These are just a few types of woods that we have worked with so far. The list just continues to grow, it seems like each time we do a new product or make another trip to the suppliers.  You may have notice more types of woods in products than what is listed, if want info on that type of wood please go to thewoodexplorer.com and you should be able to find the information.    If you have a special request for a different type let us know.

Ø  Burl- highly figured wood with “burls” (or also known as knots) in the wood

Ø  Cherry- worked with several different varieties- especially have liked working with Brazillian

Ø  Red Alder (Alnus rubra)

• Also known as Oregon alder, Pacific Coast alder and western alder. Hard to tell sapwood from heartwood. Pale to white color when cut, matures to darker yellowish red or light brown color. Has fine even texture with straight grain. The spalted work I have done with this is been amazing to see the patterns that are created.

Ø  Maple- Birds Eye, Curly and regular maple

Ø  Teak (Tectona grandis)

• Is dark golden brown and darkens to dark brown with exposure. Texture is medium coarse with a straight grain with a oily feel.

Ø  Osage Orange (Malura pomifera)

• Is a golden yellow color to bright orange in color and will darken some when exposed to sunlight. Texture is medium to fine with straight grain. It is a heavy, strong, and durable.

Ø  Oak- Red and white

Ø  East Indian Rosewood (Dalbergia latifolium)

• Also known as Bombay rosewood (UK), sissoo, biti, ervadi, kalaruk(India). Heartwood is medium to dark purple-brown with pale yellow-cream sapwood. Texture is medium to coarse with straight or gently curving interlocking grain.

Ø  Bubinga (Guibourtia demeusei)

• Also know as African Rosewood- part of that family, found mostly in west Africa, needs UV protective finish to prevent fading to bown, has spots of irregular interlocking grain pattern- normally straight grained, red/brown color that darkens with age

Ø  Cocobolo (Dalbergia retusa)

• Know for a distinctive grain pattern, color, its hardness and density. Has a fine texture and irregular grain. Fresh cut heartwood varies from lemon-orange to deep red with streaks of yellow, orange and brick red. Matures to a deep mellow orange-red with darker stripes. It is a very tough wood with high natural oiliness.

Ø  Bocote (Cordia elaeagnoides)

• Comes from Central America ,West Indies, Africa, Asia, Belize, Honduras, and Mexico, is golden brown w/dark brown lines, often used as substitute for teak, straight grained

Ø  Andaman Padauk (Pterocarpus)

• Comes only from Andaman Islands, also known in US as vermillion wood, narra, and Andaman redwood, sapwood is gray color, heartwood is pink red with brick red to purple streaks, darkens to reddish brown color. Grain is interlocked with medium to coarse texture

Ø  African Padauk (Pterocarpus soyauxii)

• Also know as barwood and camwood, deep red color with streaks of darker red, matures to do dark purple-brown with red streaks, texture is medium to coarse with interlocking grain. Very strong and dense wood.

Ø  Ebony- African (Dospyros crassiflora), Nigerian, Pale Moon

• Ebony is a very hard, dense, expensive and blackest of all woods. Sometimes named after country of origin (Nigerian ebony, Cameron ebony), mostly from central or west Africa. It has a very fine and even texture with a straight grain.
• Have worked with a few other other species also.

Ø  Kingwood (Dalbergia cearensis)

• Part of rosewood family, comes from Brazil, violet brown heartwood color with shading to near black, straight grain with fine texture

Ø  Olivewood (Olea europaea)

• Grown in Mediterranean for it fruit and oil, creamy yellow sap wood, hardwood is brown with irregular brown/black streaks, straight grain with fine texture

Ø  Madrone (Arbutus menziesii)

• Hardwood resembling cherry, know in UK as strawberry tree, pinkish brown with paler streaks, straight grain

Ø  Purple Heart (Peltogyne paniculata)

• Turns to purple when exposed to air from being cut. Then matures to a dark purple brown or more brown with out UV protection. It has a fine to moderate texture with a straight grain to sometimes wavy.

Ø  Tulipwood (Brazilian tulipwood)

• It has distinctive pink-yellow heartwood, with striped variegated shades of violet-red, salmon-pink, and rose-red. When it matures can loose some of it vividness but remains very attractive. Usually has a interlocked and irregular grain with a medium to fine texture. Not to be confused with the tuliptree (Liriodndron tulipirera).

Ø  Zebrawood (Microberlinia brazzavillensis)

• It has light, dark and medium brown stripes in the light golden brown heartwood. The coarse texture makes it hard to get a smooth finished surface. Grain is mostly straight but can be wavy to interlocked.

Ø  Mopani

o   Has red-brown color with tight grain, very hard.

Ø  Legum Vitae- Iron wood

Ø  Brazilwood (Caesalpinia echinata) Pau ferro

• The heartwood matures from a bright orange to a rich, deep, dark red. It has a fine compact even texture and a usually straight grain but can have interlocking with some knots.

Ø  Sapele (Entandrophragma cylindricum)

• Fresh cut heartwood is salmon-pink with darker bands, matures to a reddish brown. Fairly straight grain and can be interlocking with a fine texture.

Ø  Padauk (Pterocarpus soyauxii)

Straight to interlocked grain with a moderately coarse texture and large pores. Rich red to purple red heartwood, and pale-beige sapwood.