Alder

Common Name: Red Alder, Western Red Alder.
Distribution Coastal western North America.
Tree size: 100-130 ft tall, 2-3 ft trunk diameter.
Grows in USA: California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana.
The Alder tree is a member of the Birch family.
Although classified as a hardwood, alder is one of the softest of all hardwoods
and is more commonly referred to as a semi-hardwood. It has a moderate weight
and hardness. Because of its uniform, small pore structure and consistency of
color, Alder is a preferred wood for finishing. It has a beautiful red undertone that
often increases in intensity as the wood ages.
Grain is generally straight, with moderate fine, uniform texture. Alder is evenly
textured, with a subdued grain pattern.
Common Uses: Veneer, plywood, furniture, cabinetry, musical instruments, etc.

 

Bay Laurel

Also named Oregon Myrtle, California Bay Laurel, Pepperwood, Myrtle wood.
Scientific Name: Umbellularia Californica.
Tree Size: 50-80 ft (15-24 m) tall, 2-3 ft (.6-1 m) trunk diameter.
This is a large hardwood tree native to coastal forests and the Sierra foothills of
California, and to coastal forests. Grows in Oregon and California and is
especially numerous between Sonoma and Santa Cruz Counties.
California-laurel is a moderately heavy, moderately hard wood with an even
texture and a fine grain.
The heartwood is light brown or grayish-brown, frequently with darker streaks
of pigment figure. Figured grain patterns (curly, mottled, burl) are not
uncommon. The grain is usually straight but frequently wavy or irregular and is
close, compact and smooth. It sometimes displays interesting and attractive
figure.
Common uses: veneer, fine furniture, cabinetry, musical instruments, gunstocks,

turned objects; etc.

 

Birch

Common Name(s): Paper Birch.
Scientific Name: Betula Papyrifera.
Distribution: Northern and central North America.
Common Name(s): Sweet Birch.
Scientific Name: Betula lenta.
Distribution: Northeastern North America.
Common Name(s): Yellow Birch.
Scientific Name: Betula alleghaniensis.
Distribution: Northeastern North America
Tree Size: 65-100 ft tall, 2-3 ft trunk diameter.
Heartwood tends to be a light reddish brown, with nearly white sapwood.
Grain is generally straight or slightly wavy, with a fine, even texture. Low
natural luster.
Common Uses: Plywood, boxes, crates, turned objects, interior trim, and other
small specialty wood items.
Birch is one of the most widely used woods for veneer and plywood worldwide.

 

Black Acacia

Acacia melanoxylon (black acacia) is a tree (family Fabaceae) found along the
coast of California, in the North and South Coast Ranges, and the San Francisco
Bay region.
Acacias are native to tropical and subtropical regions of the world.
Tree Size: 65-100 ft tall, 2-3 ft trunk diameter.
The color can be highly variable, but tends to be medium golden or reddish
brown. There are usually contrasting bands of colors in the growth rings and it is
not uncommon to see boards with ribbon-like streaks of color. Boards figured
with wavy and/or curly grain are also not uncommon. Grain is usually straight to
slightly interlocked, and sometimes wavy. Presents uniform, fine to medium
texture.
Common uses: veneer, furniture, cabinetry, musical instruments, gunstocks,
turned objects; etc.

Black Locust

The black locust is commonly referred to as "false acacia" after its species name

"pseudoacacia".

Acacias are native to subtropical and tropical areas and do not thrive in the cooler

climates favored by the black locust.
The black locust is native to Central-eastern United States (also widely naturalized
in many temperate areas worldwide).
Black locust reaches a typical height of 40–100 feet with a diameter of 2–4 feet;
exceptionally, it may grow up to 171 ft tall and 5.2 ft diameter in very old trees.
The wood can range from a pale greenish-yellow to a darker brown; it tends to
darken to a russet brown with age. It is heavy, strong, close-grained, and very
durable in contact with the ground. The wood is extremely hard, being one of the
hardest woods in Northern America.
Grain is usually straight, with a medium texture.
Black Locust also has moderate blunting effect on cutting edges. It responds very
well to lathe turning.

