Wood Species Guide app for iPhone and iPad

4.4 ( 2434 ratings )

Reference Education
Developer: Trada Technology Ltd

Free

Current version: 1.2, last update: 7 years ago
First release : 15 Sep 2011
App size: 18.47 Mb

The Timber Research and Development Association
Join TRADA today at www.trada.co.uk/membership

What is the Wood Species Guide?
Created primarily for professionals who use wood in architecture and construction, or for furniture, the species guide enables you to:
• choose the most suitable wood species for your project
• identify physical properties and illustrations for 40 commercial species (FREE)
• upgrade to access 100 additional wood species for just £4.99

Who is it for?
Designers, specifiers, users and purchasers of wood for the following purposes:
• Cladding and decking
• Flooring
• Joinery, mouldings and tool handles
• Structural use
• Marine/freshwater environments
• Sleepers
• Furniture

How to use it
Using the search facility and a selection of filters you can find a particular wood by:
• its name
• appropriate uses
• durability
• colour
• movement characteristics
or a combination of these factors. The names of timbers matching your search will be listed alphabetically. Photographs of wood samples will also help you check whether the colour and pattern is likely to be suitable for your requirements.

Each species of wood has specific characteristics which you need to understand in order to make an informed choice. For example, if you want to use wood for cladding purposes, it will need to be appropriate for external use. Select Cladding under the “uses” filter and it will return a list of species which can be used for that purpose.

You may want to be sure that a particular timber is available from sustainable sources, in which case you can go on to check the environmental credentials. Or perhaps you need more information about a particular wood and its strength qualities, and whether it is a hardwood or softwood. Further details about the tree, its distribution worldwide, the timber, its texture and drying qualities are also included to provide a comprehensive profile for professionals.

About TRADA
TRADA is an internationally recognized centre of excellence for the specification and use of timber and wood products, and is a not for profit membership-based organization. The TRADA website at www.trada.co.uk is an invaluable source of technical information on the use of wood and timber products in construction. Find out more about the benefits of joining TRADA and accessing a wealth of expertise in timber at www.trada.co.uk/membership.

About the publisher

The Wood Species Guide has been created for TRADA by TRADA Technology, an independent consultancy providing a range of information and training services to engineers, architects and the timber industry. It is appointed by TRADA, The Timber Research and Development Association, to provide all of its research and information programmes.

Copyright TRADA Technology 2011
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, by any means, electronic, mechanical, copying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owners.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the advice given, the company cannot accept liability for loss or damage arising from the information supplied.

TRADA Technology Ltd, trading as BM TRADA
Chiltern House
Stocking Lane
Hughenden Valley
High Wycombe
Buckinghamshire
HP14 4ND
UK
[email protected]
www.trada.co.uk

Pros and cons of Wood Species Guide app for iPhone and iPad

Wood Species Guide app good for

The only thing missing is photos of actual trees. Very good App.

Good source for a beginner, gives all the necessary information. Needs to be updated and enlarged though, too static for a paying program.

Some bad moments

Down load the free version and see that 80% of the I formation is locked and will cost $ 7.00. You can find all of this for free on wiki

I purchased Wood Species Guide and the 6.99 upgrade so I could really give it a chance. MISTAKE!. This guide is slightly less useful than the disinterested guys at the warehouse stores. I am an experienced DIYer, and Ive spent lots of time in lumber yards and hardwood specialty yards. The Wood Species Guide has no allowance for wood color after weathering, no option to ask for woods suitable for fencing, and the tiny (3/16 x 3/16 inch) photos of wood cannot be expanded by normal iPhone finger gestures. This app fails badly in its task, and the 6.99 upgrade is funding an app without a sense of direction. Dont make the mistake I did. Bad Job.

This app wouldnt be that bad if the photos werent absolute garbage. No one in their right mind would cough up $6 for such low quality, especially if they were to use it to show clients the different wood options. App has potential but they should focus on the basics first.

You cant seriously expect people to pay to unlock each people of wood info. Nice attempt, but failure indeed.

Very low res images of wood grain! Whats the point of making an app(Remember were using visual devices) if you cant tell what your looking at? Also, if your looking to identify a species this app wont work for that. Lastly, all the main species are locked so get ready to fork over some $ for that.

I like the app but what it lacks is very crucial to an app that is credible. HOW COME THERE IS NO SPECIES LOCATION? I.e. Where do these trees grow?

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