The Difference Between Hardwoods and Softwoods (I Swear, More Interesting Than It Sounds)

[@TodayIFoundOut]

Ready to learn more fun facts about wood? Then check out this video and find out the answer to the question- Why Do We Knock On Wood?: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pGqYaamXgKpjocU

[@originalShorai]

What about Smallwood? 😙

[@krokodyl1927]

Today I Found Out Topic suggestion - why certain woods are preferred in manufacture of pool cues (not straight rail billiards cues). Thank you for your consideration, Simon. Best regards.

[@elihu217qd5150]

working on a farm, I found out all wood is hard wood when you drop it on your foot.

[@issac7787]

lmao😂😂

[@bknesheim]

From my own experience, a waterlogged softwod is a lot harder on the foot then any dry hardwood.

[@saheilaanarzee5552]

Stefan Butz the more simple explination, is a tree that keeps its leaf all year i.e. fir are soft wood. trees that loose leaf in winter i.e. oak is hardwood, which often sells for more because it takes longer to grow

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

tomyourmom, Admittedly, I was taught (in school) the deciduous/conifer version, too... But apparently, the explanation in the vid' here makes better sense when scrutinized historically... So... Maybe you would care for a question... What about the Pinion Pine... It's my understanding (though I've never personally gone foraging them myself) that it's a conifer (pine in the name and all) but it's seeds are the famous "pinion nuts" sold practically all over the world... Hardwood, by the reckoning in the vid'... But which would you say? Just curious... :o)

[@behrangkhosravi3157]

LMFAO!

[@Mazaroth]

Nothing is harder than morning wood.

[@ZarPof]

You mean nothing is harder to relieve yourself with. Man if you have to take a dump with it, forget about it.

[@molson0]

Did you embed a steel ball in it to make sure?

[@ZarPof]

Alec Hogerland twice

[@samuelluria4744]

Ouch!

[@liquidminds]

When the seed is covered, it's hardwood, but it becomes softwood, when the seed is exposed to the elements ;-)

[@kylethomas9130]

*unknowingly clicks on old video "Holy crap! What happened to..." *sees it's 2 years old "Ah."

[@bradypostma5167]

My reaction: "Where the hell is your beard, sir?"

[@melissamenchaca9121]

Brady Postma his head looks so small

[@ryleexiii1252]

I didn't even recognize him.

[@eothamec2427]

I had about the same reaction as a bikini bottom citizen looking at king Neptune’s “thinning” hair.

[@ghostphoto1789]

it's over 3 years old now. scary how much time flies. 2016 seems much closer than it is

[@JonneBackhaus]

Probably the only Video with Wood, Sperm and Hard in the same sentence without being porn.

[@barbiquearea]

And a author named Wang being mentioned.

[@dudeinoakland]

And the Janka hardness test

[@on_spikes6867]

"Naked" also being said

[@amistry605]

🤣🤣🤣

[@random...3723]

AHAHAHA- OMG- 😂😂😂😂 Is that so??

[@deaconblooze1]

The amazing part is that you managed to get through this entire video without using the words 'deciduous' & 'coniferous'.

[@ExBruinsFan]

No surprise. He cannot even pronounce "et cetera" correctly.

[@ravebiscuits8721]

ExBruinsFan that's a wrong but far far more normal way to pronounce it in Britain. It would only suggest his social class and absolutely not his level of intelligence or even type of education.

[@ExBruinsFan]

Rave Biscuits If he knows "ex cetra" is wrong and still says it, then he is being willfully ignorant.

[@thelonecabbage7834]

+ExBruinsFan And you have no concept of what it means to be "willfully ignorant". We all have our flaws.

[@ravebiscuits8721]

ExBruinsFan Oh dear, if you want to sound intelligent (and it's clear by your stance that you do) then it's probably best to look up the definition of a phrase before using it... Willfully ignorant would mean that he is going out of his way to not learn something, it doesn't mean 'someone who chooses not to implement a piece of knowledge'. He already knows as most do in Britain but is unable to, or sees no benefit to, catching himself every time he uses the phrase, when everyone will understand him and only wanna-be intellectual, purist twats like you will get upset.