 

Black Walnut

The black walnut tree (Juglans Nigra) is one of North America’s most valuable and
beautiful native trees.
Its rich-brown heartwood was exceptionally resistant to decay. When grown in
the open, the black walnut reaches 75' tall with a round, low branching, open
crown that spreads nearly as wide as it is tall.
This medium density wood is tough and hard. It is prized in the woodworking
world for its handsome grain.
The grain is usually straight, but can be irregular. It has a medium texture and a
moderate natural luster.
Black Walnut is the standard for gunstocks in the US, it is extensively used in high-
quality furniture, cabinetmaking, boatbuilding, musical instruments, and clock
cases, turning and carving.

 

Black Wood

Blackwood is a medium-sized Australian hardwood that yields an attractive
timber often used for decorative veneers, furniture and paneling.
Blackwood is a medium-sized Australian hardwood that grows in South Australia
and the eastern states. In the wetter areas of Tasmania it is grown in large
volumes for commercial use. 
It is definitely an ‘appearance timber’, with heartwood that is a rich golden
brown. This is sometimes complimented by reddish streaks or a narrow band of
darker color, indicative of the growth rings. Blackwood has a medium and even
texture. Its grain can either be straight or have a wavy, fiddleback pattern, which
is valued for furniture and veneers.
A smooth, polished finish can be achieved, making Blackwood ideal for furniture.

 

Buckeye

Common name: Yellow Buckeye.
Scientific name: Aesculus Flava.
Distribution: Eastern United States.
Tree size: 50-75 ft tall and 1.5-2 ft trunk diameter.
The heartwood is creamy or light yellow, not clearly demarcated from the white
sapwood. It can have grayish streaks. Buckeye burl can feature reddish-brown
knots with light to dark gray swirls of discoloring.
Buckeye has a fine, even texture. The grain tends to be straight or slightly
interlocked.
Yellow buckeye is one of the softest and lightest hardwoods native to the United
States.
The burl sections of buckeye are much more prized, and their light-on-dark knot
clusters and unique, almost black discolorations make them sought after for a
variety of specialty and hobbyist applications.
Common uses: furniture, utility wood, boxes/crates, etc.; while the burl sections
are used for musical instruments, pen blanks and other small specialty turned
objects.

 

Canadian Cedar

Common Name(s): Alaskan Yellow Cedar, Nootka Cypress.
Scientific Name: Cupressus Nootkatensis.
Distribution: Northwest coast of North America.
Tree Size: 100-120 ft tall and 4-6 ft trunk diameter.
Canadian Cedar grows from Alaska to Oregon including the Canadian Pacific
Coast.
The heartwood is a bright clear yellow or pale yellow when first cut and darkens
on exposure. The sapwood is a similar whitish-pale yellow and isn’t distinct from
the heartwood. Color tends to darken with age upon exposure to light. When left
exposed outdoors it weathers to a uniform gray.
The texture is fine to medium, and the grain is usually straight and even, though
sometimes wavy.
Canadian Cedar is commonly used for carving, boat building, siding, flooring,
decking, outdoor furniture, musical instruments, turning, etc.

 

Cherry

Common Name(s): Black cherry, American cherry.
Scientific Name: Prunus Serotina.
Distribution: Eastern North America.
Tree Size: 50-100 ft tall, 3-5 ft trunk diameter.
Color/Appearance: Heartwood is a light pinkish brown when freshly cut,
darkening to a medium reddish brown with time and upon exposure to light.
Wide sapwood is a pale yellowish color.
Grain/Texture: The grain is usually straight—with the exception of figured pieces
with curly grain patterns. Has a fine, even texture with moderate natural luster.
Common Uses: Cabinetry, fine furniture, flooring, interior millwork, veneer,
turned objects, and small specialty wood items.

 

English Walnut

Common Name(s): English walnut, Circassian walnut, European Walnut, French
Walnut, Common Walnut…
Scientific Name: Juglans Regia.
Distribution: Eastern Europe and western Asia.
Tree Size: 80-115 ft tall, 5-6 ft trunk diameter.
Color/Appearance: Heartwood can range from a lighter pale brown to a dark
chocolate brown with darker brown streaks. Color can sometimes have a gray,
purple, or reddish cast. Sapwood is nearly white. 
The English Walnut grain is usually straight, but can be irregular. Has a medium
texture and moderate natural luster, it can occasionally also be found with figured
grain patterns such as: curly, crotch, and burl.
Common Uses in furniture, cabinetry, gunstocks, interior paneling, veneer, turned
items, and other small wooden objects and novelties.

