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Characteristics Of Commonly Used Woods

Additional Information
Dimensions - Finishing - Joints - Types

Photo from Rockler.com

 

Aromatic Cedar	Color: Mostly red heart wood, thin whitish sapwood  Density: Hard texture Grain: fine grain, very knotty-grain varies around knot  Machinability: Good		Finishing: Use oil finishes that display  natural colors.  Distinctive Characteristics: Highly aromatic, natural resistance to insect damage		Common Uses: Cedar chests, closet interiors,  furniture interiors.
Ash	Color: Creamy white to light brown heartwood, light sapwood  Density: Very hard, excellent shock resistance  Grain: Distinctive wide-open grain, has occasional brown streaks  Machinability: Very good		Finishing: Takes all finishes well, pigmented stains will bring out the grain nicely.  Distinctive Characteristics: excellent Oak substitute, “Golden Oak”		Common Uses: Furniture, mouldings, flooring, baseball bats.
Birch	Color: Cinnamon, light reddish brown to pink heartwood, sapwood is creamy-white to yellowish  Density: Hard, medium weight  Grain: Uniform, fine grain, small pores  Machinability: Generally good, some swirled grain will chip out if tooling is not sharp		Finishing: Takes finish very well.  Distinctive Characteristics: very durable and strong		Common Uses: cabinets, seating, millwork, furniture, interior doors.
Hickory	Color: Tan to reddish brown heartwood, cream to yellowish sapwood  (variable mixture of heart and sap)  Density: Very hard, strong, stiff and heavy  Grain: Moderately coarse open grain  Machinability: Excellent machinability, but very abrasive on tooling		Finishing: Will take stains.  Distinctive Characteristics: The combination of its hardness, strength, toughness, and stiffness are unmatched by any other hardwood.		Common Uses: cabinets, flooring, tool handles, paneling.
Cherry	Color: Red to deep reddish brown heartwood, white to yellowish sapwood  Density: Medium weight, moderately hard, stiff and strong  Grain: Fine, closed grain  Machinability: Excellent		Finishing: Takes a finish well, however light to natural finishes are recommended.  Distinctive Characteristics: Beautiful markings  (gum streaks, pin knots sometimes) and red color will darken to a rich reddish brown with age.		Common Uses: High end furniture, cabinets, interior millwork, musical instruments, paneling, flooring.
White Oak	Color: Lght tan to brown heartwood, sapwood,  sapwood is creamy white to gray  Density: Very hard, shock resistant, and very dense, heavy  Grain: Moderately open grain on plain sawn, Quartered and Rift is straight grain  Machinability: Fairly well, can be tough on tooling		Finishing: Takes a finish well.  Distinctive Characteristics: Highly resistant to the  environment, very hard, may be a bit more color consistent than Red Oak. Quartered and Rift sawn have a striking grain appearance.		Common Uses: Bent chair backs, some furniture, flooring, paneling, some cabinets.
Maple	Color: Creamy white to off white sapwood-tinged occasionally with slight red brown heartwood  Density: Hard, heavy and strong, very resistant to shock and abrasive wear  Grain: Closed grain, uniform texture. Some of the figured Hard Maple is available (Curly, Birdseye, and Quilted)   Machinability: Excellent, will tear out with dull tooling.		Finishing: Finishes very well. Some of the figured woods will show variable levels of penetration.  Distinctive Characteristics: Great wood for applications requiring hardness. Birdseye and curly patterns are available.		Common Uses: Furniture, handles, cabinets, woodenware, flooring, paneling, millwork and mouldings.
Walnut	Color: Brown to deep purple brown heartwood, sap is brilliant white to cream color-gray.  Density: Fairly light weight, medium texture  Grain: Moderately open grain  Machinability: Excellent machining characteristics, turns, sands, and carves well		Finishing: Unsurpassed in finishing! Clear finishes and oils will bring out satiny grain.  Distinctive Characteristics: The dark heartwood makes this very distinctive.		Common Uses: High end furniture, carving, flooring accents, musical instruments, gun stocks.
Mahogany	Color: blood red to reddish brown, sometimes lighter in color with pale red to grayish tinge  Density: medium texture, moderately heavy  Grain: fine grain with interlocking parallel runs at times (ribbon)  Machinability: excellent		Finishing: Takes stain well, will soak it up quite a bit. We suggest using sanding sealer.  Distinctive Characteristics: Has long been a premier choice for high end furniture and millwork. Excellent exterior uses.		Common Uses: High end furniture, interior millwork, exterior doors, windows, and trim.
Red Oak	Color: pinkish red to blonde in color  Density: very hard and strong  Grain: Openly porous and with dramatic grain patterns. Like White Oak, it is offered in Quartered and Rift grains also.  Machinability: excellent		Finishing: Due to porous nature it will soak up stains but also offers a wide variety of finish tones.  Distinctive Characteristics: This is probably the most popular hardwood used in modern woodworking. Broad grains give this a pronounced appearance.		Common Uses: furniture, cabinets, moulding, trim, flooring, paneling, turning.