[@DesertHomesteader]

I really appreciate this explanation. As an aspiring homesteader, the hardness of different woods makes a big difference in which trees I will want to plant, so it is good to know not to assume much based on the classification.

[@Rhapbus1]

one video i have to turn up my speakers to almost full, the next its shaking my fucking house.

[@debries1553]

One wood think there'd be a more log-ical reason. (sorry, I couldn't resist)

[@achinvincible]

fir heaven's sake, Some of these puns are so old I sawdust on them. I'm knot joking.

[@kannorkallingzvorth9809]

Ach Shetty I can knot believe I just saw that.

[@Hellcommander245]

These puns are so 'plane'.

[@snlbitchluva]

Debries That was so angiosperm! Wait...

[@suivzmoi]

@snlbitchluva wood you like to try again?

[@mulymule12]

This is like the HPC, outa no where, a decent channel arrives.

[@TodayIFoundOut]

Thanks!

[@VicariousReality7]

What is the difference between the Brinell test and the Janka test?

[@dffrancis]

+VicariousReality7 the names are different

[@ThiloSauber]

Janka measures the amount of force it takes the steel ball to penetrate a defined depth into the wood, brinell has a defined force and measures the depth it was able to reach. Same same but different.

[@makeshifthouse]

WHAT THA FAAAK.

[@atomicskull6405]

That simple definition fails with Ginko trees. They are gymnosperms but have a fleshy covering on their seeds. A better definition is simply that softwoods come from non flowering trees like conifers and ginkos and hardwoods come from flowering trees like apple, oak etc. The female reproductive structures of gymnosperms do not contain ovaries and because of this they are not considered to be flowers (an example is the male and female cones on pine trees). They do have a seed coat but it's not ovary derived tissue. In the case of a Ginko the "fruit" it's actually a seed with a fleshy seed coat and not a true fruit.

[@jenvalzinaaccaliahavinoth2226]

the differance between hardwood and softwood is: if one lasts for more then 4 hours you should consult a doctor immediately

[@arelam8055]

Why do you need to swear it's good? All your videos are good. Good interesting presentation, not too long not too short and easily understandable. Keep up the good work!

[@hairutheninja]

That really was surprisingly interesting. you never dissapoint

[@shawnwolff4490]

This is one of my favorite videos today that you guys have produced I would love to see a part two version to give more details into different what hardnesses and what some good/ common uses for them would be

[@_multiverse_]

I like how he showed a pinecone with the description of an unprotected seed....a pinecone is the definition of a covered seed....some only open when lit on fire...

[@creativesuit1930]

Sam What you're referring to are serotinous cones. Not all pine cones exhibit this behavior. Two that I can think of are Jack Pines and Table Pines. There are many more that don't behave in this manner.

[@matthiaswandel]

You used an image from my website in this video (would be nice to at least give credit). But ironically, this image is not at all illustrating what you explained. My hardness test is not at all based on the janka hardness test.

[@DATTURTL3]

Matthias Wandel 👋🏽

[@God8-O]

Matthias Wandel What is your website ???

[@Danstasuik2010]

woodgears.ca

[@God8-O]

Matthias Wandel Now I know who you are you were on TV !!!!!! (Outrageous Acts of Science)

[@nickkk420]

Hahaa your everywhere Matthias!!!!

[@chouyi007]

That example at 3:58 wasn't a Hickory, but Quercus alba - the White Oak.

[@TheOceanLoader]

As someone who has recently bought some reclaimed timber, hardwood shelves, I found this informative but a little part of me really wants to try out samples of those other woods!

[@terribleteddy]

A response to the title. I found it interesting even before I read the " I swear bit"

[@CorkySchillinger]

(Does Beavis and Butthead impression) Heh! He said wood! :) Well, I also learned something new. I always thought they were hardwood or softwood based on their tensile strength. Now I know better. The older I get, the more I realize how much I don't know! Well done, TIFO team!

