Alder Alder has become the preferred Cherry substitute for residential cabinetry and millwork. The excellent machining and finishing characteristics coupled with the cost savings make Alder the easy choice for any interior woodworking project. Ash Ash has a nearly white sapwood with a brown to yellow heartwood. This American species has coarse, straight grain that is heavy and stiff. Ash also has hard, medium, and soft texture depending on the area of the country that it is grown. The good machining, excellent finishing, and excellent bending qualities make Ash a great choice for any interior application. This product is offered in both white and natural. Aspen Aspen grows in the USA and Canada and is related to cottonwood and Canadian Poplar. Aspen is whitish to creamy gray in color with a straight, even and fine grain pattern. Aspen is soft and light in weight making it an excellent choice for the cores of veneer core plywood. Machining and finishing properties are only fair because of the wooly grain that sometimes appears in Aspen. Basswood, American Basswood is white in color with a non-distinct grain. It is very light in weight and soft in texture. Basswood has excellent machining and finishing characteristics. It is used for interior woodworking projects that will be painted or require a species that is light in color or weight. Many musical instruments are manufactured with Basswood.
Beech, American American Beech grows in Canada and the United States. It contains white sapwood and reddish heartwood with a closed, straight grain. American Beech is also hard, stiff and brittle. It has both, excellent machining and finishing characteristics. American Beech should also be used for interior woodworking projects only. Birch White Birch, Sweet Birch, and Yellow Birch make up the Birch species. Birch grows in the United States and Canada. It has a fine texture with straight grain that contains yellow sapwood and brown heartwood with a tinge of reddish color. Birch is hard and heavy in weight. It has good machining and excellent finishing characteristics. Birch is used for a painted or stained interior application. Butternut Butternut is limited in supply due to disease. It grows in the United States and Canada. Butternut has a straight, coarse grain that is soft in texture. It is medium in weight and easy to machine and finish. Butternut has a medium-brown color and should be used in an interior application. Cedar, Aromatic Aromatic Cedar grows on the eastern half of the United States. It contains very little sapwood that is white in color with the majority of the tree being a purplish to red heartwood. Aromatic Cedar has a straight, fine textured grain that is moderately heavy and dense. It is most commonly used to line closets or trunks due to the distinct smell of this wood. #1 Common is the most clear grade available in Aromatic Cedar. It contains many pin knots due the abundance of small limbs that grow from the trunk of the tree. Aromatic Cedar machines excellent and finishes well.
Cedar, Western Red Western Red Cedar grows in the Western United States and Western Canada. It has a straight grain with coarse texture that contains an aromatic scent. Western Red Cedar (WRC) contains white sapwood and reddish brown heartwood that is easily machined and finishes well. WRC is resistant to moisture which makes this species an excellent choice for exterior applications. Cherry, American Cherry grows on the eastern half of the United States. The sapwood is nearly white with a pinkish to dark red heartwood. Cherry is used for interior applications and has a fine, straight, and closed grain. It is hard in texture, machines and finishes excellent. Cypress, Yellow Yellow Cypress is also referred to as Bald Cypress. It grows in the Southeastern United States and contains a yellow to yellowish red color. The springwood is soft and hard summerwood that is moderately durable. The machining and finishing properties are excellent causing it to gain in popularity among woodworkers. Elm, American Elm grows in Canada and the United States but the Dutch Elm disease has limited the supply. The sapwood is grayish to light brown while the heartwood is brown with a reddish tinge. Elm is fairly weak but hard and heavy in weight. The grain is straight and coarse with good machining and finishing characteristic.
Fir, Douglas Most Douglas Fir veneer is sold under the name "Oregon Pine". It grows in Canada and Northwest United States. Douglas Fir has an orange to light red color with a narrow band of white sap wood. The grain is straight and coarse with poor machining characteristics, but fair finishing characteristics. Hackberry Hackberry is also called Sugarberry wood. It grows in Southern Canada and the Eastern United States. Hackberry is in the Elm family. It has a fine textured grain that is yellowish to light brown in color. The bending capabilities are excellent, but it is more difficult to machine and finish than other species. Hemlock Hemlock grows in Western United States and Western Canada. It is very lightweight and has similar workability as pine. The grain is straight and fine textured with a white sapwood and light brown to yellow heartwood. Hickory Pecan, pignut, and butternut are all common names for Hickory. The color varies from almost white sapwood to a dark brown to pinkish heartwood. Most people are drawn to this species because of the varying and inconsistent color. Hickory is heavy, hard, and tough making it difficult to machine and finish.
