The exact characteristics and the properties of the wood you can find , many of people haven’t clarified in their brains and it’s very understandable .
In a cm3 , we have more than 1.000.000!!!! wood cells and these cells are giving unique and different properties , to our wood .
Of course in our astonishing planet , there are many thousands kinds of trees/wood . We know more than 70.000 – 80.000 wood types .
We have 80 types of Pine trees/wood and as you may imagine , every single corner in earth has several types of trees / wood .
I’ve written a quick article about the 3 types of wood and a basic list you’ll need for your carpentry projects , read it in , HERE .
Complete list of the Basic wood you can have for your woodworking project .( + botanical names . )
1)Pitch Pine / US Pines ( Pinus palustris) .
–Country of Origin : It comes from the USA .
– Common Wood Products : Sawn timber , pasted timber .
– General Properties : It has big density , it’s a hard wood and it has medium to heavy weight .
It has a reddish brown color , many “waters” and medium resistance to wood bugs .
– General “behavior” while working with : It’s a hard wood with good nailing – screwing – planing – polishing , but it needs attention to painting . It has resin .
– Carpentry projects of Use : It’s another heavy – duty wood . We make wood frames , doors , floors , roofs , wagons and decorative woodcrafts .
2) Forestry Pine / Swedish Pine /(pinus silvestris) .
–Country of Origin : We find it in Sweden , it came from the States back in the 70’s and it went very well .
– Common Wood Products : Veneer , pasted wood .
– General Properties : This wood is medium hardness one and it has a medium weight also . It has fewer resin in its surface/mass and it has a light yellow color . It needs care from weather conditions and wood bugs .
– General “behavior” while working with : It has easy drying process and impregnation and screwing – nailing – planing – polishing with no issues .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : It’s a very popular wood as the pitch pine is and we make several constructions . Doors , outdoor constructions ( with impregnation with salts process ) , wooden furniture , fences , et.c .
3) Balca Pine / Greek Pine .
–Country of Origin : It comes from the countries of the Balcans : Albania , Bulgary , the former Yugoslavia and Greece .
– Common Wood Products : sawn timber mostly .
– General Properties : The balcan pine , has the general properties of the other pines . It’s a medium weight and hardness wood , with yellow – brown color and needs attention to weather wear conditions and bugs .
– General “behavior” while working with : Easy to work with in all the woodworkers “jobs” . Nice screwing – nailing , planing – polishing .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : It’s a popular pine type and we make several wood creations . Wooden boxes , shelves , tables , chairs , et.c are some of them .
4) Douglas Fir / Oregon Pine .
–Country of Origin : It comes mostly in the North USA .
– Common Wood Products : pasted timber , veneer , sawn timber .
– General Properties : It has a light reddish – brown color which becomes red , during its exposure to light .
It has a nice characteristic smell and it has a medium weight .
It isn’t good for impregnation and it dries well .
– General “behavior” while working with : Easy nailing – screwing – planing – polishing attitude .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : It’s a cheap wood and you can make barells , floors , roofs , wooden furniture , wooden boxes .
5) Spruce / “White wood” / White Spruce / ( picea abies ) .
–Country of Origin : North Europe – Greece .
– Common Wood Products : sawn timber , pasted timber .
– General Properties : It has light weight to medium . It has a yellow – brown color to all of its mass , not only in its surface .
Its quality becomes better with the time passing and it has straight fibers. It has an easy drying attitude with no serious shape changes .
– General “behavior” while working with : Very easy nailing – screwing – planing – polishing , but you cannot make impregnation to it .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : Very “common” , very popular tree – wood . The Christmas tree is made from this . Wooden furniture , offices , wood leaves and more , are the jobs of spruce .
6) Greek Spruce / Kefalonian Spruce / (abies cephalonica) .
–Country of Origin : Greece – North , South and Central areas .
– Common Wood Products : sawn timbrer , pasted timber .
– General Properties : It has the same properties and attitude with the European in general , with minor changes , because of the micro – climate .
It’s also a light weight wood and a light pink color . Easy drying and general behavior .