 

Live Oak

Common Name(s): Live Oak, Southern Live Oak.
Scientific Name: Quercus Virginiana.
Distribution: Southeastern United States.
Tree Size: 40-60 ft (12-18 m) tall, 4-6 ft (1.2-1.8 m) trunk diameter.
It has a light to medium brown color, though there can be a fair amount of
variation in color.
Grain is straight, with a coarse, uneven texture. Live Oak may have irregular grain
depending on growing conditions of the tree.
Though, due to its incredible density, (especially for an oak), Live Oak is harder to
work with than other species of the Quercus genus.
Common Uses: Cabinetry, furniture, interior trim, flooring, boatbuilding, barrels,
and veneer.
Historically, it has been used in shipbuilding, and was even used in the
construction of the USS Constitution, which was fittingly named “Old Ironsides”,
an incontrovertible testament to the wood’s toughness.

 

Mahogany

Common Name(s): Honduran mahogany, genuine mahogany, big-leaf mahogany.
Brazilian mahogany, American mahogany.
Scientific Name: Swietenia Macrophylla.
Distribution: From Southern Mexico to central South America; also commonly
grown on plantations.
Tree Size: 150-200 ft tall, 3-6 ft trunk diameter.
Color/Appearance: Heartwood color can vary a fair amount, from a pale pinkish
brown to a darker reddish brown. Color tends to darken with age.
Grain/Texture: Grain can be straight, interlocked, irregular or wavy. Texture is
medium and uniform, with moderate natural luster. The grain ranges from
straight to roey, curly or wavy. Grain irregularities produce very attractive figures
such as mottle, stripe or roe, blister and fiddleback.
It has fine to coarse uniform texture. American Mahogany is lustrous and golden.
Grows in Central America and northern South America.
Common Uses: Furniture, cabinetry, turned objects, veneer, musical instruments,
boatbuilding, and carving.
Honduran mahogany’s easy workability, combined with its beauty and
phenomenal stability have made this lumber an enduring favorite.

 

Manzanita

Common Name(s): Manzanita.
Scientific Name: Arctostaphylos Spp. (Arctostaphylos Pungens).
Distribution: Shrub-land regions of western North America.
Tree Size: 3-16 ft tall, 6-10 in trunk diameter.
Color/Appearance: Heartwood is brownish red, sometimes with a bright orange
hue. Sapwood is a pale off-white to light brown; clearly distinguished from
heartwood, but not sharply demarcated. Burls and wild or swirled grain are
common.
Manzanita has a fine, uniform texture with a good natural luster.
Workability: Manzanita can be difficult to machine because the tree (usually a
shrub) tends to have many defects and irregular grain. Small pieces with straight,
clear grain are relatively easy to work when compared to woods of similar
density. Manzanita tends to check and split if not dried with care. Turns and
finishes superbly. The wood is very durable and resistant to decay.
However, its form as a shrub generally means that its beautiful wood is only
straight enough and long enough to be used in small projects.
Common Uses: Decorative slabs, small boxes, turned objects, and other small,
specialty wood items.

 

Maple

Common Name(s): Hard maple, sugar maple, rock maple.
Scientific Name: Acer Saccharum.
Distribution: Northeastern North America.
Tree Size: 80-115 ft tall, 2-3 ft trunk diameter.
A Midwest favorite, sugar maple is famous for its exceptional fall color.  It is a
large tree, commonly growing to more than 75 feet, with a rounded crown.
Native Americans invented the process of maple sap collection and its distillation
into maple sugar and maple syrup. 
Maple trees grow in Europe, Turkey, USA and Canada; from California to British
Columbia.
Color/Appearance: Unlike most other hardwoods, the sapwood of hard maple
lumber is most commonly used rather than its heartwood. Sapwood color ranges
from nearly white, to an off-white cream color, sometimes with reddish or golden
hue. The wood is creamy white when freshly cut but ages to a light tan.
Grain/Texture: The grain is usually straight but can be wavy or curly and has a
smooth, fine texture. The wood has a high natural luster and limited resistance to
shock loads with medium crushing and bending strengths.
Common Uses: Flooring (from basketball courts and dance-floors to bowling
alleys and residential), veneer, paper (pulpwood), musical instruments, cutting
boards, butcher blocks, workbenches, baseball bats, and other turned objects and
specialty wood items.

