Types of Pine
While we think of pine as one single type of wood, generally sold that way, pine plywood does not come from any specific type of tree. Rather from a family of trees that all share the common name of "pine." There are 126 species of pine within this family, although they don't all exist in the same place, and not all are used for manufacturing pine plywood. A few types of pine plywood are commonly enough known to have their names:
- Knotty Pine has many visible knots that give off a rustic look. However, the knots are small and tight, so they don't weaken the wood.
- Heart Pine – has fewer knots, so it is not as great for a rustic look. However, it is dense, strong, soft, and easy to work with. Heart pine comes from the heartwood, the oldest wood in the tree, and is cut from the oldest pines harvested.
- Douglas Fir – This type of wood is tightly packed (knots and grains). Unlike other types of pine, it paints well and stains well, giving an even appearance.
Uses for Pine Plywood
Softwood plywood is most commonly used for construction but is also used for industrial purposes. In construction, it is most often used for wall and roof sheathing on homes and sub-flooring, although OSB is also allowable by building code for these applications and is often used in place of softwood plywood due to its lower costs.
This is not to say that pine plywood can only be used for construction. Higher grades of pine plywood are used to manufacture various projects, especially by do-it-yourselfers and woodworking hobbyists. AC grade pine plywood provides the hobbyist with a plywood product that has a good surface finish and is not expensive. People make a considerable amount of furniture out of pine plywood, especially when they want an antique or rustic look. Bookcases, wardrobes, bed frames, chairs, and tables are all made out of this plywood product.
Pine plywood, specifically marine-grade pine plywood, is used to make boats. This is an excellent choice because of its lightweight and high strength-to-weight ratio. Marine-grade pine plywood is manufactured without any voids, as those can cause more rapid delaminating when exposed to a high-moisture environment.
Lower grades of pine plywood, such as BC grade plywood, are often used for making rough-use furniture, such as shelving and workbenches for the workshop. This provides high strength at a lower cost. Since the finish isn't so important in these applications, using the BC-grade plywood rather than the more expensive AB or AC grade makes sense.