– General “behavior” while working with : Very easy nailing – screwing – planing – polishing and no problems for your woodworking tools .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : The exact same uses , with the European spruce . It’s a very popular tree – wood kind .
7) Oak (USA) / White Oak / American White Oak (fagaceae) .
–Country of Origin : It comes form the US and the Northeastern Canada . The US oak and the Europeean one , don’t have great differences .
– Common Wood Products : veneer , sawn timber .
– General Properties : It has a heavy and strong wood mass , with yellow – brown to yellow – grey wood color .
It has medium flexibility , straight fibers and it’s main advantage , is the resistant it has to the hardships .
– General “behavior” while working with : Because of this toughness the oak has , many architects use oak for their constructions . You can work fine wit oak for your screwing – nailing – planing , but with cautious . It’s a hard wood and it needs different procedures .
Attention is needed to its drying process , to avoid cracks .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : constructions , wooden furniture , floors , gun and rifle hanldes , wagons , barells are some of the oak’s uses .
8) Oak (European) .
–Country of Origin : It comes from Europe , in Great Britain , Poland ,et.c . It’s cheaper than the US oak and as i’ve said earlier , the US and the European are very similar .
– Common Wood Products : veneer and sawn timber .
– General Properties : It has the same properties with the US oak , more or less . It’s a heavy – strong wood , with high density and resistance to external forces .
Light brown to darker brown is the oak’s color and it contains a few acids , not much .
– General “behavior” while working with : The acids it includes may harm your hand tools , so be cautious and you can work with oak , just fine . For all your woodworking activities . It’s a”classical” and very popular wood .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : wooden furniture , constructions , several types of handles , doors , shelves , floors and many more , are the uses of it .
9) Cedar Lebanon / (Cedrus libani -Pinaceae) .
–Country of Origin : It comes from the Mediterranean territories .
– Common Wood Products : mostly sawn timber .
– General Properties : It’s a medium weight wood and has straight fibers . The Bible has references to the Lebanon Cedar .
It has big resistance to wear , bugs and has a nice smells . We use it to the perfumes .
– General “behavior” while working with : Easy drying , nice polishing process with no themes , easy working with hand and power tools . You can glue it nicely , too .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : inside decorative designs , wooden furniture , doors , fences . The Temple of Solomon is made from lebanon cedar .
10) Beech(USA) .
–Country of Origin : In the USA and in Canada .
– Common Wood Products : Sawn timber and veneer .
– General Properties : It’s a reddish – brown colored wood and it’s a heavy weight one . It has the same properties with the European beech , it has straight and needs colossal attention to the wood bugs .
It’s very sensitive . It also needs colossal attention to the drying process . It shrinks and in general it changes its shape , during the process .
– General “behavior” while working with : It has nice nailing – screwing – planing – polishing attitude , with a little attention , during your power tools cuttings .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : Wooden shelves , floors , frames , kitchen benches are some of its uses .
11) Beech ( European ) .
–Country of Origin : In Europe , Great Britain .
– Common Wood Products : veneer , sawn timber .
– General Properties : It’s a heavy weight wood type and its color is yellowish – pinkish to light brown . It needs exactly the same colossal attention to the drying and bugs , as the US beech , needs .
– General “behavior” while working with : It has the same properties as the US one and you should be cautious in your cuttings as you should with the US type one .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : It’s an elegant wood type and wooden furniture and other inside woodcrafts , are its uses .
12) Chestnut(American) .
–Country of Origin : USA an Canada .
– Common Wood Products : sawn timber .
– General Properties : It looks like the oak ( little) and it has a light brown color . It has a medium weight and it’s another very beautiful wood type . It needs care from the conditions wear and bugs , but with no serious themes .
– General “behavior” while working with : It dries well and you can use your hand tools or the power ones , with no issues . It only needs attention when it comes together with iron materials . It becomes blue ( cyanosis ) .
Easy nailing – screwing – planing – polishing . No good impregnation attitude .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : Wooden furniture , offices , plywood are some of the uses of chestnut .
13) Chestnut ( European ) .
–Country of Origin : Mostly in Europe .
– Common Wood Products : veneer , sawn timber .
