Botanical Name: Fagus grandifolia
Heavy, hard and strong, American Beech is used for everything from flooring to woodenware. Although considered less attractive then European beech, American beech has prominent rays and visible tiny pores. It is highly figured when quatersawn.
Other Name: Beech
Sources: Eastern U.S.A. and Canada.
Characteristics: Straight grain; fine, even texture; reddish brown to light brown heartwood with almost white sapwood.
Uses: Bentwood furniture, turning, handles and cabinetmaking.
Workability: Satisfactory; good with most tools but may burn when crosscut or drilled; may bind on saws; excellent turning wood; excellent bending qualities; high shrinkage makes it unstable in use.
Finishing: Accepts finish well.
Weight: 46 lb./cu.ft.
Price: Moderate.

Botanical Name: Betula papyrifera
Paper birch is a tough, heavy wood, although it is softer then other birches. It's bark was used by Native Americans to fashion wigwams and canoes so that many people still refer to it as "canoe birch". The wood possesses an attractive figure, and is sometimes sliced into decorative veneers.
Other Names: White birch, sweet birch, American birch.
Sources: Canada, U.S.A.
Characteristics: Straight grain; fine texture; wide, creamy white sapwood; pale-brown heartwood.
Uses: Turning for domestic utensils, dowels, toothpicks, spools, bobbins, hoops and toys, plywood and decorative veneers.
Workability: Generally good; moderate dulling of cutters; unusual curly grain may pick up in planning; satisfactory bending properties.
Finishing: Accepts finishes well.
Weight: 39 lb./cu. ft.
Price: inexpensive.