Lumber

Ash is a light colored, smooth-grained hardwood that grows throughout the east coast and parts of Canada. It's one of the most durable varieties and absorbs wood stains well. When damp or in contact with the ground, ash wood is prone to rotting.

 

HARD/SOFT WOOD: Hardwood

JANKA SCALE: 1320

GRAIN: smooth-straight grained 

COST: $

COMMON USES: Furniture

Birch is a native hardwood. Furniture made of Birch wood is highly durable because of its great strength and can last longer than our lifetime. Birch is a heavy wood, hard, and strong.

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HARD/SOFT WOOD: Hardwood

JANKA SCALE: 1260

GRAIN: straight-grained

COST: $

COMMON USES: Furniture, millwork and paneling, doors, flooring, kitchen cabinets, turnings, and toys

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Cypress wood is very durable, stable, and water and rot-resistant, making it suitable for building and heavy construction. The trees create an oily resin that makes the milled lumber water-resistant, decay-resistant, and also repels most insects. 

 

HARD/SOFT WOOD: Softwood

JANKA SCALE: 1375

GRAIN: straight with medium-coarse texture

COST: $$

COMMON USES: caskets, piers, bridges, boats, siding, sashes, doors, cooperage and railroad ties

This wood is a natural insecticide and is highly rot resistant. It has the performance of pressure-treated wood without the chemicals, and it is cost-comparative with both redwood and cedar and lasts longer than both. The wood is also quite hard for a softwood. Juniper is most celebrated for its longevity and resistance to rot.

 

HARD/SOFT WOOD: Softwood

JANKA SCALE: 600 - 700

GRAIN: Fine, even texture

COST: $$

COMMON USES: retaining wall, garden box, fencing, decking, or siding

The wood of the mesquite tree has some of the most attractive wood properties desirable in fine wood. It is an extremely stable and hard wood compared with red oak, hickory, hard maple, and walnut. Its wood density of 45 lbs/ft³ and surface hardness of 2,336 pounds are both high. Mesquite is rot resistance.

 

HARD/SOFT WOOD: Hardwood

JANKA SCALE: 2400 - 2600

GRAIN: straight to wavy, medium to coarse in texture, and tightly interlocked

COST: $$

COMMON USES: tools, fencing and corrals

Spruce wood is rot resistance: It is used both as a construction material and to generate energy. It is commercially available in round logs, as veneer and in the form of glued structural elements. It has excellent bending and compression strength. Spruce is less dense and therefore less hard, which means less durability.

 

HARD/SOFT WOOD: Softwood

JANKA SCALE: 510

GRAIN: Straight grain, fine to medium texture

COST: $$

COMMON USES: construction material and to generate energy

The balsa tree gets its name from the Spanish word for raft because of the wood's high buoyancy. In fact, balsa wood is often considered the strongest wood for its weight in the world. Pound for pound it is stronger in some respects than pine, hickory, or even oak.

 

HARD/SOFT WOOD: Hardwood

JANKA SCALE: 100

GRAIN: coarse, open grain

COST: $$$

COMMON USES: Models

Cedar wood is a versatile and durable domestic hardwood that grows on both the East and West coasts of the US. The oil in cedar wood can control pests like termites, ants, moths, mosquitoes, and cockroaches.

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HARD/SOFT WOOD: Softwood

JANKA SCALE: 320 - 900

GRAIN: Straight-Grain, Figured also

COST: $$$

COMMON USES: Hope chests, indoor molding

INTERESTING FACTS: Porous, Cedar is a natural insect repellent.

Douglas Fir is ideal for outdoor or indoor applications where strength is needed for structural purposes.  It is also popular due to its perfect proportion of weight and strength. 

 

HARD/SOFT WOOD: softwood

JANKA SCALE: 660

GRAIN: straight-grained

COST: $$$

COMMON USES: fencing, home construction, decking

INTERESTING FACT: knots or blemishes don’t form on Douglas Firs

Mahogany is an exotic wood prized for its durability, workability, and elegant look. It has a pink or reddish-brown hue that deepens over time. It is Extremely Rot-Resistant Wood.

