Rapid Method for Preparing Wood Sections

Abstract

The preparation of wood sections for microscopic study normally requires considerable time and the employment of expensive equipment. With the use of an ordinary carpenter's plane and a softwood imbedding block, sections ready for staining can be prepared in a matter of minutes. Common stains such as safranin, fast green and orange G can be used to make permanent slides for the comparative interpretation of wood structure. Several desert woods were sectioned and stained, including ironwood, creosote bush, mesquite and Arizona ash.