– General Properties : It has a light brown to yellow – grey color . It has great resistance to time’s wear and hardships , medium weight . It’ s a great aesthetic wood , as the US is the same of course .
Dry it correctly , in order to keep its size and you won’t have any problem with it .
– General “behavior” while working with : We have in here the same cyanosis issue as the American has , so don’t put it together with material , which includes iron .
Easy nailing – screwing – planing and polishing attitude .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : the same wooden projects as the US chestnut produces . Furniture , frames , offices , plywood , et,c.
14) Walnut(American Walnut) .
–Country of Origin : Eastern USA and the Ontario Canada , are the places of the American walnut .
– Common Wood Products : Veneer and sawn timber .
– General Properties : It has a very beautiful light to darker brown color . It’s a medium weight and density’s wood , but a hard one .
It has straight fibers and it’s very resistant to bugs . In general it’s a tough wood and very beautiful for many jobs .
– General “behavior” while working with : It needs careful drying and you can use the impregnation method to it .
Very good nailing – screwing – planing – polishing results .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : Wooden furniture , kitchen furniture , luxury cars – boats decorative parts , rifle handles , woodcarving , are some of the projects we make .
15) Walnut ( European ) .
–Country of Origin : It comes from Europe and i should say that in my country ( Greece) the quality of walnuts , is worldwide famous .
– Common Wood Products : sawn timber , veneer .
– General Properties : It has the same properties with the USA walnut . It’s a very popular wood with grey – brown color and very famous between the carpenters .
– General “behavior” while working with : Again it has the same process properties with the American one . No problems to any kind of treatment .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : Everything you can imagine . Rifle handles , wood furniture , offices , tables , chairs , et.c .
16) Mahogany / African Mahogany / Nigerian Mahogany (meliaceae) .
–Country of Origin : Tropical Africa .
– Common Wood Products : veneer , sawn timber .
– General Properties : It’s a medium resistant to wear tree and it has medium weight . The color is intense reddish brown , with straight fibers , but sensitive to wood bugs . Its mechanic resistance to external forces , isn’t very good .
It’s general a sensitive wood .
– General “behavior” while working with : It dries well , but it isn’t ideal for impregnation . Easy nailing – screwing – planing – polishing(very good result) attitude .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : decorative plywood , venner , wooden furniture with great beautiness , shipbuilding , et.c.
17) Mahogany (USA) / American Mahogany .
–Country of Origin : The USA , the southern areas .
– Common Wood Products : Veneer , sawn timber .
– General Properties : It has the same properties with the African mahogany and the wood bugs are attacking it . It needs attention .
– General “behavior” while working with : Also the same characteristics with the African mahogany and it’s general an easy wood .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : decorative plywood , venner , wooden furniture with great beautiness , shipbuilding , boat woodcrafts , et.c .
18) Cherry / American Cherry / Wild Cherry ( USA ) .
–Country of Origin : The USA of course and Canada .
– Common Wood Products : Veneer , sawn timber .
– General Properties : It has a medium weight and its color is from intense red to reddish- brown . It has medium flexibility and sraight fibers . It dries well ( but need attention for shrinking issues )and needs some attention to wood bugs .
– General “behavior” while working with : Easy to work with hand woodworking tools or power ones and nice screwing -nailing – planing – polishing .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : high class woodworking tools , furniture , doors , kitchen shelves , musical instruments ar some of the US cherry uses .
19) Cherry ( European ) .
–Country of Origin : It comes mostly form Europe , Great Britain small quantities from Asia .
– Common Wood Products : veneer , sawn timber .
– General Properties : It’s a medium weight wood and its color is pinkish brown . It has straight fibers and needs attention from the bugs . It dries well enough .
– General “behavior” while working with : Excellent polishing – very good screwing – nailing – planing attitude .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : Wooden furniture , toys , musical instruments and decoratrive veneer are some of the uses .
20) Cherry / Cherry Blossom /Korean cherry / Sakura / (Japanese cherry) .
–Country of Origin : It’s the National flower – tree of Japan , but Korea , China , Nepal , India , Pakistan , Iran and even the North Europe has these magnificent trees .
– Common Wood Products : Veneer , sawn timber .
