Domestic Species
Alder
Characterized by its straight grain and even texture. Its reddish brown color often looks similar to Cherry. While Alder is often used to mimic Cherry, its rich tone is beautiful. And certainly warrants use for its own distinct qualities. Though it dents relatively easy, it offers a stable surface.
Ash
Characterized by its medium to coarse texture. The grain is almost always straight and regular, though sometimes moderately curly or figured boards can be found. The heartwood can be light to medium brown color. Sapwood tends to be very wide, with colors ranging from beige to light brownand is not always clearly or sharply demarcated from heartwood.
Basswood
Tends to be straight grained, with a fine, even texture and moderate natural luster. Coloring runs from pale white to light brown color. The sapwood and heartwood sections not clearly defined. Growth rings tend to be subtle, and color is mostly uniform throughout the face grain of the wood. Knots and other defects are uncommon.
American Beech
Typically straight grained. Its texture is uniform and has a moderate natural luster. The color of Beech is typically a pale cream color, sometimes with a pink or brown hue.
Birch
Also called Yellow Birch, it has a grain that is generally straight or slightly wavy, with a fine, even texture. The heartwood tends to be a light reddish brown, with nearly white sapwood.
Red Cedar
Also known as Aromatic Red Cedar, typically has a straight grain, usually with knots present and a very fine even texture. Heartwood tends to be a reddish or violet-brown. Sapwood is a pale yellow color, and can appear throughout the heartwood as streaks and stripes.
Western Red Cedar
Generally straight grained and a medium to coarse texture. The color of the heartwood is reddish to pinkish brown, often with random streaks and bands of darker red/brown areas.
Cherry
An easy to work wood which is straight grained with the exception of figured pieces which tend to curly patterns. In general the heartwood is light to pinkish brown when first cut. The color will darken over time and exposure to light.
Chestnut
Tends to be straight grained although it may also contain spiral or interlocked grain patterns. The color of the heartwood is a light to medium brown, darkening to a reddish brown with age.
Pecky Cypress
Very rare and is caused by a fungus that only grows while the tree is alive. This fungus typically does not germinate until the tree is around 125 years old. The grain tends to be fine, and straight. When freshly milled it has a blonde color which changes to a deep honey color when finished.
Douglas Fir
May be slightly wavey to straight grained with a medium to course texture. the color can vary based upon age and loctaion of the tree. Typically the color is light brown with hints of red and / or yellow.
Elm
Typically has an interlocking grain pattern (making it very resistant to splitting). With a somewhat coarse, uneven texture. Heartwood is light to medium reddish brown. Paler sapwood is usually well defined.
Hickory
Grain patterns are normally straight, but can sometimes be irregular or wavy. Hickory has a coarse texture, with a great deal of color variation between reddish brown, lighter brown, and white. Color variation may have a striped appearance.
Locust
Tends to be straight grained, with a medium texture. Color can range from a pale greenish-yellow to a darker brown. Tends to darken to a russet brown with age.
Hard Maple
Typically straight grained although it may also be wavey. Unlike other hardwoods the sapwood is most commomly used rather than the heartwood. Sapwood color ranges from nearly white to an off white cream color with reddish or golden hues. The heartwood is more of a reddish brown color.
Soft Maple
Not a specific species of wood, rather a broad term typically for several species of maple that is used to differentiate it from Hard Maple. Typically medium density, hardness, and strength, its machining and finishing properties are good, as is its stability. This fine textured and close grained wood does not require filling. Soft Maple exhibits color variation including gray mineral streaking and sapwood.
Ambrosia Maple
Technically not a species of Maple but a term used to referanve any Maple that has been infested by the ambrosia beetles. These beetles bore into the tree and bringing a fungus that discolors the wood.
Curly Maple
Another generic name used to describe the figure in the grain. The ripples in the grain pattern cause the wood to almost have a 3d effect which looks like the grain pattern is curling.
Mixed Species – Glue
We created this for a young man’s bedroom wall. He loved the look of wood and wanted a varity of species in his room. We glue up different species of wood to form a panel which can then be used in various ways.
Red Oak
Grain patterns typically are straight, with a coarse, uneven texture. The pores are so large and open that it is said that a person can blow into one end of the wood, and air will come out the other end. Heartwood is a light to medium brown, commonly with a reddish cast. Nearly white to light brown sapwood is not always sharply demarcated from the heartwood.re
Wormy Red Oak
Red Oak that is characterized by the frequent small worm holes, some scattered knots and slight color variations.
Quarter Sawn White Oak
This is a white oak that has been sawn by first quartering the tree and then sawing the quarters to get grain as perpendicular to the saw blade as possible. Many times quarter sawing is confused with rift sawing (where the grain is perpendicular). The result is that there are flecks and rays in the board which can create a stunning visual effect.
White Pine
Typically straight grained with an even, medium texture. The Heartwood is a light brown and at times has a slightly reddish hue, sapwood is a pale yellow to nearly white.
White Sawyer Pine
White pine that has been killed by sawyer beetles. As the lava eat the tree they a bacteria cause staining of the wood, creating interesting color variations in the sawn lumber.
Yellow Pine
Typically straight grained and it’s heartwood is reddish brown while the sapwood tends to yellowish white.
Poplar
Normally straight grained with a medium texture. Heartwood is light cream to yellowish brown, with occasional streaks of gray or green. Sapwood is pale yellow to white, not always clearly demarcated from the heartwood.
Wahoo
Also called Frasier Magnolia. Typically straight grained, with a fine uniform texture. the sapwood is creamy white to grayish brown and the heartwood ranges from medium to dark brown.
Walnut
Normally straight grained but can also be irregular. Heartwood can range from a lighter pale brown to a dark chocolate brown with darker brown streaks.