Tree Anatomy In woodworking, we’re generally concerned about the sapwood, heartwood, and annular rings (which is what we see as “grain pattern”). The slower a tree grew, the tighter the annular rings will be. If a tree grew quickly, it will have large growth rings and a large amount of sapwood. Trees that grew on…

Normally we cover solid wood in the Wood Encylopedia, but we thought it might be useful to discuss a versatile material for everything from jigs to drawer parts and scroll saw projects. What is baltic birch?: It’s a stable, high-grade plywood with many layers (or “plys”). A 3/ 4″- thick piece of baltic birch will…

Scientific Name: Quercus macrocarpa Other Common Names: Blue oak, Cucharillo, Encino, Mamecillo, Mossy overcup oak, Roble, Scrub oak Growing Regions: Throughout North America. According to Woods of the World, bur oak is often found on dry uplands, limestone and gravelly ridges, sandy plains, and loamy slopes to moist flood plains of streams. Characteristics of Tree:…

Scientific Name: Prunus serotina Other common names: Black cherry, cabinet cherry Growing regions: The Eastern half of the United States, plus Arizona and New Mexico; and Mexico and Canada Tree Characteristics: Moderate size, reaching 70 feet in height, with a trunk about 20 inches in diameter Wood Characteristics: Heartwood varies from rich red to reddish-brown…

Scientific Name: Juniperus virginiana Other Common Names: Juniper, aromatic cedar, pencil cedar, Tennessee red cedar Growing Regions: Maine and southern Ontario to South Dakota, south to eastern Texas and east to Georgia Size Characteristics: Generally grows to 50 feet tall, but can be as tall as 100 feet under ideal conditions. Trunk diameter is 2-4 feet….

Improve your results by understanding wood characteristics. Each species of wood has unique finishing characteristics, both positive and negative. To help you determine how to choose the right wood and get the best results when you finish your next project, I’ll explain those characteristics and sum them up in a chart that divides 11 commonly…

Scientific Name: Swietenia macrophylla Other Common Names: Honduras mahogany, Belize mahogany, Bigleaf mahogany, Mara, Acajou, Caoba. Growing Regions: Mahogany is found in Central and Latin America. The trees grow mainly in dry forests but can also be found in moist forests. Characteristics of Tree: These trees can have heights in excess of 150 feet and…

Scientific Name: Peltogyne venosa Other Common Names: Amaranth, Guarabu, Nazareno, Palo morado, Pau roxo, Purperhart, Saka, Tananeo, Violetwood Growing Regions: Purpleheart grows in Central and South America between Mexico and southern Brazil. The trees are most commonly found in the Amazon Basin. Characteristics of Tree: The trees attain heights of 100 to 150 feet and…

Scientific Name: Quercus rubra Other Common Names: Northern Red Oak Growing Regions: Canada and the United States. Size Characteristics: Grows to 70 feet tall, with a trunk up to 39 inches in diameter. Characteristics of Wood: The sapwood is almost pure white while the heartwood is usually a red-tinged brown. Once the tree has been…

Scientific Name: Acer rubrum Other Common Names: Carolina red maple, Drummond red maple, Red maple, Scarlet maple, Swamp maple, Water maple. This wood is often found in the same bin as Silver maple. Growing Regions: Maple is found throughout the Northeast in the United States and in Eastern Canada. It is thought to have the…

Scientific Name: Juglans nigra Other Common Names: Black walnut, American walnut, American black walnut. Growing Regions: Throughout the eastern United States and Canada. Characteristics of Tree: Walnut trees attain a height of 100 to 120 feet and diameters of 24 to 36 inches. Characteristics of Wood: Walnut is a hard, dense wood with a tight…

Scientific Name: Fraxinus americana Other Common Names: Canadian Ash and American White Ash Growing Regions: Canada and United States Characteristics of Tree: A small- to medium-sized tree, about 50 to 60 feet in height, with a trunk approximately 2′ 6″ in diameter. Characteristics of Wood: A coarse but usually straight-grained wood with almost white sapwood…

Scientific Name: Quercus Alba Other Common Names: Swamp Chestnut, Chestnut Oak, Overcup Oak. Growing Regions: USA, Canada and Mexico. Characteristics of Tree: A moderate- ly sized tree, it can reach a height of 100 feet with a trunk diameter of 3 feet in good growing conditions. Characteristics of Wood: A straight- grained wood that varies…

Scientific Name: foundus paletus Other Common Names: Sloof lirpa, common crate. Growing Regions: Worldwide, particularly industrial areas. Characteristics of Tree: A barkless, leafless, short scrub tree of varying height, but routinely small trunk diameter. Characteristics of Wood: Wood varies from a bleached white to a dark and knurled appearance with a wide range of grain…