[@TodayIFoundOut]

+Corky Schillinger Thanks!

[@samuelluria4744]

Thhettle down Beavithh.....

[@chrish1657]

Who's this clean shaven non-spectacled young man?

[@brantleyhester6641]

Chris H Behold past Simon. Kinda like we're time traveling but not going anywhere. Maybe this is time travel. I mean we can see it just can't touch it

[@bradypostma5167]

Everyone is a time traveler. We just all travel through time at approximately the same rate.

[@brantleyhester6641]

Brady Postma Yeah.. Not at all what I'm referring to. Viewing a window of the past

[@nicholassagraves2086]

Simon, I love your channel. I consider it a great source of reliable, factual knowledge. That being said, there seems to be some dispute on the janka hardness of the Australian Buloke. The wood database has the janka hardness at 3,760 lbf (16,740 N), whereas wikipedia quotes the 5,060 lbf (22,500 N). Im not really sure if this info is strong enough for an edit to the video or not.

[@madness-pkgaming2931]

I loved this video Simon. Very interesting 👍

[@RandyLunn]

How and why did Janka settle on a steel ball that was .444" (11.28mm) in diameter? Is this a standard ball bearing size? Did he do it to sell a specialized piece of equipment?

[@fsmoura]

He found the repetition of the digit 4 entrancingly mesmerizing.

[@mrmeowtv6248]

To get an area of 100 mm^2. Easier to perform stress/strain calculations.

[@fhuber7507]

easy to get ball bearing size.

[@Epidendrum30]

This is incorrect. Hardwood and softwood refers to cells in the wood, not to the classification of the tree. Softwoods have only one type of cell (tiny tracheids) so their wood appears "soft" or bland-monotonous to the eyes. Hardwoods mix two cells (big vessels and little tracheids) in different proportions so their wood patterns are jumbled-irregular or hard on the eyes. Yes, all softwoods are gymnosperms but not all angiosperms are hardwoods. The wood taken from magnolias and other magnoliid trees are softwoods.

[@minotaursam999]

This seems like a much more reasonable and useful way to classify wood, but alas, after about a half hour of research from 12 different sources, i could not find a single one that supported this claim.

[@Epidendrum30]

Try looking in standard, American, Botany texts under secondary growth or mature growth. In fact, the timber of certain flowering trees (magnolia) are classified as softwoods because the xylem lacks vessels. One wonders if this is an American vs. European distinction?

[@minotaursam999]

Peter Bernhardt It would appear that some texts do mention wood grain and color as properties of wood as related to it being soft or hardwood, but the way they classify it is angiosperm vs gymnosperm. And as always, America may be an island in this and everything else, so that is not far fetched.

[@barbaralatham5107]

Peter Bernhardt

[@Knobulon]

Peter Bernhardt www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/design/resistantmaterials/materialsmaterialsrev1.shtml I got this from the BBC website which is taught in English schools

[@simonelliott7570]

I'm a carpenter when doing my training we were taught that there is different cell structures to hard and soft woods.

[@thairinkhudr4259]

I would think that is true.

[@djss7122]

As a carpenter, what are your thoughts on rubber wood? Also, would it make a good salad bowl?

[@p.moorewilson7917]

Not sure why you qualified, at the beginning of the video, that ‘this (video) is actually interesting’. Simon, your posts are ALWAYS interesting! You are, hands down, one of my favourite KZbinrs. Please keep up the great work! 👏👏👏👏👏

[@random...3723]

I had to repeat this atleast five times due to the loud t.v.. But when I finally watched it, understanding it, I rewatched it five times again from liking the video.

[@fencserx9423]

It’s nice to have a Today I found out video when I have a random question that I type in out of curiosity

[@ladykoiwolfe]

Thank you. This is something I've always been vaguely curious about. Can you do an equivalent video for rocks and minerals?

