Common name: Tawhai, Silver Beech
Botanical name: Nothofagus menziesii
WHY USE SILVER BEECH?
Silver beech is sourced from sustainably managed forests and is becoming the favoured wood to replace Rimu as the prime native species. It is excellent as a turnery species, particularly good in brushes and dowels, and excellent for cabinetry. It also is renowned for its steam bending properties and was once widely used for motor-body building. Today, it is useful for brushware and dowels, small turned goods and implements, handles and railings, and furniture.
APPEARANCE AND DESCRIPTION
The colour of silver beech varies with location, age and between the sap and heartwood, but always has a pinkish to red overtone. The dry sapwood is a light pinkish grey, and the heartwood pinkish brown.
PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS
Durability:
Silver beech is non-durable, both for heartwood and sapwood. It is unsuitable for outdoor applications but can be used for interior and indoor furniture applications without the need for further treatment.
Mechanical properties:
| Density at 12% moisture content | 592kg/m3 (ranges from 585-705 kg/m3) |
| Modulus of elasticity | 12.0 GPa |
| Modulus of rupture | 100 MPa |
| Shear strength parallel to grain | 12.5 MPa |
| Compression strength parallel to grain | 47 MPa |
| Side Hardness | 4.5 kN |
| Tangential shrinkage – green to 12% MC | 5.7% |
| Radial Shrinkage – green to 12% MC | 2.6% |
Machining:
The wood of silver beech is very easily turned and shaped, and having no silica content, it does not blunt cutting knives. It is also an excellent carving timber.
Glueing and coating considerations:
No particular considerations.