 

Monterey Cypress

Common Name(s): Monterey Cypress.
Scientific Name: Cupressus Macrocarpa.
Distribution: Endemic to central coast of California; cultivated throughout North
America and Europe.
The Monterrey Cypress heartwood is a pale yellowish or reddish brown. The
narrow sapwood is paler and usually clearly demarcated from the heartwood.
The grain is usually straight, though small knots are sometimes present, creating a
more irregular grain pattern. Monterrey Cypress has a fine, uniform texture with
a good natural luster.
It is commonly used as utility lumber, fence posts, musical instruments, furniture,
boatbuilding and turned objects.

 

Oak

There are in excess of 600 species in the northern hemisphere that come under
the genus Quersus, including the American White Oak and the American Red Oak.
American White oak: has a significant presence, with the average tree growing
between 80 to 100 feet tall and measuring two-to-four feet in diameter. Living on
average between 200 to 300 years, the white oak produces acorns that are an
important source of food for a wide variety of birds and mammals, including
turkeys, woodpeckers, black bear and rabbits.
The White Oak heartwood can vary in color from light tan or pale yellow-brown to
dark or pale brown and can have a pinkish tint.
White oak tends to have a slightly more olive cast (as opposed to red), but color
alone isn’t always a reliable method of determining the type of oak.
The wood usually has a straight, open grain and is medium to coarse in texture.
It has longer rays than American Red Oak and therefore displays more figure.
The White Oak grows in Eastern Canada and USA.
American Red Oak:
Common Name(s): Red oak.
Scientific Name: Quercus Rubra.
Distribution: Northeastern United States and Southeastern Canada.
Tree Size: 80-115 ft tall, 3-6 ft trunk diameter.
Heartwood is a light to medium brown, commonly with a reddish cast. Paler
sapwood is not always sharply demarcated from the heartwood. Quartersawn
sections display prominent ray fleck patterns. The grain is usually straight and
open but can vary. It generally has a coarse texture but this can also vary
depending on the origin of the tree. It grows in Canada and USA; also grows in
Iran, Europe and UK. Common Uses: Cabinetry, furniture, interior trim, flooring,
and veneer.

 

Olive

Common Name(s): Olive.
Scientific Name: Olea Spp. (Olea Europaea, O. Capensis).
Distribution: Europe and eastern Africa.
Tree Size: 25-50 ft (8-15 m) tall, 3-5 ft (1.0-1.5 m) trunk diameter.
Heartwood is a cream or yellowish brown, with darker brown or black contrasting
streak. Color tends to deepen with age. Olive is sometimes figured with curly or
wavy grain, burl, or wild grain.
Grain may be straight, interlocked, or wild. Olive wood has a fine uniform texture
with moderate natural luster. It turns superbly.
Common Uses: High-end furniture, veneer, turned objects, and small specialty
wood items.

 

Pear

Common Name(s): Pear.
Scientific Name: Pyrus Communis.
Distribution: Native to central and eastern Europe;
also widely planted throughout temperate regions worldwide.
Tree Size: 20-30 ft (6-9 m) tall, .5-1 ft (15-30 cm) trunk diameter.
The heartwood ranges from pale flesh tones to light pinkish-brown and has fine
pores and rays. Sapwood is slightly paler but is not usually distinct from
heartwood. Pear is sometimes steamed to deepen the pink coloration. Pear is
also occasionally dyed black and used as a substitute for ebony.
The grain is usually straight and the wood has characteristically smooth, very fine
uniform and even texture. A mottled figure may sometimes be present. Pear
wood is tough and stable. It can be polished to a very good finish.
It grows in Europe, Western Asia and USA.
Common Uses: Veneer, architectural millwork, inlay, carving, musical instruments,
furniture, cabinetry, and turned objects.

