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Why is the knot in soft wood hard?

Question

Why is the knot in soft wood hard? It’s all from the same tree.
David, Chesham

Answer

Name: Mike, A23
Qualification: French polisher
Answer: It’s to do with the direction of grain. On a plank, the grain goes the full length of the wood. With a branch coming out of the side of the tree, the grain will go out in the direction of the branch, at 90 degrees to the plank. And a knot is the part where the branch comes out.

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