Soft Maple

Soft maple grows throughout the central and eastern United States, and trees average a height of 70 to 80 feet. Soft maple makes up 5% of the commercially available hardwoods in the United States. Its sapwood is generally creamy white with some darker colored pith flecks. Its heartwood varies from beige to brownish. Less dense than hard maple, its generally higher priced cousin, it is often used as a substitute.

Properties

Soft maple is a straight-grained wood with a fine texture. It has good machining properties, turning and planing quite well. It also has good steam bending properties, and glues, screws and nails satisfactorily. Soft maple accepts stain and finish beautifully.

Red Oak

Red oak trees average 60 to 80 feet in height. It is the most plentiful species of oak in the United States making up 31% of the commercially available hardwoods in the country. Red oak from the northeast is known for its beautiful texture and color. Southern red oak grows faster and taller than its northern cousin thus providing long lengths that are well suited for moulding and millwork. The sapwood of red oak is white to light brown, while its heartwood is pinkish red brown.

Properties

Red oak is a heavy and hard with a high shock resistance. The wood is mostly straight-grained with a classic coarse texture that is poplar with consumers. It takes stain and finish beautifully. The wood can have a moderate blunting effect on cutting surfaces, so sharp tooling is recommended.

Walnut

Walnut, which makes up less than 1% of the commercially available hardwoods, grows throughout the eastern United States. Its sapwood is creamy white and its heartwood ranges from light to chocolate brown. This species is often steamed to darken the sapwood.

Properties

Walnut is generally straight grained with a course texture. It is a dense wood, but it machines, nails and glues without difficulty. Walnut has good bending properties and accepts finishing well.

Western Alder

Alder grows from southern British Columbia to Northern California. Trees average approximately 90 feet in height. They mature in 30-40 years and begin to deteriorate after 60 years. Alder makes up approximately 3% of the commercially available hardwoods in the United States. When freshly cut, alder is almost white but quickly changes to light brown with a yellow or reddish tinge. There is little difference between the heartwood and sapwood.

Properties

Alder is a medium density hardwood with close grain and fine texture. It is moderately light in weight, machines and turns well. It has good fastening properties and stains easily, but is appealing in its natural state.

Beech

Beech wood is medium to heavyweight. It is very hard and tough. It has good strength properties and high abrasion resistance. Despite its hardness, beech wood can be worked easily. It can be cut, planed, drilled and milled. When steam-treated it is well-suited, like the ash, to bending into form.

Properties

Surface finishing is straightforward. It can be stained, painted and polished. As compensation for its low durability it is well suited for impregnation.

White Oak

As a hardwood, white oak produces a coarse-grained, heavy wood used for a variety of products, including furniture, cabinets and flooring. The tree also provides firewood and fence post material.

Cherry Wood

The hartwood of cherry varies from rich red to reddish brown and will darken with age and on exposure to light. In contrast, the sapwood is creamy white. The wood has a straight-grain, a fine, uniform, satiny and smooth texture, and naturally may contain brown pith flecks and small gum pockets. Cherry is of medium density with good bending properties, has low stiffness, and medium strength and shock resistance.

Mahogany

Mahogany timber ranks about 6 on a 1-to-10 hardness scale, with 10 being the hardest. Woodworkers consider it one of the softer of all the hardwoods commonly in use, and prize it for its tool-friendliness, it cuts and machines easily. It has a slightly flexible quality that makes it bend without splintering or shattering like other hardwoods that are more brittle than mahogany. Of the three commonly used mahogany timbers in the U.S., Honduras is subtly harder than Mexican, with Philippine the softest. Mahogany is widely used in the furniture and cabinet building industry. It is made into plywood and all kinds of trim.

ASH

Ash trees often reach heights of 50 to 80 feet and are native to eastern and central North America. Ash wood, typically pale to light brown in color, is considered among the most prominent hardwoods in the U.S., highly regarded for its strength, durability, stability, and shock resistance. It’s a popular choice for fine furniture making, cabinetry, flooring, and construction.

Properties

Ash wood has prominent grain patterns and a smooth texture that finishes well. Ash is one of the hardest hardwoods available and is highly resistant to wear and tear. It’s also relatively lightweight compared to other hardwoods, making it easier to work with while still offering excellent structural integrity.

IROKO

Iroko trees are native to the tropical regions of West Africa and can grow to impressive sizes, reaching heights of up to 164 feet. Iroko is a durable hardwood, with colors ranging from golden brown to dark brown as it ages. Iroko wood’s rich, darkening color over time adds to its appeal; it’s a favored choice for various construction and decorative uses. 

Properties

Iroko wood grain is generally straight, though it can occasionally be wavy or interlocked, adding visual interest to finished products. Iroko’s durability and stability make it ideal for environments with prolonged moisture exposure. The presence of natural resins prevents it from absorbing moisture, offering longevity in outdoor settings.

TEAK

Teak trees are native to the tropical regions of South and Southeast Asia and known for their golden to medium brown heartwood, which darkens with age. This hardwood is prized for its durability and aesthetic appeal. It’s frequently used for high-quality furniture, boat building, and outdoor construction.

Properties

Teak wood features a straight grain, occasionally showing wavy or interlocked patterns. It has a coarse, uneven texture and moderate to low natural luster. Raw, unfinished teak has a slightly oily or greasy feel due to its natural oils. In spite of this, teak normally glues and finishes well. Teak is also considered the top choice in rot-resistant woods.

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