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Furniture Forum
Wood Selections in
Furniture
by
Terry Canup
(Portions reprinted with permission
from museumfurniture.com)
Some examples of common hard woods used in furniture
Alder is the common name of a genus of flowering plants
(Alnus) belonging to the birch family (Family Betulaceae). Alder
is appreciated for its bright tone, and has been adopted by many
electric guitar manufacturers.Works very well with both hand and
machine tools.
ALMOND
Almond wood is reddish. The timber is highly prized for
high-grade cabinetwork,,
APPLE WOOD
Apple wood (Malus sylvestris, Malus pumila) ranges in color
from yellow to pink to orange. It usually has an irregular
grain, which gives it a very interesting patterns for furniture,
as inlays and for marquetry designs.
BEECH
Beech (Fagus) is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in
the family Fagaceae
BIRCH
Birch wood is fine-grained and pale in colour. The wood of
yellow birch is heavy, hard and strong with good crushing
strength and shock resistance.
density 0.67
BOXWOOD
A whitish-yellow color, without any figure. Used mainly as an
inlay or for stringing lines from the sixteenth century.
CEDAR
Cedrus or cedar, a genus of coniferous trees in the plant
family Pinaceae insect-repellent and light-weight.
CHERRY
The heartwood of cherry varies from rich red to reddish brown
and will darken with age and on exposure to light. In contrast,
the sapwood is creamy white. The wood has a fine uniform,
straight grain, satiny, smooth texture, and may naturally
contain brown pith flecks and small gum pockets.
family Rosaceae, genus Prunus,
Density 600 kg/m3, moderately hard, stiff and strong, fine,
closed grain
CHESTNUT
Chestnut exist in a wide variety of reddish brown colors.
Chestnut (Castanea), some species called chinkapin or
chinquapin, is a genus of eight or nine species of deciduous
trees and shrubs in the beech family Fagaceae
It seasons well and is easy to work with tools but splits
easily.
CYPRESS
Cypress heartwood is extremely decay and insect resistant due
to the naturally occurring preservative known as cypressine.
Cypress is the name applied to many plants in the cypress family
Cupressaceae, which is a conifer of northern temperate regions
It is an ideal choice for house construction, docks, beams,
decks, flooring, paneling and siding.
EBONY
Ebony is very strong, hard, and dense with irregular grain
and fine texture. There is a huge variation in this wood as to
how much light color there is.
ELM
Elm, Ulmus Rubra, is moderately heavy, hard and stiff
with excellent bending and shock resistance.
density 0.68 - 0.81
FIR
Firs (Abies) are a genus of 48–55 species of evergreen
conifers in the family Pinaceae. Firs are most closely related
to the cedars (Cedrus); Douglas-firs are not true firs, being of
the genus Pseudotsuga
The wood of most firs is considered unsuitable for general
timber use, and is often used as pulp or for the manufacture of
plywood and rough timber
HICKORY
Trees in the genus Carya Hickory wood is very hard, very
stiff, very dense and very shock resistant.
HOLLY
White wood type, fine-grained and nearly devoid of
figureused, used for inlay and marquetry work from sixteenth
century
KINGWOOD
Kingwood: Brazilian wood of a rich violet-brown shading into
black and showing distinct streaky markings. The name "kingwood"
derives from the fact that a couple of hundred years ago, this
was the favored wood of French kings for their furniture.
LIME
White wood type, fine-grained and nearly devoid of
figureused, used for inlay and marquetry work from sixteenth
century
MAPLE
Some maple wood has a highly decorative wood grain, creamy
white to off white sapwood-tinged occasionally with slight red
brown heartwood
Density 600 kg/m3, heavy and strong, very resistant to shock and
abrasive wear
Grain: closed grain, uniform texture.
MAHOGANY
Mahogany wood has a fine grain with interlocking parallel
runs at times (ribbon) the color is
blood red to reddish brown, sometimes lighter in color
with pale red to grayish tinge .
MESQUITE
Mesquite (from Nahuatl mizquitl) is a leguminous plant of the
Prosopis genus found in northern Mexico and south US in dry
areas.
Mesquite wood is hard, allowing it to be used for furniture.
OAK
Oak(Quercus) wood has a density of about 750 kg/m³, great
strength and hardness, and is very resistant to insect and
fungal attack because of its high tannin content. It also has
very attractive grain markings.
PEACH
The peach tree (Prunus persica) is a species of Prunus.
PEAR
Yellowish-brown wood type. Used for country furniture and for
carving
PINE
Yellowish wood type. Has a relatively low density. Very
plentiful. Used for economical furniture, doors, and building
construction
POPLAR
This plentiful and inexpensive common hardwood is very light
and easy to work, with an even texture.
Color is generally white to brown
Poplar refers to trees in the genus Populus.
ROSEWOOD
Rosewood is used in solid and veneer form for very high
quality furniture and cabinetmaking because of it's
attractiveness.
RUBBERWOOD
Rubberwood is a hardwood belonging to the Euphorbiaceae
family. Rubberwood is one of the more durable lumbers used in
the manufacturing of furniture. It has a dense grain character
that is easily controlled in the kiln drying process and very
little shrinkage making it one of the more stable construction
materials. Like maple, rubberwood is a sap producing species. In
the case of maple, it is sap; in the case of rubberwood, it is
latex. Rubberwood produces all the latex used in the world for
all rubber based products.
SATINWOOD
Satinwood can be polished to a high gloss. Satinwood is hard,
fine-grained and durable with a satinlike sheen, much used in
cabinetmaking, especially in marquetry.
SYCAMORE
White with fleck. Used from the late seventeenth century as a
veneer. Often found on sides or banding of marquetry furniture
of the late seventeenth or early eighteenth century. There are
two woods that are commonly called sycamore: 1. Platanus
occidentalis i has rays. It is what we mean in the USA when we
say "sycamore" 2. Acer pseudoplatanus It does NOT have the ray
flakes associated with American sycamore.
TEAK
Tectona Grandis of the family Verbenaceae Heavy and dense
wood, oily nature with good carving properties used for
shipbuilding, out-door building and furniture
TULIPWOOD
Tulipwood is the yellowish greenish wood yielded from the
tuliptree
The wood is very light, but very strong. It is often used as a
low-cost alternative to walnut and cherry.
Most commonly, Tulipwood is the yellowish greenish wood yielded
from the tuliptree.
Brazilian tulipwood is a different species. A classic
high-quality wood, it is very dense with a lovely figure. It is
used for inlays in furniture and for small turned items.
WALNUT
Walnut (genus Juglans)is tough, medium dense, tight-grained
and polishes to a very smooth finish. The colour ranges from
creamy white in the sapwood to a dark chocolate colour in the
heartwood. Because of its colour and grain it is a prized
furniture and carving wood.
WILLOW
White wood type, fine-grained and nearly devoid of
figureused, used for inlay and marquetry work from sixteenth
century
ZEBRAWOOD
Zebrawood is a yellow brown heartwood, light sapwood
with a dark contrasting grain which gives this wood its
Zebra-like appearance. Easy to work with both hand and machine
tools, can be sanded pretty easily. The color does not darken
over time.
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