White Oak:
White oak is just one of 86 oak species native to this country, but it is the classic oak of America. Although prevalent throughout the eastern half of the United States, from Maine to Texas, white oak lumber comes chiefly from the South, South Atlantic and Central States, including the southern Appalachians.
Color: Ranges from nearly white sapwood to a darker gray brown heartwood.
Grain: The grain is distinguished by rays, which reflect light and add to its attractiveness. Depending on the way the logs are sawn into timber (rift-cut, flat sliced, flat sawn, rotary cut, quartered), many distinctive and sought after patterns emerge: flake figures, pin stripes, fine lines, leafy grains and watery figures.
Characteristics: Heavy, very strong and very hard, stiff, durable under exposure, great wear-resistance, holds nails and screws well.
Uses: Flooring, furniture, cabinets, ships and decorative woodwork.
Finishing: Oaks can be stained beautifully with a wide range of finish tones.
Walnut:
Black walnut is sometimes called eastern or American black walnut. There are about twenty species of walnut with six found in the U.S.A.
Color: Rich chocolate or purplish brown in colour, with a dull sheen.
Grain: Normally straight grained and is noted for its beautiful grain character, producing more figure variation than any other wood.
Characteristics: Over the years the wood develops a lustrous patina. It is the only dark brown domestic species, so it has a large following of devoted woodworkers, that enjoy its rich colour and ease of use.
Finishing: Walnut takes any finish and most complement the lovely satin sheen of the wood. It polishes well.
White Ash:
White ash is heavy, hard, strong and durable.
Color: Nearly pure lustrous white, ranging through cream to very light brown.
Grain: It has an attractive, straight, moderately open, pronounced grain.
Characteristics: Heavy, hard, strong and stiff excellent bending qualities.
Finishing: Because of its large pores it is seldom painted but takes all other finishes very well.
Cherry:
The wood from the cherry tree can be described in a single word: beautiful. Its rich red-brown color deepens with age.
Color: Rich, reddish-brown. Cherry darkens considerably with age and exposure to sunlight.
Grain: Straight-grained and satiny. Small gum pockets produce distinctive markings.
Characteristics: Light, strong, stiff and rather hard. Cherry's grain is more subdued than some other hardwood species, with very interesting character.
Finishing: Cherry is unsurpassed in its finishing qualities-its uniform texture takes a finish very well.
Hickory:
Hickory is the hardest, heaviest and strongest American wood in common use.
Color: White to tan to reddish-brown with inconspicuous fine brown lines.
Grain: Fine grain.
Characteristics: Extremely tough and resilient, even texture, quite hard and only moderately heavy.
Finishing: The grain pattern welcomes a full range of medium-to-dark finishes and bleaching treatments.
White Pine:
White pine is soft textured, easy to work with, pale white to yellow wood. It does age to a golden color.
Color: White to pale yellow with a reddish tinge. It darkens with age and air exposure, eventually turning to a deep orange color.
Grain: The wood is light, soft, straight grained and with very uniform texture.
Characteristics: It works very well and is easily shaped with hand and power tools. This wood accepts many types of glue well, making for tight bonding.
Finishing: Pine takes most finishes well. With some stains, a sealer helps prepare the wood to achieve a more even look.
Maple:
Maple is one of the most common and widely used North American wood.
Color: Cream to light reddish-brown.
Grain: Usually straight-grained and sometimes found with highly figured bird's-eye or burl grain. Bird's-eye resembles small circular or elliptical figures. Clusters of round curls are known as burl.
Characteristics:Heavy, hard, strong, tough, stiff, close-grained and possesses a uniform texture. Maple has excellent resistance to abrasion and indentation, making it ideal flooring as well as cutting boards and countertops.
Finishing: Takes stain satisfactorily and polishes well.
Red Oak:
Red oak grows only in North America and is found further north than any other oak species.
Color:ranges from nearly white cream color to a beautiful warm, pale brown heartwood, tinted with red.
Grain: The grain is distinguished by rays, which reflect light and add to its attractiveness. Depending on the way the logs are sawn into timber (rift-cut, flat sliced, flat sawn, rotary cut, quartered), many distinctive and sought after patterns emerge: flake figures, pin stripes, fine lines, leafy grains and watery figures.
Characteristics: Heavy, very strong and very hard, stiff, durable under exposure, great wear-resistance, holds nails and screws well.
Uses: Flooring, furniture, cabinets, ships and decorative woodwork.
Finishing: Oaks can be stained beautifully with a wide range of finish tones.
Cypress:
Cypress grows mainly along the southern coastlines and inland areas. The tree produces an oil called cypressine which acts as a natural preservative within the wood.
Color: Varies in shades of light to dark honey. If left outdoors unfinished in its natural state, the appearance of the wood will become a light pewter color over time.
Grain: Closed straight grain.
Characteristics: Lightweight, scarce of knots, medium textured, and dimensionally stable. Cypress wood compliments any interior or exterior architectural style from rustic, traditional to modern.
Finishing: Cypress wood lacks sap and doesn't bleed, it takes well to sealers, stains and paints.
Poplar:
Poplar grows quickly into a tall straight tree. It is found alone in open, rich, moist soil. Because of its fast maturity the lumber from poplar is lightweight and soft for a hardwood. But it is strong, durable and seasons well resisting warping once it is dried. Because the trunk has no limbs or branches, except at the very top, the wood has no knots.
Color: White to yellowish cast, sometimes with slightly greenish cast and occasionally with dark purplish streaks.
Grain: It is straight grained and evenly textured.
Characteristics: Comparatively uniform texture, light to medium weight, excellent strength, and stability. . It cuts and sands well, keeps its' edge and resists splitting.
Finishing: The wood stains well and can easily be made to resemble walnut or maple. Because it takes paint exceptionally well, it is often painted.
