Apple (Crab)

About the Tree

(The following notes apply to Crab Apple itself – an indigenous species. The timber from Japanese
Crab Apple is likely to be very similar.)

Hard close grained wood.

Uses of Wood:

Wood carving, inlay work, mallets, screws. Good firewood with pleasant aroma.

Apple wood has a reddish gray heartwood and light reddish sapwood (12 to 30 rings of sapwood).
When steamed, the wood becomes reddish brown to dark red-brown. The wood of wild apple trees
is said to be better than that of cultivated varieties, which is also true of pear trees.

Working Properties: The wood, which is very difficult to split, is hard and difficult to work, but is
easily stained and polished. The timber converts cleanly but is moderately hard to saw. A clean
finish is produced normally, but a reduction of the cutting angle to 20° is an advantage to planing.

Uses: Apple is used in furniture, turnings, mallet heads, skittle balls, umbrella handles, machines
and toys, cog wheels, fruit presses, shuttles, wood screws, plane blocks, bookbinder screws, boat
knees, canes and walking sticks, drawing instruments, pianos and tool handles.