# The Strongest Wood - Interesting article with woods ranked **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 17, 2008, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strongest-wood-interesting-article-with-woods-ranked/453240 "2008-06-17T19:05:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2008, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strongest-wood-interesting-article-with-woods-ranked/453240/1 "2008-06-17T19:05:07Z")
[Nice little article with big spreadsheet.](http://www.wdv.com/Writings/StrongestWood/index.htm) [Specs are interesting - direct link to xls spreadsheet](http://www.wdv.com/Writings/StrongestWood/TreeStrength.xls) ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2008, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strongest-wood-interesting-article-with-woods-ranked/453240/2 "2008-06-17T19:18:01Z")
On a related note I do love the landuage in [this article.](http://www.giantchess.com/manufacturer/about_teak_wood.html) > [@](#): > > Teak Tree or Tectona is one of tropical hardwood birch, which included in family Verbenaceae. This tree is the original plantation of South East Asia area. This Teak tree can grow big and height until 30 - 40 m. To live, this tree always aborts its leaves every year at dry season. This tree age is very length that is finite about hundreds of year. Teak tree is noted for the strong tenacity to various changes of weather and season. It is because this tree has big flexing capable to fight against the high air pressure without any cracked. > > The Teak tree resin has typical oil in its Galih (Cambium /heartwood) contain of water resistant. This content can refuse all of rottenness types, insect of wood or moths, and antibacterial. The combination of unique Teak tree content equipped with thick fibers and solid, make its easier to cut and formed. Because it’s special characteristic of Teak tree, which is not owned by the other trees, hence a lot of consumer interesting to exploit this wood for various furniture. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2008, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strongest-wood-interesting-article-with-woods-ranked/453240/3 "2008-06-17T19:22:18Z")
[Onion Article] My Wood Is Strong [/Onion Article] ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2008, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strongest-wood-interesting-article-with-woods-ranked/453240/4 "2008-06-17T21:00:39Z")
Oh c’mon people! Where are the jokes? ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2008, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strongest-wood-interesting-article-with-woods-ranked/453240/5 "2008-06-17T21:24:55Z")
[QUOTE=Autolycus] Oh c’mon people! Where are the jokes? [/QUOTE] I’m sitting here trying to come up with the perfect female celebrity to reference. Gimme a minute. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2008, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strongest-wood-interesting-article-with-woods-ranked/453240/6 "2008-06-17T21:29:15Z")
Like Natalie Merchant you mean? No wait, that’d be dumb … ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strongest-wood-interesting-article-with-woods-ranked/453240/7 "2008-06-18T01:19:00Z")
Take your hat off, boy, or you’ll be there when she feeds the trees. ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strongest-wood-interesting-article-with-woods-ranked/453240/8 "2008-06-18T08:52:20Z")
Wood density and strength vary within species to such an extent (even excluding abnormal growth like compression and tension wood), that any worthwhile study on wood properties would need a very large number of specimens per species. I wonder if that was done here? Also, many of the very densest and strongest woods grow only to small dimensions and are therefore rarely found in comparisons like this. Most of the woods I use for my selfbows because of their exceptional strength and elasticity are practically never found in lumberyards or wood dealers. I do prefer self-harvested wood for many other reasons, too (keep the jokes coming!) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strongest-wood-interesting-article-with-woods-ranked/453240/9 "2008-06-18T09:25:10Z")
[QUOTE=Autolycus] Oh c’mon people! Where are the jokes? [/QUOTE] Number 2: The Larch. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strongest-wood-interesting-article-with-woods-ranked/453240/10 "2008-06-18T09:31:36Z")
I thought the strongest Woods were Tiger. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strongest-wood-interesting-article-with-woods-ranked/453240/11 "2008-06-18T10:56:12Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] Number 2: The Larch. [/QUOTE] I came in here to say that! Curse you!