The hardness of wood is measured by the Janka test – how much force is needed to embed a .44″ diameter steel ball halfway into a piece of wood in foot pounds. Since my next birthday will put me at three quarters of a century, and I first noticed the Janka ratings last week, a brief article to keep folks from my level of ignorance seems appropriate. It is amazing how long a guy can remain ignorant.
Our conifers are classed as softwoods. According to the chart available at wood-database.com our common species here rate as follow:
| Quaking Aspen | 350 |
| Engelmann Spruce | 390 |
| Ponderosa Pine | 460 |
| Lodgepole Pine | 480 |
| Western Hemlock | 540 |
| Douglas Fir | 660 |
| Western Larch | 830 |
Wood Hardness Chart offers a chart that includes wood that is grown elsewhere – stuff that makes our gnarliest Western Larch look like Balsa:
| Brazilian Ebony | 3,692 |
| African Pear | 3,680 |
| Brazilian Walnut | 3,380 |
The list goes on if you want to click the link. Personally, I don’t believe I would enjoy tackling timber that is four times as hard as a larch log with either an axe or a chainsaw.
Trego's Mountain Ear 
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