Is softwood easy to use

Answer 1

It depends on the use. If you mean, "Can I use softwood more easily than hardwood", the answer is generally no, it's not necessarily easier.

Hardwood trees aren't called that because they have hard or dense wood. They're angiosperms, which means that they produce seeds with a covering - like a walnut or an apple. Soft woods are gymnosperms that let seeds fall without a cover - pine trees, for instance.

So, the density/workability of the wood has little bearing on the hardwood/softwood name. Balsa, which is a really easy wood to work with - very light and soft - is a hardwood.

In general, hardwoods are denser and more stable than softwoods. Less sap, and less apt to warp as you cut and shape them.

Softwoods can be easier on the cutting edge of a tool, but often are loaded with saps that can cause other headaches. Cleaning blades of sap is tedium. Finishing or staining a piece of pine can be a blotchy nightmare because of the sap and density variations.

Softwoods can be "easy to use", but there's way more to selecting a wood for your project than "easy". Wood density, stability, moisture content, and...most importantly...the project you're working on. Check around and chat with someone at your local lumber yard and they'll help you select something that's appropriate for your project, whether it's a picture frame or an outdoor bench.