 

Pine

Common Name(s): Western White Pine, Idaho White Pine.
Scientific Name: Pinus Monticola.
Distribution: Mountainous regions of western North America.
Pine grows in western Canada and western USA.
Tree Size: 100-150 ft tall, 3-5 ft trunk diameter.
Heartwood is a light brown, sometimes with a slightly reddish hue,

sapwood is a pale yellow to nearly white. Color tends to darken with age.
The wood is straight-grained with an even, medium, uniform texture.
Common Uses: Veneer, plywood, construction lumber, crates, boxes, wooden
matches, interior millwork, carving, and turning.

 

RedWood (Sequoia)

Common Name(s): Redwood, Sequoia, Coast Redwood, California Redwood, Vavona (burl).
Scientific Name: Sequoia sempervirens.
Distribution: Coastal northwestern United States (from southwestern Oregon to central California).
Tree Size: 200-300 ft tall, 6-12 ft trunk diameter.
The heartwood of redwood ranges from light cherry-red to dark reddish-brown, the
sapwood is near-white or pale yellow. It is straight-grained with a fine to coarse texture.
Interesting burrs up to 6ft in diameter are fairly common.
Grows in California and Oregon.
Heartwood color can range from a light pinkish brown to deep reddish brown.
Sapwood is a pale white/yellow. Curly figure or Redwood burls (sometimes
referred to as “lace” or by the name Vavona) are occasionally seen.
Grain is generally straight, though figured pieces may be wavy or irregular. It
presents a coarse texture and low natural luster.
Common Uses: Veneer, construction lumber, beams, posts, decking, exterior
furniture, and trim. Burls and other forms of figured Redwood are also used in
turning, musical instruments, and other small specialty items.
Comments: Capable of attaining heights of nearly 400 feet, Redwood (Sequoia
sempervirens) is the world’s tallest tree species. It grows in a very limited area on
the Pacific coast of northwestern United States, where heavy rainfall and cool,
damp air create a unique environment for these trees.
A related species, (Sequoiadendron giganteum), sometimes known as
Giant Sequoia or Wellingtonia, produces similar lumber.
Redwood lumber is very soft and lightweight, with a decent strength-to-weight
ratio. It is also exceptionally stable, with very little shrinkage or seasonal
movement.

 

Sycamore

Common Name(s): Sycamore, American Plane.
Scientific Name: Platanus Occidentalis.
Distribution: Eastern United States.
Tree Size: 75-120 ft tall, 3-8 ft trunk diameter.
Though typically straight-grained, the wood can produce excellent lacy or
fiddleback figuring. It has fine, even texture and is highly lustrous.
Grows in Central and southern Europe, UK and western Asia, also planted in USA.
Similar to maple, the wood of Sycamore trees is predominantly comprised of the
sapwood, with some darker heartwood streaks also found in most boards.
The sapwood is white to light tan. The creamy-white or yellowish-white
heartwood darkens to light golden-brown on exposure.
Grain/Texture: Sycamore has a fine and even texture that is very similar to
maple. The grain is interlocked.
Common Uses: Veneer, plywood, interior trim, pallets/crates, flooring, furniture,
particleboard, paper (pulpwood), tool handles, and other turned objects.

 

Teak

Common Name(s): Teak, Burmese Teak.
Scientific Name: Tectona Grandis.
Distribution: Native to southern Asia.
Widely grown on plantations throughout tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Tree Size: 100-130 ft tall, 3-5 ft trunk diameter.
Grows in Burma (Myanmar), India, Indonesia, Thailand, Java, Malaysia, Borneo,
Philippines, Central America and tropical Africa.
Most teak is a dark golden-yellow that turns to a rich brown with darker, deep
brown markings.
Grain is straight, though it can occasionally be wavy or interlocked. Coarse,
uneven texture and moderate to low natural luster. Raw, unfinished wood
surfaces have a slightly oily or greasy feel due to natural oils.
Teak has been considered by many to be the gold standard for decay resistance,
and its heartwood is rated as very durable. Teak is also resistant to termites
Common Uses: Ship and boatbuilding, veneer, furniture, exterior construction,
carving, turnings, and other small wood objects.
Teak has grown into a worldwide favorite. With its superb stability, good strength
properties, easy workability—and most of all, its outstanding resistance to decay
and rot—it’s no wonder that Teak ranks among the most desired lumbers in the
world.