The essential, easy-to-use reference for anyone who works with wood. Achieve expert-level accuracy in wood identification using only basic tools, making this a must-have resource for professionals, makers, and DIYers alike.
Stop guessing and start building with confidence. Knowing the precise characteristics of the wood you are using is fundamental to achieving successful, long-lasting results, whether you are restoring an antique, fabricating a custom cabinet, or managing a timber inventory.
Identifying Wood translates complex botanical science into practical, accessible knowledge that empowers every woodworker to move beyond simple assumptions and accurately identify both common and exotic species.
This guide provides the simple, systematic methodology that allows professionals to verify species and encourages passionate makers and DIYers to grow their knowledge with hands-on learning.
The book includes:
- Simple Tool Requirement:s The entire identification process requires only basic tools―typically ahand lens, a sharp knife, and a razor blade―making it easy to use in the shop, on site, or in a community maker space.
- Systematic Visual Keys: Clear, step-by-step instructions for examining the three key features: end grain, tangential surface, and radial surface, using hundreds of microscopic and macroscopic photographs for side-by-side comparison.
- Comprehensive Data: Detailed information on the characteristics, uses, working properties, and availability of more than 180 domestic and international species, including both hardwoods and softwoods.
- Troubleshooting: Expert advice on common misidentifications and how to distinguish between similar-looking species crucial for matching materials during repair and restoration.
This book is the single, authoritative reference that transforms ambiguity into certainty, ensuring that both the seasoned professional verifying a supplier's claim and the dedicated DIY enthusiast selecting materials for a prized project have the knowledge to succeed.
R. Bruce Hoadley is widely recognized as the preeminent authority on wood identification and wood science for woodworkers and forest products professionals.
- Academic Expertise: He is a Professor Emeritus of Wood Science at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where he taught courses in wood anatomy, structure, and identification for over three decades. His academic work is foundational to the practical understanding of wood as a material.
- Literary Authority: Hoadley is the celebrated author of several definitive texts, including the classic Identifying Wood: Accurate Results with Simple Tools and Understanding Wood: A Craftsman's Guide to Wood Technology. These books are considered essential reading and the standard references for anyone who works professionally or passionately with wood.
- Focus: His writing translates complex botanical and structural information into accessible, practical knowledge, allowing readers to master the systematic methodology required to identify wood species accurately, using only basic tools like a hand lens.
- Recognition: Hoadley is a contributing editor for Fine Woodworking magazine and his expertise has been invaluable to restoration experts, furniture makers, luthiers, and forensic investigators worldwide.
Through his teaching and writing, R. Bruce Hoadley has empowered generations of woodworkers to understand the science, characteristics, and proper application of the world's most versatile natural material.
