black cherry – prunus serotina hickory – carya ovata white ash – fraxinus americana white oak...

Black Cherry – Prunus Serotina

Hickory – Carya Ovata

White Ash – Fraxinus Americana

White Oak – Quercus Alba

Red Oak – Quercus Rubra

Black Walnut – Juglans Nigra

Tulip Poplar – Liriodendron Tulipifera

White Pine – Pinus Strobus

Hard Maple – Acer Saccharum

American Beech – Fagus Grandifiolia

ColorLight cream

colored, with occasional light

brown streaking.

Physical Characteristics

Grain

Color

Workability

Rot Resistance

Common Uses

Price Range

WorkabilityEasy to work,

takes glues and finishes well.

Rot ResistancePerishable, with

only a slight resistance to insects and

decay.

Common UsesWoven baskets,

snow shoes, baseball bats, tool handles

GrainRing-porous

with very course open pores, similar

to Oak.

Price RangeAmong the least expensive of the

commonly available domestic

hardwoods.

Physical Characteristics•Weight = Medium•Specific Gravity = .55•Hardness = Hard, 1,320 lbft •Known for its shock resistance and flexibility

Price Range

Common Uses

Rot Resistance

Workability

Physical Characteristics

Grain

Color

ColorPale tan to

greenish amber

Physical Characteristics•Weight= Heavy, Specific gravity=.60•Hardness=Hard,1,360lbft

•Known for its strength, weight, and durability. Shows prominent ray flecking when quarter sawn.

WorkabilityEasy to work,

takes glues and finishes well.

GrainRing-porous

with very course open pores.

Rot Resistance

Very good rot resistance

Common UsesBoats, barrels,

flooring, Arts and Crafts style furniture

Price RangeModerate,

slightly more expensive than

Red Oak.

Color

Common Uses

Price Range

Grain

Physical Characteristics

Workability

Rot Resistance

Price RangeOne of the most sought after

and expensive of domestic hardwoods, Cherry is still a bargain when compared to

most exotic imports.

Rot ResistanceHeartwood is

moderately rot resistant

ColorPale pink when

first cut. With time and exposure to

sunlight, the heartwood will

darken to a deep cinnamon red.

Physical Characteristics•Weight = Medium weight, Specific Gravity = .47•Hardness = Medium , 950lbft •Can be brittle

WorkabilityCherry glues, machines, and finishes well, but its

wavy grainy structure can make it prone to

tear-out if the tooling is not kept very sharp. Also, it is prone to

blotching when stained.

Common UsesHigh end flooring, furniture, musical

instrumentsGrainFinely

grained, with closed pores.

Color

Grain

Physical Characteristics

Workability

Rot Resistance

Common Uses

Price Range

Common UsesTool handles, drum

sticks, fuel wood

GrainTypically straight grained, medium texture, medium

open pores.

Physical Characteristics•Weight = Heavy, Specific Gravity = .64•Hardness = Hard, 1,720lbft •Among the hardest , densest and strongest of our domestic hardwoods. Hickory also has the highest Btu rating of any of the common fuel woods.

Price RangeInexpensiveWorkability

Difficult to work, prone to tearout, quickly dulls steel

cutting edges, glues and finishes

well. Rot Resistance

Susceptible to decay and

insect attack

ColorPale tan

sapwood, with light brown heartwoodColor

Grain

Price Range

Common Uses

Rot Resistance

Workability

Physical Characteristics

ColorTypically a light cream color, often displays

large areas of discoloration that range form light

green to dark purple.

Physical Characteristics•Weight= Light, Specific Gravity=.40•Hardness= Soft, 540lbft

•Technically classified as a hardwood, Poplar’s physical characteristics are functionally more similar to those of softwood.

Common UsesA true utility wood, Poplar’s

greatest commercial application is as the core plies of plywood. It is also

widely used for making pallets, and for the unseen

structural parts of mass produced furniture.

Price RangeTypically one of

the least expensive of the

commercially important lumber

species.

