Steve Branam at the Close Grain blog just made a fantastic post that covers all the basics and quite a bit more of the Properties of Wood
It covers the following wood topics quite effectively:
- Wood Toxicity and Allergen Safety
- Hardwood and Softwood
- Moisture Content and Movement
- Sapwood and Heartwood
- Grain
- Flatsawn and Quartersawn Lumber
- Lumber Defects
- Lumber Specification
www.closegrain.com/2010/08/intro-hand-tools-understanding-wood.html