Definations of Wood Types
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Apple
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(Pyras malus)
Medium hardwood with open grain. Color is a medium brown with brown to dark
brown grain. Occasionally, color will run to a reddish brown.
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Basswood
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(Tilia spp.)
Soft hardwood with closed grain structure. Pale yellow color wood is excellent
for carving. Very similar to Tulip in appearance.
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Beech, Copper
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(Fagus sylvatica)
Medium hardwood with closed grain structure. Color is white to blonde with
green hue.
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Birch
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(Betula spp.)
Medium hardwood with close straight grain. Color is a light blonde with grain
lines running from light tan to dark brown.
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Bocote
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(Cordia spp.)
Hard straight grained with firm but waxy texture. Heartwood is color of tobacco
and has irregular dark brown or blackish streaks.
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Bone
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A firm, hard substance, of a dull white color. Traditional bobbins are more
highly prized when made from this.
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Bubinga
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(Guibourtia spp.)
Medium density hardwood with straight grain and even texture. Heartwood is
reddish brown to brown, and will naturally darken with age. Turns and finishes
well.
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Butternut
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(Juglans cinerea)
Medium density hardwood with straight grain and even texture. Color is very
pale tan with dark brown grain line. Also called White Walnut.
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Camphorwood
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(Cinnamomum camphora)
Medium density hardwood with a texture simular to Mahogany. Grtain
is generally figured and color is amber brown with streaks and swirls of
darker browns and red brown. Native to Japan and China, it is now successfully
grown in other parts of the world.
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Canary wood
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(Liriodendron canarifera)
Medium density hardwood with straight grain and even texture. Sapwood is
creamy-white, heartwood varies from yellow-brown to pale olive-brown, streaked
with olive-green, dark grey,or pinkish-brown.
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Cape Blackwood
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(Diospyros spp.)
Dense hardwood with straight grain and even texture. Color is mediam brown
to dark brown, though occasionally can be found as extremely dark brown.
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Cedar
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(Juniperus virginiana)
A soft wood with open grain. Heartwood is a red to brown color, sapwood is
white to blonde color. Very aromatic. Grain tends to be straight.
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Chakte Koc
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(Sickingia salvadorensis)
Moderately heavy wood with a fine texture and close grain. Color is attractive
deep red with wavy light and dark brown streaks. Similar in color to
Padauk.
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Cherry
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(Prunus ceresia)
Hard straight grained with firm texture. Heartwood is reddish brown to deep
red, with brown flecks, and will naturally darken with age. Turns and finishes
well.
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Chechen
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(Metopium brownii)
A dense, tight grained wood with a high lustre. Color ranges from ambers
to browns and reds. Grain patterns can create a fairly flamboyant pattern.
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Chestnut
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(Castanea dentatea)
Medium density hardwood with closed, straight grain. Fresh cut, the wood
is blonde, but aging matures to a wide variety of reddish brown colors. Polishes
very nicely.
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Cocobolo
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(Dalbergia retusa)
A wild grained species can be found in brilliant orange, rust, purple, and
yellow, with distinctive superimposed lines of purple and black. The color
darkens gradually after cutting. Is very easy to polish.
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Ebony, Gabon
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(Diospyros ebenum)
A hard, heavy and durable wood, which takes a fine polish or gloss. Color
is a very dark brown to almost black. Found primarily in Ceylon.
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Elm, American
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(Ulmus alata)
A fine, closed grained hardwood with a resistance to splitting. Color ranges
from blonde to a light tan color.
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Grenadillo
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(Platymiscium yucatanum)
A dense open grain and heavy wood. Rich purple and brown coloring with pattern
ranging from even to strong figure. This wood is occasionally confused with
the Dalbergia species.
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Gum wood
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(Liquidambar styraciflua)
Sapwood is creamy-white with heartwood ranging from pink-brown to reddish-brown
with darker streaks. Grain is usually irregular, with a fine, uniform texture.
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Holly
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(Ilex aquifolium)
A relatively soft irregular grained wood with a coarse, even texture. Color
is very light and ranges from white to pale-yellow, occasionally with a slight
greenish-grey cast, with little or no figure.
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Ipil
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(Intsia bijuga)
Grain is interlocked with a coarse texture. Sapwood is creamy-white, heartwood
is white to pale yellow which matures into medium-to-dark red-brown on exposure.
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Katalox
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(Swartzia cubensis)
A dense and heavy wood. Color is dark purple and brown with contrasting light
blonde sapwood. The sapwood is similar to Satinwood.
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Kiatt
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(Pterocarpus angolensis)
Medium density hardwood with tight grain clusters. Golden to reddish brown
heartwood has a nice wavy figure. Currently it is being used as a substitute
for Teak.
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Kingwood
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(Dalbergia leguminosa)
A dense and heavy wood with open grain. Color is brownish purple fine stripes
of black and luminous violet streaks, approaching royal blue. Found primarily
in Brazil.
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Lacewood
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(Plananus Occidentalis)
Grain is interlocked with a coarse texture. Color is reddish-brown or rust
colored. When appropriately milled, the radical rays of grain take on a lacey
effect.
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Lilac
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(Syringa spp.)
A soft irregular grained wood with a coarse, even texture. Sapwood color
is very light and ranges from white to pale-yellow, heartwood is darker with
occasional pinkish to purple hues.
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Lingum Vitae
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(Guaiacum officinale)
Extremely hard wood with straight grain. Color is greenish-brown but will
fade to brown over time. Because of natural oils in the cell structure, the
wood was used as bearings up through the turn of the century.