GrainFine, very

straight grain structure with

few knots.

Rot ResistancePerishable, with

only a slight resistance to

insects and decay.

WorkabilityPoplar’s relative softness

makes it very easy to work with both machines and hand tools. It glues and

takes a finish well, but when stained is highly prone to blotching. Poplar can be

difficult to sand smooth due to a tendency of the fibers

to pop up, creating a “fuzzy” surface.

Color

Grain

Physical Characteristics

Price Range

Common Uses

Rot Resistance

Workability

ColorWhite to latte

colored sapwood, chocolate brown

heartwood

Rot ResistanceGood rot resistance, but poor resistance

to insect attack.

Price RangeOne of the most sought after and

expensive domestic hardwoods, Walnut is considered a premium

hardwood.

Common UsesFine furniture,

musical instruments, gun

stocks

Physical Characteristics•Weight= Medium, Specific Gravity=.51•Hardness= Medium, 1,010lbft

•A perfect combination of middle-of-the-road physical characteristics, and great aesthetic appeal make Walnut an ideal woodworker’s wood.

WorkabilityWalnut is known as

being one of the best all around woods for workability. It glues,

machines, and finishes well.

GrainDiffuse-porous with medium pore texture.

Physical Characteristics

Grain

Color

Workability

Rot Resistance

Common Uses

Price Range

ColorPale, almost

white

GrainTypically straight grained

(except for the figured variants), very fine

texture, closed pores

Physical Characteristics•Weight= Medium, Specific Gravity=.56•Hardness= Hard, 1,450lbft •Unique among domestic hardwoods in that it is the sapwood not the heartwood that is preferred for lumber

Common UsesButcher blocks, turned

items, chair parts, flooring. Figured

variants are highly prized for use in high

end furniture and musical instruments

WorkabilityEasy to work,

takes glue and finishes well

Rot ResistancePerishable, with

very poor resistance to

insects and decay

Price RangeAmong the least expensive of the

commonly available domestic

hardwoods.

Color

Grain

Price Range

Common Uses

Rot Resistance

Workability

Physical Characteristics

ColorMost typically a

pale red, but there can be significant variations in color between boards.

GrainRing-porous

with very course open pores.

Physical Characteristics•Weight= Medium, Specific Gravity=.56•Hardness= Hard, 1,290lbft

Price RangeModerate

Common UsesMid-grade

interior trim, cabinetry, and

flooring.

Rot ResistanceModerately durable,

with some resistance to insects and decay, but not as much as White

Oak.

WorkabilityEasy to work,

takes glue and finishes well.

Grain

Physical Characteristics

Color

Workability

Rot Resistance

Price Range

Common Uses

ColorPale cream

colored, almost white, very

similar to Maple

Rot ResistancePerishable, with

very poor resistance to

insects and decay.

GrainStraight

grained, very fine texture, closed pores

Physical Characteristics•Weight=Medium, Specific Gravity=.54•Hardness=Hard, 1,300lbft

•Known for its great toughness and wear resistance, large boards are prone to warping.

Common UsesWooden plane

bodies, mechanical parts,

as a mellowing agent in brewing.

Price RangeInexpensive

when available.

WorkabilityDifficult to work,

quickly dulls cutting tools.

Workability

Physical Characteristics

Price Range

Color

Rot Resistance

Common Uses

Grain

ColorLight cream colored with occasional pale

brown streaks. Frequent deep red

knots.

Common UsesResidential

construction, low cost trim, rustic furniture, any application that

requires an inexpensive utility grade lumber.

Rot ResistancePerishable, with

very poor resistance to

insects and decay.

WorkabilityPine’s relative softness makes it very easy to

work with both machines and hand tools. It glues and takes a finish well, but when stained it is

highly prone to blotching.

Price RangeA soft wood, Pine

is typically the least expensive of the commercially important lumber

species.

GrainVery fine even texture, close

pores.

Physical Characteristics•Weight= Light, Specific Gravity=.35•Hardness= Soft, 352lbft