– General Properties : Its beautiness is magnificent and i’m sure you all know the blossom – Japanese tree and flower . It’s a heavy weight wood , with big hardness and its color is the famous bright red one .
It also smells amazing .
– General “behavior” while working with : It’s an easy wood to work with and its polishing attitude is magnificent .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : Only elite woodcrafts and projects .
21) Maple / Red / Oregon Maple / Hard Maple ( acer rubrum ) .
–Country of Origin : It comes from the US .
– Common Wood Products : sawn timber , veneer .
– General Properties : It has a light to darker reddish – brown color and its a heavy and a strong wood . It has straight fibers and big resistance to general use .
It’s a very beautiful wood , but with no good resistance to the wood bugs .
– General “behavior” while working with : It needs slow drying process and its size changes a lot , during the drying . You can paint , glue and work with it very nicely .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : Wooden furniture , kitchen furniture , floors , musical instruments and ladder parts , are some of the carpentry uses of the hard maple wood .
22) Ebony / Ebony African / Nigerian Ebony (diospyros).
–Country of Origin : Africa : Ghana , Cameroon , Nigeria , but we can find ebony in India – Indonesia also .
– Common Wood Products : veneer , sawn timber .
– General Properties : It’s the darkest wood you can find in our planet and i’ve written a post for it , read it HERE .
It’s color is black of course .
It’s also an extremely heavy wood ( it sinks into water !!!), with straight wood fibers . It’s very resistant to bugs .
– General “behavior” while working with : You’ll find big difficulties to work with ebony , because of its extremely high , toughness . Your woodworking tools will have “difficult days” with it .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : For many carpenters and not only , it’s the most valuable/desirable wood . You make top and extremely high class wood projects with ebony and remember : ebony’s sizes are small ones .
Piano’s keys (black parts) , exepnsive knife handles and elite wood carving are the places you’ll find ebony .
23) Birch ( European ) .
–Country of Origin : mostly Europe .
– Common Wood Products : Veneer , sawn timber .
– General Properties : It’s a heavy weight wood with light yellowish – grey color and it has straight fibers .
It’s very sensitive to bugs and it has nice mechanical restistance to forces and needs careful drying , in order to keep its size .
– General “behavior” while working with : easy screwing – nailing – planing – polishing and easy woodworking tools behavior .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : Top class woodworking projects , furniture , floors , et.c .
24) Larch / Larix ( larix decidua ) .
–Country of Origin : Europe , the Northern areas .
– Common Wood Products : sawn timber , veneer .
– General Properties : It is a medium weight and hardness wood . It’s resistant to wood bugs and a grey – brownish color .
– General “behavior” while working with : It has a nice drying process and you can work with it , with easiness ( nailing – screwing – planing – polishing ) .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : constructions , shipbuilding , barrells are some if its uses .
25) Alder ( black – grey – japanese ) .
–Country of Origin : It comes from Russia , Africa , Asia .
– Common Wood Products : sawn timber .
– General Properties : It has medium weight and a reddish-brown color . It has straight fibers , but big sensitivity to bugs . It dries with no shape changings .
– General “behavior” while working with : It “gives” good impregnation behavior and it’s general easy for nailing – screwing – planing – polishing .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : Wooden toys and furniture , boxes and pencils .
26) European Linden(tilia europia) / Basswood(for the USA) / Limetree /American Limetree (tiliaceae) .
–Country of Origin : We have the European Linden and in the US , it’s called Basswood .
– Common Wood Products : sawn timber .
– General Properties : The European linden is harder and heavier than the US , the basswood .It’s general a hard wood . It has a yellowish – brown color , with straigh fibers .
– General “behavior” while working with : It needs careful drying , it has nice painting , polishing , screwing , glue and nailing .
It’s the favorite wood of the wood carvers . You can work with it very nicely .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : we use it for wood carving , piano keys , decorative veneers , wooden toys , wooden handles , et.c .
27) Poplar / Tulip Poplar / ( Populus nigra ) .
–Country of Origin : It comes from the US .
– Common Wood Products : Sawn timber and veneer .
– General Properties : It has a light yellowish brown color to the light green . As the time passes the color becomes more brown .
