Advantages and disadvantages of pear wood

Pearwood is a reddish wood that is mainly
used for the construction of instruments. But it can also be high quality
furniture made from it. Pearwood is the most widespread in central and
southern Europe, but also occurs in North Africa and the Near East, and even
in Siberia. As it is economically more profitable to grow pear trees to
harvest pears, almost no pear trees are planted for the purpose of harvesting
wood. This circumstance makes pear wood very rare and sought after, which
makes it very expensive. As a rule, the pear wood available in this country
comes from pear trees, which can no longer be used for fruit cultivation.
However, because the pear wood is a so-called domestic wood, it has a good
environmental balance.

Appearance:

Pear wood is characterized by a uniform color. The color spectrum of pear
wood ranges from yellowish shades to reddish hues. In particular, the reddish
coloration can be very intense and is often intensified by the process of
steaming. Due to an irregular course of the wood fibers, pear wood has a very
interesting grain, which can range from a flame pattern to a tongue-shaped
grain. The grain of pear wood is very bright and indistinct, but makes the
patterns described optically all the more attractive.

Properties:

Just like oak or beech wood, pear wood is one of the heavy woods. Due to
its fine structure, it is hard and difficult to split. Pear wood tends to
deform and crack during drying. It also loses mass during the drying process.
When dried, however, pear wood is then stable again and can be further
processed without difficulty. Due to its susceptibility to insects and fungi
whose infestations may discolor the wood, pear wood should not be used in
unprotected areas. The surface of pear wood can be treated with common
lacquers and glazes. Since pear wood is appreciated especially because of the
particular grain and the intense color, usually transparent glazes or paints
are used in the processing. Frequently, the method of damping is used, which
can highlight the natural coloration.

Benefits of pear
wood:

– Unique surface structure

– Very strong

– Good editing options

– Local wood, therefore good environmental balance

Disadvantages
of pear wood:

– expensive

– Weather resistant

– Low availability

Use:

Due to the already mentioned, attractive surface structure, pear wood is
excellently suitable for the production of noble furniture. Another important
application for pearwood is instrument making. For example, pear wood is
often used for the production of flutes or sections of stringed instruments.
Also for high quality children’s toys and turned furniture legs pear wood is
often used as a material.