About the Woods I Use

Most of the wood I use is local domestic hardwoods, however, on occasion I use specialty imported hardwoods. Enjoy reading a little bit about some of the wide variety of woods I use, but first, a few descriptors:

A Burl is not just any ordinary wood, but a prized material in woodworking. It is renowned for its irregular, swirling grain patterns, and unique characteristics. Burls are unusual growths that form on trees, usually in response to some kind of stress or injury.

Heartwood is the term for wood close to the center of the tree, and is usually a darker color when compared to the sapwood.

Sapwood is the wood found just underneath the bark, and is usually pale white to yellowish in color.

Ambrosia is the term used when the ambrosia beetle, carrying fungus, has infested a tree. The fungus leads to unique patterns and streaks in the wood. Like spalted wood, it is highly sought after.

Spalting is any form of wood coloration caused by fungi. The unique coloration and patterns of spalted wood are sought by woodworkers.

ASH is found in the Northeastern United States and Eastern Canada. The heartwood is a light to medium brown color. Sapwood can vary widely, and tends to be a beige or light brown. There has been a blight on Ash trees due to the Emerald Ash Borer. This invasive species spread very rapidly throughout North America, devastating local populations of ash trees. The beetles’ larvae bore into a tree and feed on the inner bark, eventually killing the entire tree. The insects are responsible for the deaths of hundreds of millions of ash trees across the United States and Canada.

BIRCH is found in Northern and Central North America. The heartwood tends to be a light reddish brown, with a nearly white sapwood. 

BLACK PALM is found in Tropical Asia and Africa. Its black fibers are embedded in a lighter tan or light brown colored body. Technically neither a softwood nor a hardwood, palm falls into the category of monocots, which also includes bamboo, grass, banana, rice, wheat, corn, and others.

BLACK WALNUT, aka AMERICAN WALNUT, is found in the Eastern United States. Heartwood can range from a lighter pale brown to a dark chocolate brown with darker brown streaks. Sapwood is pale yellow-gray to nearly white. 

BLOODWOOD is found mainly in tropical South America. The heartwood is a bright, vivid red, while the sapwood is a pale yellowish color.

BOCOTE is found in Mexico and Central/South America. It has a yellowish brown body with dramatic dark brown to almost black stripes. With its striking, zebra-like contrast, high durability and bold figuring, Bocote can be a very eye-catching wood.

BUBINGA is also known as African rosewood. It can be found in Equatorial Africa. Heartwood ranges from a pinkish red to a darker reddish brown with darker purple or black streaks. Sapwood is a pale straw color and is clearly demarcated from the heartwood.

CANARYWOOD is found in South America, from Panama down to southern Brazil. Heartwood color can vary a fair amount, from a pale yellow-orange to a darker reddish brown, usually with darker streaks throughout. Pale yellow sapwood is sharply demarcated from heartwood.

CHERRY is found in Eastern North America. The heartwood is a light pinkish brown when freshly cut, darkening to a medium reddish brown with time and upon exposure to light. Sapwood is a pale yellowish color. 

COCOBOLO is a high-quality hardwood whose orange or reddish-brown heartwood is praised all around the world for its great visual appeal and irregular trace lines. It is found growing in Central America (especially countries between Mexico and Panama), and other parts of the world.

GONCALO ALVES is found in Mexico, and southward to Brazil. Heartwood is typically a medium reddish brown with irregularly spaced streaks of dark brown to black. Grain can be straight, but is usually wavy or interlocked with a fine uniform texture and good natural luster.

HONDURAN ROSEWOOD has a very limited range, primarily within Belize. The Heartwood ranges from light brown to deep purplish brown; brownish-mauve is most common, sometimes with contrasting darker brown stripes. Sharply demarcated sapwood is pale yellow.

JATOBA is found in Central America, southern Mexico, northern South America, and the West Indies. The heartwood varies from a light orangish brown to a darker reddish brown, sometimes with contrasting darker grayish brown streaks.

LACEWOOD is found in Tropical South America. It has a very conspicuous flecking that gives this wood its namesake. The wood itself is a reddish brown with grey or light brown rays, which result in a lace pattern.

LEOPARDWOOD is found in Central and South America. It has a very conspicuous flecking that gives this wood its namesake. The wood itself is a medium to dark reddish brown with grey or light brown rays, which resemble the spots of a leopard.

MAPLE is found in Northeastern North America. Unlike most other hardwoods, the sapwood of hard maple lumber is most commonly used rather than its heartwood. Sapwood color ranges from nearly white, to an off-white cream color, sometimes with a reddish or golden hue. In tree form, hard maple is usually referred to as sugar maple, and is the tree most often tapped for maple syrup.

MARBLEWOOD is found in Northeastern South America. Heartwood is yellow to golden brown, with irregular brown, purple, or black streaks. Paler sapwood is about one inch thick and is solid yellow, lacking the contrasting streaks found in the heartwood. The high contrast between the golden body and the much darker streaks in the heartwood give it an appearance somewhat similar to natural marble.

OAK is found in the Northeastern United States and Southeastern Canada. Heartwood is a light to medium brown, commonly with a reddish cast. Paler sapwood is not always sharply demarcated from the heartwood. RED OAK is one of the most popular hardwoods in the United States.

OLIVE WOOD was originally found around the eastern coast of the Mediterranean, and now 60% of all trees are located on the territory of the European Union (with five leading countries being Spain, Italy, Turkey, Greece, and Syria). Olive wood has a strikingly rich and colorful appearance. Its structural features are highly contrasting brown lines and yellow streaks of sapwood.

OSAGE ORANGE is found in South-Central United States. The heartwood is golden to bright yellow, which inevitably ages to a darker medium brown with time: primarily due to exposure to ultraviolet light.

PADAUK can be found in Central and tropical West Africa. It has a very unique reddish orange coloration and is a popular hardwood among hobbyist woodworkers because of its unique color.

REDHEART is found in Southern Mexico to southern Brazil and Paraguay. Color can vary in intensity and hue from a light orange/pink, (similar to Pink Ivory), to a darker brownish red.

RED PALM is found throughout the tropics worldwide. Its reddish brown fibers are embedded in a lighter tan or light brown colored body. Technically neither a softwood nor a hardwood, palm falls into the category of monocots, which also includes bamboo, grass, banana, rice, wheat, corn, and others.

TAMARIND is Native to tropical Africa, although widely planted throughout tropical regions worldwide. The pale yellow sapwood is very wide and sharply demarcated from the heartwood. Spalting and other discoloration are very common in the sapwood, and the majority of the Tamarind available in the United States is spalted sapwood.

SUMAC is found in the Northeastern United States. Sumac is one of the few woods that has a consistently yellow to olive-green coloration. The grain tends to be straight to interlocked, with a fine to medium texture. Sumac has a moderate level of natural luster.

YELLOWHEART is found in Brazil.  The heartwood color ranges from pale to golden yellow, darkening only slightly with age. Sapwood is a pale yellow/white. Few woods are as consistent and vibrant a yellow as Yellowheart.

ZEBRAWOOD is found in West Africa. Heartwood is a light brown or cream color with dark blackish brown streaks vaguely resembling a zebra’s stripes. The wood is strong and stiff, with a fairly high density, however, the wood is much more frequently used for its bold and unique striping.