It has straight fibers and medium density and resisntance to the external forces .
– General “behavior” while working with : You can screw it , nail it , plane it and shape it , with easiness .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : We use poplar to make food crates , for cellulose production and paper , for several types of chassis and in the constructions field .
28) Willow Wood / Saule .
–Country of Origin : Europe , Great Britain , Asia , Africa , USA .
– Common Wood Products : Veneer , sawn timber .
– General Properties : It’s a light wood , with straight fibers and pinkish color . It’s also sensitive to bugs .
– General “behavior” while working with : It dries well and you can use your carpentry tools ( hand – power) , with no issues . Very good nailing – screwing and excellent polishing – painting attitude .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : Wooden toys and boxes , pallets and the cricket’s sticks , are from willow wood .
29) Cypress / Greek Cypress .
– Country of Origin : Europe ( Greece and more ) , Asia , USA , Australia , Chile , Argentina , Vietnam .
– Common Wood Products : veneer , sawn timber .
– General Properties : It has a yellowish color , with straight fibers . You should be cautious for allergies and it has a great resistance to rot .
– General “behavior” while working with : You need well sharpened tools to act with it , but it’s an easy wood to act with . Nice nailing – screwing – painting – polishing .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : docks , exterior constructions , roof ( its very straight lined tree ) , entire log houses ( fungi “hate” cypress ) .
30) California Redwood / Coast Redwood / Sequoia .
–Country of Origin : USA , California Redwood .
– Common Wood Products : table tops , veneer , entire big pieces / logs .
– General Properties : It’s the most valuable tree in the world , the higher one ( 155 + meters ) and it lives more than 1000!!! years . Of course it’s a protected tree . It has huge resistance to weather conditions and it looks like cedar .
It has a shiny reddish brown color .
– General “behavior” while working with : It needs attention because of its rareness , but you won’t have any theme , cutting , rubbing , et.c with it . Of course it’s a protected tree – wood and its quantites are very low .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : Tables , docks , veneer , huge woodcrafts .
31) Rosewood – Brazilian tulipwood / Indian Rosewood(Dalbergia nigra) .
–Country of Origin : It comes from the Northestern Brazil but it’s not the only one Rosewood . The Brazilian we also call it tulipwood .
ATTENTION : I’ve said it before( & i’ve clarified it in my other column article ) , that the Rosewoods are a big family of the Dalbergia .
Don’t confuse the Rosewood with the Indian(sisso) , the cocobolo (central US ) , the Siam Rosewood , the Africa Rosewood , the Asia , the Madagascar rosewood (palisander) and other Rosewood species .
They have similar properties but they have differences , mostly in their looks . They are all very beautiful to make a woodcraft from them .
– Common Wood Products : veneer , sawn timber .
– General Properties : It’s a very rare wood kind . It has very big density , many pores in its mass and wood oil in it . It has great resisntance to wood bugs .
It smells like roses and its wood dust may cause you allergic “themes” , so be careful . It dries without serious shrinks .
– General “behavior” while working with : It needs attention while you work with it . Its many oils and high density , are causing blunt problems to the power tools .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : Its’ one of the most expensive and beautiful wood species . We create elite musical instruments , wooden furniture and offices of the highest class .
32) Teak . / Sagon / Genuine Teak / Tekku ( tectona grantis ) .
–Country of Origin : You can find it in Southeast Africa , in Brazil , but mostly it comes from Burma and India .
– Common Wood Products : Veneer and swan timber .
– General Properties : Outside it is light yellow and its main mass it has a dark brown – gold color . It has no spots in its mass .
We all know the famous teak oil and teak has many in its inside mass , that’s why it’s very resistant to bugs .
It has medium density , but it’s a very strong wood . Its basic advantages the huge shape stability it has , during the drying process and in general .
It’s a very stable wood and this very good for your woodworking projects . It’s also very resistant to several chemicals and acids .
– General “behavior” while working with : If you want to paint it , you should remove the teak oil it has . You can work with it , very nicely with your woodworking tools , but it need attention with the power tools .
