1. Black Cherry – Prunus Serotina Hickory – Carya Ovata White Ash – Fraxinus Americana White Oak – Quercus Alba Red Oak – Quercus Rubra Black Walnut – Juglans Nigra Tulip Poplar – Liriodendron Tulipifera White Pine – Pinus Strobus Hard Maple – Acer Saccharum American Beech – Fagus Grandifiolia Color Light cream colored, with occasional light brown streaking. Physical Characteristics Grain Color Workability Rot Resistance Common Uses Price Range Workability Easy to work, takes glues and finishes well. Rot Resistance Perishable, with only a slight resistance to insects and decay. Common Uses Woven baskets, snow shoes, baseball bats, tool handles Grain Ring-porous with very course open pores, similar to Oak. Price Range Among the least expensive of the commonly available domestic hardwoods. Physical Characteristics Weight = Medium Specific Gravity =.55 Hardness = Hard, 1,320 lb ft Known for its shock resistance and flexibility Price Range Common Uses Rot Resistance Workability Physical Characteristics Grain Color Pale tan to greenish amber Physical Characteristics Weight= Heavy, Specific gravity=.60 Hardness=Hard,1,360lb ft Known for its strength, weight, and durability. Shows prominent ray flecking when quarter sawn. Workability Easy to work, takes glues and finishes well. Grain Ring-porous with very course open pores. Rot Resistance Very good rot resistance Common Uses Boats, barrels, flooring, Arts and Crafts style furniture Price Range Moderate, slightly more expensive than Red Oak. Color Common Uses Price Range Grain Physical Characteristics Workability Rot Resistance Price Range One of the most sought after and expensive of domestic hardwoods, Cherry is still a bargain when compared to most exotic imports. Rot Resistance Heartwood is moderately rot resistant Color Pale pink when first cut. With time and exposure to sunlight, the heartwood will darken to a deep cinnamon red. Physical Characteristics Weight = Medium weight, Specific Gravity =.47 Hardness = Medium, 950lb ft Can be brittle Workability Cherry glues, machines, and finishes well, but its wavy grainy structure can make it prone to tear-out if the tooling is not kept very sharp. Also, it is prone to blotching when stained. Common Uses High end flooring, furniture, musical instruments Grain Finely grained, with closed pores. Color Grain Physical Characteristics Workability Rot Resistance Common Uses Price Range Common Uses Tool handles, drum sticks, fuel wood Grain Typically straight grained, medium texture, medium open pores. Physical Characteristics Weight = Heavy, Specific Gravity =.64 Hardness = Hard, 1,720lb ft Among the hardest, densest and strongest of our domestic hardwoods. Hickory also has the highest Btu rating of any of the common fuel woods. Price Range Inexpensive Workability Difficult to work, prone to tearout, quickly dulls steel cutting edges, glues and finishes well. Rot Resistance Susceptible to decay and insect attack Color Pale tan sapwood, with light brown heartwood Color Grain Price Range Common Uses Rot Resistance Workability Physical Characteristics Color Typically a light cream color, often displays large areas of discoloration that range form light green to dark purple. Physical Characteristics Weight= Light, Specific Gravity=.40 Hardness= Soft, 540lb ft Technically classified as a hardwood, Poplar’s physical characteristics are functionally more similar to those of softwood. Common Uses A true utility wood, Poplar’s greatest commercial application is as the core plies of plywood. It is also widely used for making pallets, and for the unseen structural parts of mass produced furniture. Price Range Typically one of the least expensive of the commercially important lumber species. Grain Fine, very straight grain structure with few knots. Rot Resistance Perishable, with only a slight resistance to insects and decay. Workability Poplar’s relative softness makes it very easy to work with both machines and hand tools. It glues and takes a finish well, but when stained is highly prone to blotching. Poplar can be difficult to sand smooth due to a tendency of the fibers to pop up, creating a “fuzzy” surface. Color Grain Physical Characteristics Price Range Common Uses Rot Resistance Workability Color White to latte colored sapwood, chocolate brown heartwood Rot Resistance Good rot resistance, but poor resistance to insect attack. Price Range One of the most sought after and expensive domestic hardwoods, Walnut is considered a premium hardwood. Common Uses Fine furniture, musical instruments, gun stocks Physical Characteristics Weight= Medium, Specific Gravity=.51 Hardness= Medium, 1,010lb ft A perfect combination of middle-of- the-road physical characteristics, and great aesthetic appeal make Walnut an ideal woodworker’s wood. Workability Walnut is known as being one of the best all around woods for workability. It glues, machines, and finishes well. Grain Diffuse-porous with medium pore texture. Physical Characteristics Grain Color Workability Rot Resistance Common Uses Price Range Color Pale, almost white Grain Typically straight grained (except for the figured variants), very fine texture, closed pores Physical Characteristics Weight= Medium, Specific Gravity=.56 Hardness= Hard, 1,450lb ft Unique among domestic hardwoods in that it is the sapwood not the heartwood that is preferred for lumber Common Uses Butcher blocks, turned items, chair parts, flooring. Figured variants are highly prized for use in high end furniture and musical instruments Workability Easy to work, takes glue and finishes well Rot Resistance Perishable, with very poor resistance to insects and decay Price Range Among the least expensive of the commonly available domestic hardwoods. Color Grain Price Range Common Uses Rot Resistance Workability Physical Characteristics Color Most typically a pale red, but there can be significant variations in color between boards. Grain Ring-porous with very course open pores. Physical Characteristics Weight= Medium, Specific Gravity=.56 Hardness= Hard, 1,290lb ft Price Range Moderate Common Uses Mid-grade interior trim, cabinetry, and flooring. Rot Resistance Moderately durable, with some resistance to insects and decay, but not as much as White Oak. Workability Easy to work, takes glue and finishes well. Grain Physical Characteristics Color Workability Rot Resistance Price Range Common Uses Color Pale cream colored, almost white, very similar to Maple Rot Resistance Perishable, with very poor resistance to insects and decay. Grain Straight grained, very fine texture, closed pores Physical Characteristics Weight=Medium, Specific Gravity=.54 Hardness=Hard, 1,300lb ft Known for its great toughness and wear resistance, large boards are prone to warping. Common Uses Wooden plane bodies, mechanical parts, as a mellowing agent in brewing. Price Range Inexpensive when available. Workability Difficult to work, quickly dulls cutting tools. Workability Physical Characteristics Price Range Color Rot Resistance Common Uses Grain Color Light cream colored with occasional pale brown streaks. Frequent deep red knots. Common Uses Residential construction, low cost trim, rustic furniture, any application that requires an inexpensive utility grade lumber. Rot Resistance Perishable, with very poor resistance to insects and decay. Workability Pine’s relative softness makes it very easy to work with both machines and hand tools. It glues and takes a finish well, but when stained it is highly prone to blotching. Price Range A soft wood, Pine is typically the least expensive of the commercially important lumber species. Grain Very fine even texture, close pores. Physical Characteristics Weight= Light, Specific Gravity=.35 Hardness= Soft, 352lb ft