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Bubinga Wood Lumber – Bubinga heartwood ranges from a pinkish-red to a dark reddish-brown with darker purple or black streaks. The sapwood is a pale straw color and is clearly demarcated from the heartwood. Bubinga can be found with a variety of grain configurations, including: pommele, flamed, waterfall, quilted, mottled, etc. Bubinga is used in veneers, inlays, fine furniture, cabinetry, turnings and other specialty items. Since Bubinga trees can grow so large, natural-edge slabs of the wood have been used in tabletops and other specialized projects and have an excellent strength-to-weight ratio. Workability: Bubinga Wood Lumber is easy to work overall,…
Cedar Wood – Cedar wood lumber comes from a family of trees with similar properties, but different color and grain. Cedar is an aromatic softwood that ranges from dark brown to red-brown to pale yellowish-white depending on species. It is often used for shingles, exterior siding, fence posts and unfinished construction lumber. Cedar is rated as durable to very durable in regard to decay resistance but has a variable resistance to insect attack. Workability: Cedar wood lumber is easy to work with, though it dents and scratches easily due to its softness. It can sand unevenly and is often left unfinished,…
Cherry Wood – Cherry Wood Lumber is a light pinkish-brown when freshly cut and develops a rich reddish-brown patina with age, a look frequently imitated with wood stains on other hardwoods. The aging process of Cherry can be accelerated by exposing the wood to direct sunlight. Cherry is a hardwood commonly used for cabinetry, fine furniture, flooring, interior millwork, veneer, turned objects, and small specialty wood items. Cherry wood is easy to work, fine textured, strong and durable. Workability: Cherry Wood Lumber is one of the best all-around woods for workability. It is stable, straight-grained, and machines well. Difficulties may…
Cypress Wood Lumber – Cypress wood color tends to be a light, yellowish-brown and its sapwood nearly white. Cypress is a hardwood commonly used for exterior construction, docks, boatbuilding, interior trim, and veneer. Cypress wood is a popular choice in construction applications where decay-resistance is required. Cypress trees that have been attacked by a fungus, creating scattered hollows and pockets of darker wood, are called Pecky Cypress, which is primarily used in decorative applications. Old-growth Cypress is very durable in decay resistance, while wood from younger trees is only rated as moderately durable. Workability: Sharp cutters and light passes are…
Ipe Wood Lumber – (pronounced “ee-pay”), also called Brazilian Walnut, is a beautiful dark grained wood from South America. Ipe wood can vary in color from reddish-brown, to a more yellowish-olive brown or darker blackish-brown; sometimes with contrasting darker brown/black stripes. In certain trees, there are powdery yellow deposits within the wood. Ipe is rated as very durable with excellent insect resistance and weathering characteristics. Ipe was used for the boardwalk along New York City’s Coney Island, and was said to have lasted 25 years before needing replacement. Workability: Ipe Wood Lumber is difficult to work, being extremely hard and…
Iroko Wood Lumber – Iroko heartwood is usually yellow to golden or medium brown, its color tends to darken over time. Pale yellow sapwood is clearly demarcated from the heartwood. Iroko is used in boatbuilding, domestic flooring, furniture, veneer and cabinetwork. Iroko is very dense, durable and is resistant to both rot and insect attack. Workability: Iroko Wood Lumber is easy to work, except for its interlocked grain, which may cause some tearout during surfacing operations. Deposits of calcium carbonate are sometimes present, which can have a significant dulling effect on cutters. Iroko glues and finishes well. Looking for wood…
Jatoba Wood Lumber – also known as Brazilian Cherry in the hardwood flooring industry. It has no relation to domestic Cherry, except for its natural color resembling the commonly stained color of domestic Cherry on furniture. Jatoba varies from a light orangish-brown to a darker reddish-brown, sometimes with contrasting darker grayish-brown streaks. Its color tends to darken upon exposure to light. Jatoba is used in flooring, furniture, cabinetry, tool handles, shipbuilding, railroad ties, turned objects and small specialty items. Jatoba is very durable regarding rot resistance and is resistant to insects. Workability: Jatoba Wood Lumber is also known as Brazilian…
Mahogany Wood Lumber – Mahogany heartwood color can vary from a pale pinkish-brown to a darker reddish-brown and tends to darken with age. Mahogany also exhibits an optical effect known as chatoyancy, in which a band of reflected light, known as a “cat’s-eye,” moves just beneath the surface (Tiger’s-eye is a well-known gemstone that exhibit this phenomenon). Mahogany is used for furniture, cabinetry, turned objects, veneers, musical instruments, boatbuilding, and carving. Mahogany is durable to very durable in rot resistance and is resistant to termites, but vulnerable to other insects. Workability: Mahogany Wood Lumber is very easy to work with…
Maple Wood – Maple is a family of wood with various grain and color variations, but generally similar properties. Hard Maple wood lumber is usually from the Sugar Maple, the tree tapped for maple syrup. Hard Maple wood is stronger, stiffer, harder, and denser than all the other species of Maple wood commercially available. Hard Maple is commonly used for flooring on basketball courts, dancefloors and bowling alleys. It is used in musical instruments, cutting boards, butcher blocks, workbenches, baseball bats, and many turned objects and specialty wood items. Maple is rated as non-durable to perishable and is susceptible to…