It’s a hard wood and this means you should be cautious with your screwing – nailing – planing , but it responses very nicely to all these .
It’s a very expensive wood .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : We make wood paneling , wooden furniture , nice venner , from teak wood . We also use it in the shipbuillding , in flooring and in general wherever you need heavy – duty toughness .
33) Acacia . / Robinia ( robinia pheudoacacia ) .
–Country of Origin : USA , Africa , Europe .
– Common Wood Products : veneer , plywood .
– General Properties : It has medium weight wood and its color is yellowish – brown. It has straight fibers and it’s very resistant to wood bugs .
– General “behavior” while working with : It needs careful drying , it has nice glue attitude , but difficult screwing and nailing . It has good polishing .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : wooden sticks , fernces , outdoor woodcrafts , shipbuilding are some of its uses .
34) Elm Wood / American Elm (ulmus Americana ) .
–Country of Origin : USA , Canada
– Common Wood Products : Sawn timber .
– General Properties : It’s a medium weight wood and it has a reddish – brown color . It has straight fibers and medium density and sensitivity to bugs .
– General “behavior” while working with : Easy nailing – screwing – planing – polishing , behavior .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : wooden furniture , barells , docks , chairs and wooden boxes .
35) Ash Wood . / European / USA ( Fraxinus ) .
–Country of Origin : The European and the US ash are almost the exact same , concerning their external features . It comes from the States and Europe .
– Common Wood Products : We make veneer and sawn timber from it .
– General Properties : It’s a very heavy wood and its color is grey – brown with little yellow and pink shades .
It’s a very resistant wood to all the external forces ( bending – crushing , et.c ) .
– General “behavior” while working with : You can dry it very nice with no changing shape issues and nail – screw and polishit , very easy with effectiveness .
Its a very stable in general wood type .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : wooden furniture , venner , tool handle , constructions , aeronautics field , are some of the uses for the ash wood type .
36) Olive Wood / European Olive .
–Country of Origin : mostly in the Mediterranean areas .
– Common Wood Products : sawn timber , veneer .
– General Properties : It’s a heavy wood and its color is grey – brown – black shades . Its’ very mechanically tough to external forces wood and it needs careful drying .
– General “behavior” while working with : It gives very nice polishing painting results, but it need attention , to the nailing – screwing area . Its’ a hard wood .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : It gives generally , small wood pieces and we make kitchen equipment ( spoons , plate ) , several handles and decorative designs .
37) Plane Tree / Lacewood ( platanus orientallis ) .
–Country of Origin : It comes form Europe ( Greece has many ) and Asia .
– Common Wood Products : veneer , sawn timber .
– General Properties : It’s a medium weight wood and its color is reddish – brown . It’s a medium resistant wood to external forces and it has serious bug problems . It needs attention .
It dries well , but its shape is shrinking and needs slowly drying .
– General “behavior” while working with : Easy nailing – screwing and excellent painting polishing results .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : decorative surfaces , wooden furniture , shelves .
38) Elm Wood / European ( ulmus ) .
–Country of Origin : Asia , Europe .
– Common Wood Products : sawn timber .
– General Properties : It has the same properties with the US elm with the major differences , being the hardness or the softness of the wood . The US elm is a soft wood .
It’s sensitive to bugs and many times it’s confused to the ash wood .
– General “behavior” while working with : Easy nailing – screwing – planing – polishing , behavior .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : The same uses as the US elm is used .
39) Bamboo .
–Country of Origin : Asia , Australia , Himalaya , China , Japan , Korea , India , Africa .
– Common Wood Products : whole mass .
– General Properties : It’s not a tree , it’s a grass ( poaceae family ) . It has great strength , hardness( like timber ) and resisntance ot weather conditions and wear in general .
– General “behavior” while working with : It’a very tough wood – material and it needs attention to screw it – nail it – cut it . It brakes very easily , because it has almost zero flexibility .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : Fences , outdoor woodcrafts , kitchen equipment ( dishes , et.c ) .
40) Doussie / Lingue .
–Country of Origin : It comes Africa ( Sierra Leone , Ghana , Zambia et.c) and South Asia . It looks like the Mahogany wood .
