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| Varities of Woods |
Below is a list of different types of wood. They are classified by being : |
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Hardwoods
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| Balsa |
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Other Names : Guano, Polak, Topa |
Description : Balsa is the lightest and softest of all woods available today, yet is
a Hardwood as it comes from a Deciduous tree. Because of its light weight and exceedingly porous composition, balsa is highly efficient when buoyancy, insulation against heat or cold, or sound absorption is important. |
Uses : Life saving equipment, Model aircraft. |
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| Basswood |
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Other Names : American Lime |
Description : Creamy-white colour, although it tends to become browner upon exposure. |
Uses : Carving, Turning, Pattern-making. |
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| Beech |
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Other Names : None |
Description : Straight-grained wood. Light brown to red-brown
colour. Beech has an average number of knots. American Beech is slightly coarser than the European variety. |
Uses : Cabinet making, Bending, Turning. |
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| Birch |
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Other Names : Hard Birch, Betula wood, American Birch |
Description : Straight-grained wood with fine, even texture. It has a red-brown heartwood and a light-yellow sapwood. |
Uses : Furniture, Joinery, Turning, Plywood. |
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| Boxwood |
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Other Names : European Boxwood |
Description : Fine, evenly-textured wood. Dense and heavy and can vary in the straightness of its grain. Light yellow in
colour. |
Uses : Carving, Tool handles, Musical instruments. |
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| Brazilwood |
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Other Names : Pernambuco wood, Bahia wood |
Description : Hard and heavy, with straight grain and fine, even texture. Pale sapwood contrasts with orange-red to red-brown heartwood. |
Uses : Turning, Violin bows, Gunstocks, Exterior joinery. |
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| Brazilian Rosewood |
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Other Names : Rio Rosewood, Bahia Rosewood |
Description : Hard and heavy. Medium texture with straight grain. Highly figured with brown, violet-brown to black
colour. |
Uses : Furniture, Joinery, Turning, Knife handles, Carving. |
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| Bubinga |
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Other Names : African rosewood |
Description : Moderately coarse, even textured wood. Can have straight, interlocked or irregular grain. Red-brown in
colour, with purple veins. |
Uses : Furniture, Wooden utensils. |
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| Butternut |
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Other Names : White walnut |
Description : Straight-grained, coarse-textured wood. Medium brown heartwood. |
Uses : Furniture, Carving, Interior joinery. |
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| Black Walnut |
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Other Names : American walnut |
Description : A strong wood with a rather coarse texture. Usually straight-grained, but not always.
Colour is a rich brown to purple-black. |
Uses : Furniture, Gunstocks, Interior joinery, Carving, Turning. |
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| Black Cherry |
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Other Names : American Cherry |
Description : Hard, straight-grained wood with fine texture, Heartwood is red-brown to deep red. |
Uses : Furniture, musical instruments, tobacco pipes. |
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| Chestnut |
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Other Names : American chestnut, Wormy chestnut |
Description : Coarse textured. Similar to oak in appearance. Most lumber comes from standing dead trees, hence 'wormy' due to insect attack. |
Uses : Furniture, coffins, stakes |
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| Cocobolo |
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Other Names : Granadillo |
Description : Hard, heavy wood with irregular grain and medium texture. Very nice
colouring, from purple to yellow, with black markings turning to deep orange-red on exposure. |
Uses : Turning, knife handles. |
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| Elm, Dutch & English |
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Other Names : Red Elm |
Description : Coarse-textured wood, heartwood is beige-brown in
colour. |
Uses : Furniture, bending, turning, boat-building. |
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| European Ash |
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Other Names : English Ash, Polish Ash |
Description : Very similar to White Ash. White to pale brown
colour. |
Uses : Tool handles, boatbuilding, joinery, curved furniture, Hurleys. |
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| Ebony |
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Other Names : Tendu |
Description : A hard, dense wood with fine, even texture and straight, irregular or wavy grain. Heartwood is dark brown to black. |
Uses : Turning, musical instruments, knife handles. |
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| European Oak |
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Other Names : English Oak, French Oak |
Description : Coarse, straight-grained wood. Pale brown in
colour. |
Uses : Furniture, joinery, external woodwork, carving, boatbuilding. |
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| European Plane |
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Other Names : English Plane, French Plane |
Description : Straight-grained wood with fine to medium texture. Light red-brown heartwood. Similar, but darker than, American Sycamore. |
Uses : Furniture, joinery, turning. |
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| European Sycamore |
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Other Names : Sycamore Plane, Great Maple |
Description : This is really a Maple, not a Sycamore. Fine, even texture. Straight-grained. White to yellowish-white in
colour. |
Uses : Turning, furniture, kitchen utensils. |
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| European Walnut |
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Other Names : English Walnut, French Walnut |
Description : Coarse texture with straight to wavy grain.
Colour is gray-brown with darker streaks. |
Uses : Furniture, gunstocks, turning, carving. |
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| Hickory |
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Other Names : Shagbark Hickory |
Description : Coarse-textured wood. Generally straight grained, but can be irregular or wavy. Heartwood is red-brown, sapwood is white. |
Uses : Sports equipment, chairs. |
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| Hard Maple |
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Other Names : Rock Maple, Sugar Maple |
Description : Hard, very heavy, straight-grained wood with fine texture. White sapwood with light red-brown heartwood. This wood is hard to work with because of its density. |
Uses : Furniture, turning, butcher's blocks, flooring. |
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| Indian Rosewood |
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Other Names : Bombay Rosewood |
Description : Heavy, moderately coarse and uniform texture. Interlocked grain. Golden brown to purple-brown with streaks of dark purple or black. |
Uses : Furniture, shop fittings, musical instruments, turning |
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| Jelutong |
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Other Names : Jelutong Bukit |
Description : A soft, fine, even-textured wood with straight grain. Creamy pale brown in
colour. |
Uses : Pattern-making, carving, drawing boards. |
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| Kingwood |
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Other Names : Voilet wood |
Description : Fine, even textured wood. Heartwood is a striped figure of violet-brown, black and golden yellow. |
Uses : Inlays, marquetry. |
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| Lime |
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Other Names : Linden |
Description : A soft, straight-grained wood with fine uniform texture.
