Basswood
Description
Several species of large deciduous trees of the genus Tilia, such as T. americana (linden). The light-brown wood from these trees has a straight grain, fine texture and is easily worked. Because linden wood is soft and workable, it has been used since at least the 1600s for decorative items especially intricate carvings such as picture frames and sculptures. The pale brown wood is currently used for millwork, furniture, plywood, novelties, excelsior, boxes, and crates.
- For basswood fiber identification, see http://cameo.mfa.org/wiki/Category:FRIL:_American_Basswood
Synonyms and Related Terms
Tilia americana; Tilia glabra; Linden (Deut.); lime tree (Br.); limewood; basswood (N. America); tilleul (Fr.) ; tiglio (It.); tilia (Port.); tilo (Esp.)
Physical and Chemical Properties
- Height = medium sized tree (18-37 m) with trucnks of 1-1.5 m
- Bark = light brown to gray with narrow fissures
- Leaves = long and broad (10-15 mc long) with serrated margins; occur singularly and alternately on branches
- Fruit = small, hard, cream-colored nutlet (8-10mm)
- Specific gravity = 0.40-0.45 (air dry)
- Density = 20-40 ppcf
Additional Images
Basswood (Tilia glabra)
Basswood (Tilia americana)
Basswood (Tilia americana)
Resources and Citations
- Alden Identification Services, Microscopic Wood Identification: Link
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilia_americana (Accessed October 13, 2020)
- Ralph Mayer, A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques, Harper and Row Publishers, New York, 1969 (also 1945 printing)
- Hermann Kuhn, Conservation and Restoration of Works of Art and Antiquities, Butterworths, London, 1986
- F. H. Titmuss, Commercial Timbers of the World, The Technical Press Ltd., London, 1965 Comment: 23-40 ppcf
- Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia, Douglas M. Considine (ed.), Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1976
- Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997
- Hardwood Manufacturers Institute, Memphis Tenn.: air-dry weight = 26 ppcf
- The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998
- Edward Reich, Carlton J. Siegler, Consumer Goods: How to Know and Use Them, American Book Company, New York City, 1937
- CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, Robert Weast (ed.), CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, v. 61, 1980 Comment: density=20-37ppcf (0.32-0.39g/cm3)
- Gordon Hanlon, contributed information, 1998 Comment: density=25-35 ppcf (0.40-0.45g/cm3)