Holly, American American Holly grows in the Mississippi valley of the United States and along the east coast. The grain is fine textured with an ivory white color. The veneer flitches are usually narrow, due the small size of the Holly tree. This species is hard and strong which is excellent to machine and finish. Maple, Hard Other common names for Hard maple are sugar maple and hard rock maple. Hard Maple grows in the Eastern United States and Canada with a color that is creamy white to a pinkish tinge. The grain is closed and straight that is sometimes curly with a fine texture. This species is very hard and tough which is moderately difficult to machine. The finishing properties are great once it is machined properly. Birds-eye Maple figure is also produced from the Hard Maple log. Maple, Soft Red leaf maple and silver leaf maple are two types of Soft Maple. Silver leaf has a white to grayish color while the red leaf has a white to reddish color. Soft Maple grows in the United States and Canada. It has a straight grain with a fine texture that is hard, but not as dense as Hard Maple. Finishing Soft Maple can be a challenge due to the sap pockets that appear in lumber and veneer form. Oak, Red Commonly named for the region that it grows. Southern Red Oak, Northern Red Oak, and Appalachian Red Oak are all part of the Red Oak family. Red Oak grows on the eastern half of the United States and Southeast Canada. The Sapwood can be grayish to white in color, while the heartwood is pinkish to red to wheat in color depending on the area it was harvested. This species has an open grain that is straight and coarse in
texture. It is hard and heavy with excellent machining and finishing properties. Oak, White White Oak grows in the eastern half of the United States and Southeast Canada. The sapwood is whitish to light brown and the heartwood is light brown to a rich dark brown. With its excellent exterior durability, White Oak is often used in the manufacturing of wood boats or the decks and interior of other boats. This species is straight grained that has a coarse texture. It is heavy and strong with excellent machining and finishing properties. Persimmon Persimmon grows on the eastern half of the United States. It has a straw colored, wide band of sapwood and narrow band of dark brown heartwood. Persimmon has a straight grain with fine texture that is very hard and tough, making it difficult to machine and finish. Pine, Eastern White (EWP) Commonly known as just White Pine and grows in the eastern half of the United States and Canada. It has a large ring of sapwood that is pale white with a creamy to reddish narrow heartwood. EWP has a straight grain that has little contrast and a fine texture. It is light in weight with excellent finishing and machining properties. Most of the EWP that is used in the cabinet and millwork industry is a knotty, furniture grade that contains knots that are approximately 1" in diameter and scattered throughout the boards. Pine, Ponderosa Ponderosa Pine grows in the Western United States and Canada. It has a pale yellow to reddish brown color. This species is uniform in texture with straight grain. Ponderosa Pine has great workability, but the resin can cause finishing problems.
Pine, Southern Yellow (SYP) SYP contains four softwood species: Longleaf Pine, Shortleaf Pine, Loblolly Pine, and Slash Pine. It only grows in the Southeastern United States and is yellowishwhite in color. This fast growing species is heavy and hard, making it great for the structural components of our buildings. The machining and finishing properties are excellent. Poplar, Yellow Poplar is commonly known as American Tulipwood which grows east of the Mississippi River in the United States. The sapwood is nearly white with a greenish to brown to purple heartwood. It has straight grain with a fine texture. Poplar is only moderately heavy and hard with excellent machining and finishing properties. The majority of the Poplar used in millwork will be painted. Redwood Redwood grows in Western United States. The sapwood is nearly white but has a reddish-brown heartwood. Redwood has a coarse texture and straight grain with excellent machining and finishing properties. It is durable when exposed to the exterior elements, but is light in weight and soft. The heartwood of the Redwood tree is very popular, but availability has driven the millwork industry to seek out alternatives. Illegal logging in the Western United States has been greatly reduced, hence the low availability. Sassafras The grain pattern and texture of Sassafras make it an excellent substitute for Ash. It grows in the Eastern United States and is sometimes referred to as golden elm. The sapwood is yellowish with a grayish brown heartwood. This species is
difficult to finish because of the medium texture, but machines excellent. Sassafras is slightly heavier and harder than Ash. Spruce Spruce grows in the United States and Canada. The heartwood is light pink with a creamy white sapwood. Spruce has very straight grain that has a medium texture. This species is one of the strongest softwoods when put under weight. Spruce is easy to work and finish. Many custom home builders use Spruce in weightbearing areas during construction. Sweetgum Commonly known as sap gum or red gum, Sweetgum grows in Southeast United States. The sapwood is a creamy white with dull pinkish brown heartwood with dark streaks. The heartwood is sold as Red Gum while the sapwood is sold as Sap Gum. Red Gum can be used as a Cherry substitute. Sweetgun has irregular grain with a fine texture that is not strong and moderately heavy. The density causes difficulty when machining but finishes excellent. Sycamore, American Sycamore grows in the Eastern United States. The sapwood is nearly white while the heartwood is light to dark brown. It is somewhat dense and hard with medium texture causing it to be difficult to machine and finish. The grain is interlocked and irregular. Walnut, American Walnut grows in the Eastern United States and Southern Canada. The sapwood is a yellowish brown that will darken when steamed while the heartwood is brown to a rich chocolate color. The grain is straight, sometimes curly and is medium in
texture. Walnut is heavy, hard, strong, and durable. Sapwood is only a defect in "A" face veneer plywood, while the other grades do allow sapwood. The machining and finishing properties are excellent. Willow Willow grows in the Eastern United States and Southern Canada. The heartwood is a grayish-brown with darker streaks. Willow is straight grained, light in weight, and soft with a fine texture. The instability of this species makes it difficult to machine but has excellent finishing properties. Willow is usually used as an inexpensive paint-grade hardwood.