Birch is a heavy, hard wood and is very strong. Offers very good bending properties. Wood grain is straight grained and may often have a curly or wavy pattern. Birch wood works easily and takes glue, nails and screws well with pre-boring due to the hardness of the wood. Cut birch dries very slowly. Has moderately high shrinkage during the drying process. This causes a loss in overall wood yield which makes birch a more premium wood. Straight grained wood with a curly or wavy pattern. Used in furniture, millwork, turnings and toys. (Rollover images to the left for bigger image)