Domestic Hardwood Species

BLACK WALNUT ORIGIN: EASTERN USA

Walnut heartwood is a rich dark brown to purplish-black, mostly straight grained, but with wavy or curly grain occasionally present. The texture is rather coarse. Walnut works with hand or machine tools without difficulty, but with a moderate blunting effect on cutting edges. Holds nails or screws well, glues satisfactorily, and polishes to a high finish.

Our Walnut is a very high grade, with minimal sap or defects. We carry a variety of sizes in turning stock, lumber and live edge slabs as well as thick slabs for mantles

Hard Maple ORIGIN: NORTHEASTERN NORTH AMERICA

Hard Maple has a fine, uniform texture, turns well on a lathe, is resistant to abrasion and has no characteristic odor or taste. It is heavy, strong, stiff, hard, and resistant to shock, and it has large shrinkage. The sapwood of maples is commonly white with a slight reddish-brown tinge; the heartwood is light reddish brown, but sometimes is considerably darker. It stains and polishes well, but is intermediate in gluing.

Birdseye Maple as well as Curly and Quilted Maple figure happens in Hard Maple species.

CHERRY ORIGIN: NORTHEASTERN USA

The heartwood of cherry varies from pale pink to light reddish brown and will darken with age and on exposure to light. In contrast, the sapwood is creamy white. The wood has a fine uniform, straight grain, satiny, smooth texture, and may naturally contain brown pith flecks and small gum pockets. Cherry is easy to machine, nails and glues well and when sanded and stained, it produces an excellent smooth finish. It dries fairly quickly with moderately high shrinkage, but is dimensionally stable after kiln-drying. The wood is of medium density with good bending properties, it has low stiffness and medium strength and shock resistance.

WHITE OAK ORIGIN: EASTERN USA

White Oak wood is beige to creamy tan. It has a finer texture than Red Oak. Quartersawn lumber has dramatic medullar figured called fake/tiger oak. Heartwood is decay resistant and suitable for exterior uses. Good turning and steam bending qualities.

RED OAK ORIGIN: NORTHEASTERN USA AND SOUTHEASTERN CANADA

Light brown with a reddish tinge. Red Oak is the most common hardwood in North America. The tree matures at about 70 feet in height and a trunk of 36″. Straight grain with a coarse texture. Generally works and finished well but timbers from the Northern growing region will be more consistent in color and have a finer texture. Large open pores produce distinctive grain.

POPLAR ORIGIN: EASTERN USA

Poplar has grayish white sapwood with greenish brown heart. The Wood is fine textured, soft and lightweight. Easily worked and takes paint exceptionally well. Frequently finished to look like other woods.

ASH ORIGIN: EASTERN NORTH AMERICA

Ash is a very easy to work North American hardwood that is often used in furniture as a substitute for Red Oak as it is less expensive. It has very good shock absorbancy and is used for flooring, millwork, boxes/crates, baseball bats and tool handles.

CURLY MAPLE ORIGIN: NORTHEASTERN NORTH AMERICA

Curly Maple is a Maple wood with a unique wavy or curly pattern in the grain. The ripples in the grain pattern create a three dimensional effect that looks like the wood has curled along the length of the board. The pattern is most noticeable after a finish is applied. This is a medium figured wood, and some boards may be brown in color.