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Locust
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(Robinia pseudoacacia)
Medium density hardwood with closed, straight grain. Color is a medium brown
with brown to dark brown grain. Occasionally color will run to a reddish
brown.
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Machiche
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(Lonchocarpus catillo)
Generally a straight grained with a medium coarse texture. This wood has
light and dark brown strips and is a beautiful sombre tone.
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Mahogany
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(Swietenia mahogani)
Medium density hardwood with closed, straight grain. Color is a medium brown
to dark reddish brown.
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Mahogany, Oregon
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(Ulmaceae thomasii)
The heartwood is medium to light reddish-brown, straight grained with moderately
fine texture. Also called Rock Elm or Mt. Mahogany, this wood
is found in the N.W. and grows very slowly.
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Maple
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(Acer saccarinum)
Medium density hardwood with closed, straight grain. Color ranges from blonde
to tan. Burl has very unique swirls and beauty in the grain pattern.
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Mulberry
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(Morus citrifolia)
Medium density hardwood with a closed, straight grain. Color is a bright
yellow sapwood with a light tan heart wood. Color does tend to diminish to
brown with exposure to sunlight.
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Myrtle
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(Myrtus communis)
Medium density hardwood with closed, straight grain. Color ranges from tan
to dark brown. Grain lines are very distinct in color.
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Oak
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(Quercus alba)
Medium density hardwood with closed, straight grain. Very little difference
between the sapwood and heartwood. Color ranges from light tan to light brown.
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Padauk, African
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(Pterocarpus soyauxii)
Bright orange colored wood with close open grain. Although available in 12-15
inch wide boards, it is generally limited to accenting other woods. Polishes
nicely but color turns to a brown tone if left in daylight.
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Pau Ferua
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(Balfourodendron riedelianum)
Medium density hardwood with closed, straight grain. Sapwood ranges from
pale yellow to tan, heartwood ranges from dark reddish brown to dark brown.
Grain lines are very distinct in color.
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Pearwood
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(Pyrus communis)
Very minute pores and vessel lines account for an unusual uniformity and
a very fine, smooth texture. Sapwood is pale yellow-apricot, and heartwood
varies from flesh tone to pale pinkish-brown.
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Paloba Rosa
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(Aspidosperma peloba)
Color is a creamy yellow at first cutting which gradually changes to pink
with darker streaks of red. It is a very dense wood with a smooth texture.
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Pink Ivory
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(Rhamniis zeyheri)
Very dense hardwood with figured grain and interlocking texture. Color is
very pale pink to a dark pinkish red. It is also priced simular to real Ivory
as demand is far above supply.
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Poplar
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(Salicaccae tremula)
Grain varies from cream-white through dark brown and green. Generally straight
grained and rather woolly, but with a fine, even texture.
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Purpleheart
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(Peltogyne paniculata)
A dense hard wood with tight, fairly straight grain with moderate to coarse
texture. Bright purple when cut, darkens to brownish purple with exposure.
Turns and finishes well.
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Pussy Willow
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(Salix discolor)
Grain varies from cream-white through reddish-brown. As this grows as a shrub,
grain is erratic and rather woolly, but with a fine, even texture.
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Redheart
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(Erythroxylon corymbosa)
Pale to dark red that will deepen in color with age. Grain is straight and
tight. Turns well but has tendency to burn. Fresh cut material has a bright
red look that darkens with exposure.
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Rosewood, Bolivian
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(Dalbergia stevensonii)
A dense hardwood, pinkish brown to salmon red with dark grain lines. Grain
can be anywhere from straight to highly figured.
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Sassafras
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(Sassafras albidum)
Medium density hardwood with closed, straight grain. Very little difference
between the sapwood and heartwood. Color ranges from light blonde to light
brown.
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Snakewood
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(Piratinera guianensis)
Irregular grained and fine texture. Name comes from dark red to reddish-brown
'snakeskin' appearance. It has irregular black striped markings and dark
spots caused by gummy deposits that fill the cell cavities.
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Tulip
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(Liriodendron tulipifera)
Medium density hardwood with straight grain and even texture. Sapwood is
creamy-white, heartwood varies from yellow-brown to pale olive-brown, streaked
with olive-green, dark grey, black, pinkish-brown, red, and sometimes steel
blue.
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Tzalam
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(Lysiloma bahamensis)
Medium density wood with fine straight open grain. The color ranges from
light brown to chocolate with streaks of red/grey.
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Walnut
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(Juglans nigra)
A medium density hardwood. Sapwood is very light in color, blonde to tan.
Heartwood ranges from light brown to blackish brown. Grain lines are very
distinctive.
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Wenge
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(Milletia laurentii)
A hard, heavy, coarse grained wood with a generally straight grain. Color
is characterized by alternating dark and light brown bands producing a very
distinctive and decorative appearance.
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Willow
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(Salix alba)
Medium density hardwood with closed, straight grain. Sapwood is white, heartwood
is creamy-white with a pinkish tinge.
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Yew, Pacific
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(Taxus baccata)
A softwood with an open grain structure, related to the cone-bearing evergreen
species. Color is a light reddish brown that darkens with age.
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Zebrawood
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(Microberlinia brazzavillensis)
Grain is interlocked or wavy and texture is coarse. Heartwood has a light
golden-yellow background, with narrow regular and parallel veining of dark
brown to almost black.
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Ziricote
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(Cordia dodecandra)
Very hard, heavy and dense material with tight grain. Color is dark brownish
black to black with streaks of black. Machines well, but susceptible to burning.
This page was created by Kenn Van-Dieren
Copyright © 1996/2006 Bobbins by Van-Dieren all rights reserved.