[@BrokebackBob]

I wish I could double-like !! Fascinating info that I, a notorious smartypants, did not know! Big thumbs up!

[@xh0rsex]

what about morning wood?.. oh, that would be hardwood...

[@kyrstinbruce3708]

The seed from morning wood is exposed and not contained in a shell. So softwood

[@wycheproofworkshops1192]

Great video mate, I've cut a lot and I'll be cutting up some more Buloke very soon. I have lots of it as I live in the Buloke Shire in Victoria Australia lol. It is very hard so you have to cut very slowly but it's managable

[@lordindulgence]

I have no idea why but this was actually freaking fascinating

[@georgehowarth2388]

Definitely not clickbait

[@GrimSqueaker627]

I'm happy that you posted this as it seriously just helped my hobby out a ton. I make wooden swords and shields and I'm constantly looking for wood that is durable enough to handle kids. Thank You

[@AlejandroRodolfoMendez]

when i learn something new as in this video, it is always interesting. thanks

[@richelliott9320]

I like your channel,it's not long winded and I find the topics are interesting to me

[@espositogregory]

The title made me laugh, and worth the thumbs up. Keep it up friend!

[@douglasthompson9070]

So, if you keep using the Janka test over and over through the years does the wood get harder?

[@MyHeadHurts32]

Simon is so cool. comes across so professional

[@SkipTerrio]

Seriously, not one joke about doing the "Janka" test on your hard wood? I'm disappointed in you, KZbin.

[@JoelHudson]

Jack X looks like you ummm... "Handled" it.

[@TheReZisTLust]

Jack too mature for u I guess lol

[@TS_Mind_Swept]

I’m not. Besides, KZbin doesn’t make jokes, it just hosts videos and comments from stupid ppl with nothing better to do with their lives then be dirty.

[@johnknapp952]

Considering that in some parts of the world "Janka" would be pronounce "Yanka" gives new meaning to testing procedures.

[@jubjub905]

0MindSwept0 ...somebody isn’t a very fun individual...

[@JIHOONJIHOONILY]

"I swear more than it sounds"

[@SCARECROWprods]

I always thought that the classification was by how long the wood burned. Hardwoods would typically burn for longer than softwoods. Learned something new.

[@willhooke]

Very useful video on hard wood and soft wood Thank you

[@HenkJanBakker]

Its not 'cue-po' but 'kwee-po'. Minor flaw but as you are so spot on normally I thought I'd mention it.

[@SalveMonesvol]

I ruined a new machete trying to cut Quebracho. It's hard as fuck, I can't believe there's something even harder.

[@merlynschutterle7242]

Where can I get some of that stuff?

[@SalveMonesvol]

Argentina. The name literally means "break axe". It will bot break a modern axe though, only the shitty ones hundreds of years ago.

[@ilikeceral3]

SalveMonesvol wait, there are woods harder than that?! Wow...

[@SalveMonesvol]

It seems so.

[@morganyeatman9284]

I think your machete is just shit

[@PongoXBongo]

So, soft seeds equal hardwood, and hard seeds equal softwood? That totally makes sense...not.

[@sarcasmo57]

should plant more of those Australian trees and turn them into sky scrapers.

[@ozdergekko]

really, really interesting. I can't remember having heard that in my botany lectures at university, back when mushrooms still were plants.

[@CZPoland]

Best exploration of hard wood i ever heard, greate thanks to you 👍👍👍

[@danielhenderson7050]

Can't be a coincidence that I googled the difference between these two things the other day and find this in my feed :)

[@trevorlambert4226]

From the Wood Database, regarding Quipo: ..."the purported hardness seems highly questionable, especially in light of the fact that Quipo seems to be very susceptible to rot, and on one USDA test, it was remarked that “the results for quipo may have been influenced by the presence of considerable decay.” Furthermore, when comparing Quipo with Balsa, it has been shown that the two woods are virtually identical in hardness, with the absolute lowest recorded Janka hardness values, in the range of 20-35 lbf (89-156 N), were actually from Balsa, and not Quipo."