Colour is white to pale yellow. Very easy to carve with. |
Uses : Carving, hat blocks, broom handles. |
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| Mahogany |
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Other Names : None |
Description : A medium-textured wood with straight and even, or interlocked grain. Heartwood is red-brown to deep red. |
Uses : Boat planking, carving, furniture, pianos. |
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| Purpleheart |
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Other Names : Amaranth |
Description : Uniform, fine to medium texture. Usually straight-grained. Purple
colour, darkening to a rich brown due to oxidation. |
Uses : Construction work, boatbuilding, turning, furniture. |
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| Red Alder |
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Other Names : Western Alder |
Description : Pale yellow to red-brown
colour. Soft, fairly straight-grained, even-texture. |
Uses : Carving, turning, furniture. |
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| Red Oak |
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Other Names : American Red Oak |
Description : Straight-grained, with coarse texture. Pink-red in
colour. |
Uses : Furniture, interior joinery, flooring. |
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| Soft Maple |
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Other Names : Red Maple, Silver Maple |
Description : Straight-grained fine-textured wood. Not as strong as Hard Maple. Light creamy-brown in
colour. |
Uses : Furniture, interior joinery, turning, plywood, flooring. |
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| Sycamore |
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Other Names : American Plane, Buttonwood |
Description : Fine, even texture, usually with straight grain. Pale brown in
colour. Not to be confused with European Sycamore. |
Uses : Furniture, butcher's blocks, joinery. |
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| Teak |
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Other Names : Kyun Sagwan, Teku |
Description : Coarse, uneven texture with oily feel to it. Straight or wavy grain, depending on the origin. |
Uses : Interior and exterior joinery, boatbuilding, garden furniture, turning. |
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| Tulipwood |
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Other Names : Pinkwood |
Description : Dense, hard wood with fine to medium texture. Usually has irregular grain. Pink-yellow
colour with pink to violet-red stripes. |
Uses : Turning, kitchen utensils, inlay |
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| White Ash |
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Other Names : Canadian Ash, American White Ash |
Description : Below average number of knots, heavy wood. Coarse, straight-grained wood with almost white sapwood. Heartwood is pale-brown, similar to European Ash. High bending strength. |
Uses : Tool handles, boatbuilding, joinery, curved furniture. |
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| White Elm |
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Other Names : Water Elm, Swamp Elm, Soft Elm |
Description : A coarse-textured, strong, medium-density wood. Usually straight-grained but can be interlocked. Heartwood is pale red-brown. Has good bending qualities. |
Uses : Boat-building, furniture. |
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| White Oak |
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Other Names : American White Oak |
Description : Straight-grained with medium-coarse texture. Similar to European oak in appearance, but more variable in
colour. |
Uses : Construction, flooring, plywood, interior joinery. |
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| Yellow Poplar |
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Other Names : Whitewood, Tulip Poplar |
Description : A fairly soft and lightweight wood, with straight grain and fine texture. Pale olive-green to brown heartwood, but with
coloured streaks. |
Uses : Joinery, furniture, carving, light construction. |
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Softwoods
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| Douglas Fir |
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Other Names : British Columbian pine |
Description : : A straight-grained, red-brown wood with pronounced grain. |
Uses : Construction, plywood |
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| European Redwood |
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Other Names : Scots Pine |
Description : A light-coloured wood with yellow-brown to red-brown heartwood and white-yellow sapwood. |
Uses : Furniture, joinery, construction. |
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| Larch |
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Other Names : Tamarack |
Description : A straight-grained wood of even texture. Pale to rich-red heartwood with light
coloured sapwood. |
Uses : Joinery, construction, boat planking. |
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| Pine |
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Other Names : Parana pine, hoop pine, ponderosa pine, sugar pine, western white pine, white pine |
Description : There are too many strains of pine to document here and you are unlikely to get much of a choice at a local lumber yard. Basically, pine is a soft, pale yellow to reddish brown
colour, usually with a straight grain and medium texture. |
Uses : Doors, furniture, turning. |
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| Western Red Cedar |
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Other Names : British Columbian red cedar |
Description : Fairly soft, aromatic wood. Red-brown in
colour, fading to silver-gray after long exposure to weathering. |
Uses : Shingles, decking, exterior siding. |
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| Silver Fir |
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Other Names : Whitewood, white fir |
Description : A pale cream, almost
colourless wood with fine texture and straight-grain. |
Uses : Joinery, construction, boxes, plywood |
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| Yellow Cedar |
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Other Names : None |
Description : A pale-yellow, even-textured wood with fine, straight grain. It is relatively light, and stiff. |
Uses : Furniture, joinery, boatbuilding |
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| Yew |
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Other Names : European yew |
Description : Strong and hard. It has an orange-red heartwood and light-coloured sapwood. |
Uses : Furniture, turning, joinery. |
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