Whitewood: from
WoodCentral
"The term 'whitewood' seems to be very widely used these days. But when did this word come about? It seems like I just heard it used for the first time only a few years ago, and then it was used merely in a descriptive manner. Now it seems to be the generally accepted term to describe just about any member of the SPF family that is light in color. I guess I can understand the big-box stores wanting to hang a catchy descriptive moniker on utility lumber without specifying the actual species, but the word seems to be increasing in common usage. How and when did that happen? Did I miss the memo?" - A.J.
"It's actually a very old name. It refers to light-colored woods that were favored by the legendary Earl of White back in the 16th century. The Earl was a trendsetter in England, so many homeowners had their furniture made of 'White wood' to be trendy. The term faded away when styles changed, shortly after the Earl of White was sent to the Tower of London for having extremely poor taste. However the term was reborn over the last decade by people working at Renaissance Fairs who apparently latched onto that term along with many other vestiges of 'ye olde English' in order to sound authentic. The term spread because many Renaissance Fair people also happen to work at big box stores. Hope that helps." - Tom
"Actually, the preferred spelling is 'Wyte.' He also is associated with the wyte angle triangle." - Dave
"I thought that was Elmer Fudd who used a wyte angle triangle." - Galen
"You mean wyte twiange." - Ellis
Whatever the origin, there are certainly times when it is just the wyte wood for the job. - Editor
Deer Me: from
Lignum Lovers
Sometimes these threads, which often start off topic (OT), like this one, have a way of wandering off, only to return somehow to where they started. This rambling OT thread is a good example. - Editor
"I have a wooded lot and enjoy the deer it draws. However, there is a deer crossing sign on the road right by my property. I notice a lot of deer get hit on the road, so I've started a petition to have the sign removed. Clearly, this is not a good spot for a deer crossing or they wouldn't be getting hit so often." - Antonio
"You seem to have a lot in common with my neighbor. He was having a computer problem and asked the teenager from next door to have a look. It took the kid about 30 seconds hitting a couple of keys to fix it. When asked what the problem was, he replied 'It was an ID ten tee error." You've got the same thing." - Carmen
"I'm not very computer savvy. What is an ID ten tee error?" - Mimi
"Spell it out. ID-10-T. ID10T. You people certainly are a bunch of greenhorns." - Susana
"Speaking of which, does anyone know why wet wood is called green wood? After all, it is not green in color." - Gunther
"It is if it grows mold on it, which green wood often does." - Siegfried
"This has nothing to do with color. Black walnut is brown, black limba is tan, as are white and red oak, and red alder, and yellow pine. Green means new." - Olga
"I think it comes from the other meaning of green; envious. Green wood is envious of wood that is already dried and made into something." - Tristan
"Are you for real? The word green derives from the Old English growan, which also gives us our word grow. Green wood is still, or recently, growing and alive. Like deer." - Isolde