[@MrPs103]

Angiosperm, gymnosperm, hard wood, soft wood, Xin Wang, Janka (pronounced 'Yank-a'), and I swear I though he said 'the hardest wood is said to come from the Australian 'bloke' (actually said 'buloke')...I have a feeling that this is a scientific topic in colleges with a decent amount of giggles. The comments posted previously to this one supports that theory, it seems. I've been doing some woodworking projects lately, and been wondering this same thing. Thanks for the information!

[@wrektum]

Thanks. That was much more interesting than I thought it would be.

[@snlbitchluva]

Love what your doing Simon, love your videos when they come out, thanks for putting your work in these, and for feeding my curious mind.

[@BionicKing]

So then... Why do people care about whether the wood is "hard" or "soft"? For example, if someone says "hardwood table" is there any reason I should treat that differently from "softwood table"?

[@donaldweber7636]

Never messed with yellow pine I see.

[@donaldweber7636]

Hardwood trees often grow much slower than softwoods and many of them don't have very long straight sections, making harvesting for furniture more expensive.

[@B_COOPER]

I always thought that KZbin was just repeatedly unsubscribing from Simon Whistler, but then I realized that Simon Whistler has more channels than Verizon

[@evernewb2073]

hickory isn't so much hard as it is tough: the wood does a *much* better than average job of dispersing energy throughout it's structure in both sudden shocks and sustained stress, couple that with good elasticity, good deflection before damage, and a whole lotta energy required to extend damage after it begins and you get a famously stubborn material, it even weathers well ^_^. that said there aren't that many kinds of wood that I know of where that rating is misleading, and all the ones I can think of off the top of my head are woods near the bottom of the spectrum that rate (relatively) well because of filler material and have a much less fibrous structure, so they resist crushing but lack tensile strength (relatively speaking, these are all things you can probably pull apart with your hands)

[@cyclesingsleep]

...would love Simon to do a video on your comment!

[@jakobholzwarth1544]

What is a tree ?

[@johnmartin6334]

Yes, the Yanker test IS the the best way to test the hardness of your wood.

[@jasonferguson4247]

Learn something new everyday. I never knew this.

[@20thcenturytunes]

Hi, well done - does growth rate have any affect on hardness - oak trees grow much slower than aspen so oak should be harder?

[@potawatomi100]

You videos are always interesting and very informing. Thank for the work you do.

[@Kiery86]

Cheers, Simon. That is incidentally a question I’ve always pondered. Up until now, the prospect of Balsa wood being a hardwood made absolutely no sense to me at all!!?? Lol

[@Nonunusmultorum]

FYI, lbf is "pound-force", it's the imperial equivalent of the Newton as it is a measure of force, not mass. Great content btw

[@icreatedanaccountforthis1852]

Difference between hard wood and soft wood: one is more noticeable in your pants.

[@oltedders]

I can't watch Simon without thinking about his hardwood.

[@MCatSHF]

Hello Today I Found Out Hardwood trees are deciduous trees (broad leaf trees that tend to loose their leaves in northern climates for the winter). Softwood trees are conifers (trees that have needles instead of leaves).

[@dlwatib]

KZbin's current algorithm ignores likes and dislikes. Sharing on social media is likely to result in increased viewing minutes, which is what youtube is actually using. So if you want to help out a channel, view all of their work through to the end and hype it on social media so that others will too. You found out something about youtube today. You're welcome.

[@PickOfDestiny89]

Ron Swanson is proud of you.

[@eduardvaniersel7535]

In the Netherlands a hardwood is classified as wood from a broad-leaved tree and a softwood as a wood from a conifer. So it differs slightly from the definition given in the video. But using the definitions to describe the characteristics of the timber is pointless anyway.

[@dreamsighwhyitry3156]

Today I found out about this channel

[@jyggalagdaedricprinceoford6239]

As a luthier, the difference in woods make a world of difference in tone.

