but rather refers to the galls that grow on trees after they become diseased, and is mostly taken from the roots.
Also known as "burl wood", its wood has many knots, which shrink into patterns of landscapes, figures, birds and animals. Some wood grains form small grape patterns and stem and leaf shapes, which is called "full trellis of grapes".
Other common types of wood include linden, locust, alder, and oak, which will not be introduced in detail here.
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