Wood is widely used all over the world for making houses, furniture or any other indoor or outdoor things. There are thousands of wood options and we may sometimes get confused about what to choose.
Among them, the most hard option is to distinguish between common board and pine.
Is common board the same as pine?
The main material of the common board is pine but both are not the same. They both are known as softwood. They are both stiff but in comparison to strength, pine wood is better. The durability of common boards is little less than the pines because pines are thicker.
Common boards don’t have flawless skin like pines have. They contain a high amount of scratches and knots in its surface which makes it less preferable for the woodworkers. Woodworkers have to waste a lot of time to cut the flaws and shape it.
Pines can be used in furniture and most of the things but common boards can be only used in small projects and another important thing is, they can’t take much weight.
Common board vs pine: what’s the difference?
The appearances of both common board and pine are quite the same but in comparison of features, they’re lot of differences. Both are softwoods but pine woods are more resistant to wear and abrasion. In fact, pine woods have longer life and are less prone to decay than common boards.
There is a visible difference between whitewood common boards and pinewoods in terms of quality, price, color, and density. Even though whitewood common boards and pinewoods look almost identical.
The quality and features are also largely similar as both are softwood varieties, making it difficult for some woodworkers to distinguish.
Whitewoods come from tulip trees with a straight grain from the inside, and pinewoods are from pine trees with a coarse grain. Whitewood has a creamy white appearance, whereas pinewood is pale yellow.
Whitewoods are typically used for little objects like cabinets, kitchen cabinets, and ornament boxes, but pinewood can be used for large items like furniture, tables, and floors. Pinewoods are preferable to whitewoods in terms of quality and versatility of application.
In terms of expense:
In terms of cost, whitewoods are less expensive than pinewoods since whitewoods are more readily available than pinewoods.
Beginners prefer whitewoods over pine because they are less expensive and easier to deal with, allowing them to create a variety of shaped crafts at a reasonable cost. Pinewoods, on the other hand, are costly and out of reach for many people.
In terms of strength and abrasion resistance:
Whitewoods have a lower density than pinewoods do. The more thick a material is, the more resistant to wear and abrasion it is. Pinewoods, unlike whitewoods, are less prone to wear and strain.
Pinewoods are more resistant to wear than whitewoods, which is why, despite their higher cost, most woodworkers choose pinewoods over whitewoods.
In terms of features:
In terms of characteristics, white woods are distinguished by their straight grains, whereas pinewoods have open grains that are white. White woods are lighter than pinewoods because white wood has a lower density.
Pinewood, on the other hand, is heavier and denser in comparison.
In terms of applications:
In terms of uses, whitewoods are easier to work with than pinewoods, and in terms of variety of uses in woodworking, whitewoods have fewer uses because they are not as high-quality as pinewoods.
So whitewoods are more commonly used for small craft projects, whereas pinewoods have a wide range of uses, ranging from small crafts to large items such as furniture and house flooring.
Working with pinewood is a sensible choice for users, because though whitewoods are less expensive than pine, in quality pine is the best.
What is select pine used for?
Select pine is the material of choice for a high-end project since it ensures the highest quality pine board. It has nearly no flaws, indicating that it is of the highest quality. Select pine is used for fine decorative woodworking in general.
Interior trim, cabinets, floors, and furniture are also examples. Because knots are permitted in specified widths, this select pine has higher strength, making it ideal for furniture manufacturing. Quality packaging is also made with this select pine.
On a tight budget, it’s the best-looking board. Select pine has the flattest grain of all the pine kinds, with a brownish straight grain that is easy to work with. It also shows a smoother finish. Cabinets, shelving, and carpentry are all made using these high-quality boards.
This knot-free select pine board has the highest strength, which prevents early decay and allows for a wide range of applications.
What is a common board used for?
Common boards are among the softwoods but are quite stiff to work with. But as they are not very thick, they can’t even carry much weight. Still there are many purposes of a common board.
Common boards are widely used for making shelves and desks to decorate and display things. In fact, cabinets or small boxes can be made by common boards. Even kid’s furniture like tables, chairs, almirah and some playing tools are made from common boards.
Is pine better than common board?
Weighing between pine and common board is quite difficult as both are quite same in features and also they are mainly pine. However, there are more advantages in pine than common board which makes it better like:
Wear and abrasion resistant:
Pine wood is thicker than common wood which makes it less prone to wear and strain. In fact, for its thickness, pine wood is more resistant to wear and abrasion than the common wood.
Durability:
Compared to durability, pine woods can have longer shelf-life than common boards if its fibers are sealed properly. As common boards are not much thicker than pine wood, it can get affected and decay more quickly than pine.
Moreover, pines are more durable because of their highly dense end grain particles that common boards don’t have.
Pines are harder:
Pines are softwood and not much hard but stiff. However, common boards are less hard than pine and so they can only be used in small projects.
Texture:
Pines have a really great texture on the other hand, the texture of common boards is not good at all. The surface contains thousands of knots and scratches.
You need to cut down all the flaws and knot knots for woodworking, which wastes a lot of time. On the other hand,
Weight:
Pines can bear more weight than the common board. As the common boards are not much stronger, they can’t hold that much weight. They can get broken if you’re using it to give a lot of weight.
Final thoughts
Though it’s hard to distinguish between pine woods and common boards, because of the features and strength, pine woods are more preferred. Common boards are hard to deal with for their scratches and knots. Pine woods are thicker than common boards which makes it more durable and abrasion resistant.