[@Willy_Tepes]

The Australian Ironbark tree is insanely hard and is so dense it will sink in water. It takes a nice polish though.

[@okrajoe]

But having cut down trees with a good old axe, the names may have caught on because a pine is sure a lot softer than oak.

[@uk135]

Fiber size is also important. Larger fiber sizes make softer woods.

[@TheInselaffen]

Simon, your eyes are so beautiful!

[@TodayIFoundOut]

*blushes* (in a manly fashion) ;-)

[@fsmoura]

*_*manliness intensifies*_*

[@sean8081a]

I've heard hardwood is like a bunch of drinking straws stuck together vs softwood which are fibers. When the tree takes up water, it's straws vs wicks.

[@dustyrusty75]

It bugs me a bit that density, hardness, and toughness are all used interchangeably at the start of this video. They are very different properties, though they are usually correlated with one another. For reference: Density - mass per unit volume Hardness - resistance to indentation/scratching Toughness - amount of strain energy that can be absorbed before fracture

[@111smd]

you know that was actually interesting

[@damiangrouse4564]

Actually learned something new today.

[@Burt1038]

One might say...today I found out.

[@petertimowreef9085]

I can decide what's interesting and what isn't for myself perfectly fine thanks. Heck, you only see that part of the title after you've clicked the video...

[@WR3ND]

Hardwoods, especially the more common nut and fruit bearing tree varieties in northern western cultures, are also generally considered safer and more desirable to use for cooking, grilling, and barbecuing/smoking. Cheers.

[@WorldwideBushcraftSurvival]

For some reason I thought it was called Bull Oak, nut Buloke. I learned something.

[@nemtudom5074]

Yea, me too

[@georgecataloni4720]

Not to be confused with "bloke wood" which is normally soft, but can become hard in certain circumstances.

[@nemtudom5074]

George Cataloni ahahha

[@PokeMaster22222]

First reading: "Um...okay; what wood is that?" Second reading (after remembering the term 'morning wood'): "Okay, wow. I guess that was inevitable, but wow. A genitalia joke. How original."

[@tamaramcgill5820]

Swear I just learned!!! Wow based on the seed,,,,,uh who knew

[@magicoA]

Smiles when he says naked seed,it looks like he laughed right after that

[@brettdomenick]

I was told that most hardwood trees are able to regrow a trunk/branches after being cut down while softwood usually cannot.

[@liamwinter4512]

For the love of everything holy. He looks absolutely outstanding with a beard.

[@mytech6779]

There is also a substantial difference in the ratio of cellulose to hemi-cellulose(softwoods have very little hemi-cellulose) and notable difference in their respective strengths profile such that soft woods tend to be fibrous and stringy while hardwoods chip and fracture in a more chunky fashion.

[@norocketsciencebuild5371]

It would have been nicer to give more examples of the types typically used on constructions and so on.

[@jeffharrison1090]

Informative and engaging too! thx.

[@SunyJim]

So let me get this straight the way we tell softwood from Hardwood is with the Yanker test? (Does Beavis and Butthead laugh). I feel the same way that's how I test my wood too LOL

[@thtsimv]

Colin Wells nope. Watch the video again.

[@bethanychomiak1399]

I feel like growing up as a lumberjack's daughter should have taught me this.

[@DarrenRBaker]

The softest wood ever tested was not cuipo, it was balsa. The book in which this report was included ("Strength and related properties of Balsa and Quipo woods") had a typo.

[@billiondollardan]

Great video. Great channel. Well done!

[@xemerzis]

Hey man, you don't gotta promise it's interesting. I clicked the video, I'm interested.

[@censoredone1374]

Hey you should do a video about the different burning temperatures of different types of wood it's very interesting topic

[@sciencetroll3208]

I still like my definition best ( bear in mind that I'm from Oz, where there are many plentiful types of wood too hard to easily use ) . . . . ' If it floats it's softwood. ' Try it for yourself.

[@ExBruinsFan]

Another reason to hate humanity's madness.