 

HARD/SOFT WOOD: Hardwood

JANKA SCALE: 800

GRAIN: $$$$

COST: most expensive wood in the world

COMMON USES: furniture, boats, musical instruments

INTERESTING FACT: most expensive wood in the world

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Oak is a hardwood that tends to be very grainy. There are two varieties: red oak, which ranges from light brown to pinkish red with a swirling, waterlike pattern, and white oak, which has a tiger-stripe grain with yellow rays and flecks. It is very durable and often cut in a way that makes it resistant to warping. 

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HARD/SOFT WOOD: Hardwood

JANKA SCALE: 1290 - 1360

GRAIN: wavy grain, uneven texture

COST: $$$

COMMON USES: furniture, flooring, decking

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Sycamore is one of the largest hardwood species in North America, growing throughout the eastern and central USA in natural hardwood forests. When harvested, they produce excellent sized logs. Sycamore has very distinct ray flecks—giving it a freckled appearance—and it is sometimes even called “Lacewood.”

 

HARD/SOFT WOOD: Hardwood

JANKA SCALE: 770

GRAIN: fine and even texture  

COST: $$

COMMON USES: veneer, plywood, cabinetry, interior trim, flooring, furniture, tool handles, and other turned objects

Beech hardwood is non-porous, has a solid density and a strong surface. This means, it will last against pressure, chipping, and gouging, more than some other varieties of wood. This wood is very heavy and absorbs water.

 

HARD/SOFT WOOD: Hardwood

JANKA SCALE: 1300

GRAIN: fine, even texture

COST: $$$

COMMON USES: great for laser engraving

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Cherry is often used for carved chairs but also shows up in clean-lined Shaker-style tables and cabinets. It's easily shaped, and it polishes well.  Cherry is easy to machine, nails and glues well, and when sanded and stained, it produces an excellent, smooth finish. 

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HARD/SOFT WOOD: Hardwood

JANKA SCALE: 1010

GRAIN: fine, straight grain

COST: $$

COMMON USES: Fine furniture and cabinet making, molding, paneling, flooring, doors

Elm`s wood is light greyish brown and occasionally pinkish brown. It has conspicuous growth rings much like ash. It is moderately hard, heavy, stiff and shock resistant. Elm's interlocked grain adds to its toughness and makes it more resistant to splitting. 

 

HARD/SOFT WOOD: Hardwood

JANKA SCALE: 830 - 1260

GRAIN: smooth, straight; finely waved pattern

COST: $$$

COMMON USES: Boxes, baskets, furniture, hockey sticks, veneer, wood pulp

Maple is a creamy white hardwood that sometimes has a reddish tinge. One of the hardest wood species, it is often chosen for heavy-use items, like dressers and kitchen cabinets. Because it takes dark stains well, maple is often stained to mimic a pricier wood. 

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HARD/SOFT WOOD: Hardwood

JANKA SCALE: 1450

GRAIN: straight grain

COST: $$

COMMON USES: dressers, kitchen cabinets, high-end furniture, flooring, cabinetry

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Pine wood is more resistant to shrinking and swelling. Pine is often used for rustic pieces, like farmhouse-style tables. Pine takes paint well, so it's great for kids' furniture.

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HARD/SOFT WOOD: Softwood

JANKA SCALE: 1280 - 1570

GRAIN: Striped or Wavy Grain

COST: $$

COMMON USES: farmhouse-style tables

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Walnut ranges from chocolate brown (when it's from the center of the tree) to yellow (from the outer portion of the tree). It is typically clear-coated or oiled to bring out its natural color. Walnut is a very strong and stable wood that can take intricate carving. Some may not like the variation from dark to light.

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HARD/SOFT WOOD: Hardwood

JANKA SCALE: 1010

GRAIN: straight grained

COST: $$$

COMMON USES: headboards, ornate antique-style dining tables, and mantels