– Common Wood Products : sawn timber and veneer .
– General Properties : Another , very heavy wood . It has a reddish – brown color and pores in its surface . It’s very resistant to chemicals / acids and bugs .
– General “behavior” while working with : Its mechanical resistance to external forces is very big and it’s a very stable wood . It just needs , correct drying .
You cannot use impregnation to it and you should be careful to its wood dust , for allergies . It’s very strong wood , so you’ll need pre-nailing and pre-screwing preparations .
It includes the substance Afzelin , so the painting will be tough for you . It needs special varnish treatment .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : We use it , instead of the teak wood . It’s cheaper and it’s top for heavy -duty cunstructions . Outdoor wooden furniture , bridges , barells , in shipbuilding and many more heavy carpentry “missions” .
41) Balsa ( guano ) .
–Country of Origin : India , the tropical areas of USA .
– Common Wood Products : veneer , sawn timber .
– General Properties : It’s a light weight wood and it has a yellow – pinkish shade . It’s a soft and light wood , which needs great attention from bugs . It also needs correct drying process .
– General “behavior” while working with : You can work easily with your tools with it , but it needs attention concerning the mailing – screwing as all the soft woods need . They cannot hold the pin – screw , very well .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : Mostly in the water sports area . It’s very light and it floats very easily .
42) Anigre (muna).
–Country of Origin : Africa .
– Common Wood Products : veneer , sawn timber .
– General Properties : It’s a medium weiht wood with yellowish – brown color . It has straight fibers and it’s sensitive to bugs . It dries well with no serious issues .
– General “behavior” while working with : It contains silicon , so your woodworking tools needd attention , while you using them . Good nailing – screwing – painting – polishing .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : Wooden furniture and crafts of top class , wood carving of top class , plywood .
43) Azobe .
–Country of Origin : Western Africa .
– Common Wood Products : sawn timber .
– General Properties : Extremely heavy wood type . Dak red to dark brown is its color and it’s very resistant wood . It has extremely high density and it needs very slow drying process .
– General “behavior” while working with : Very tough – hard and strong wooden surface , very hard ot work with it . Your carpentry tools should be in tiop “shape” and well sharpened , but it has very good nailing – screwing – painting – polishing.
– Carpentry Projects of Use : heavy – duty constructions is its territory . Docks , bridges , industrial floors , et.c .
44) Iroko .
–Country of Origin : It’s a tropical wood and it comes form Africa . Many carpenters call it the Africa teak .
– Common Wood Products : Veneer and sawn timber .
– General Properties : It has a golden orange color to open brown . It “sucks” UV light and it becomes darker , during time . It has a medium density and it’s a tough enough wood .
It has pores in its surface and you should be very careful to its wood-dust , if you have allergies .
It’s very resistant to the termites and it has similar properties as the teak wood .
– General “behavior” while working with : It’s easy to work with , with your hand or power woodworking tools . If you want to paint it , you should fill its pores well .
You should be careful when you use your power cutting tools , because it can blunt them a little . It has nice screwing , nailing .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : We create fences , we use it in the shipbuilding , in inside & outdoor floors , as a decorative veneer and you can “replace” teak with it . It’s cheaper .
45) Niangon .
–Country of Origin : It comes from Western Africa .
– Common Wood Products : Veneer and sawn timber are the products we take , from niangon wood .
– General Properties : It has resin which feels like oil in your hands and it’s color is from light pink to reddish brown .
It’s a hard and tough wood and it has big resistance to bugs . It includes resin .
– General “behavior” while working with : be careful when you cut it with power tools , in order not to blunt them and it needs great attention in the nailing area . It’s torn , so it needs pre-nailing from you .
The resin will maκe the painting – glue a little hard for you .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : We use moslty niangon in outdoor woodworking constructions , in furniture , in wooden doors , in shipbuilding and several kind of chasis . It’s a hard wood in general for these “jobs” .
46) Meranti(dipterocarpaceae) .
–Country of Origin : It comes from Indonesia .
– Common Wood Products : veneer , sawn timber .
– General Properties : It’s a heavy weight wood , with dark reddish brown color . It’s texture is rough and it has medium resistance to external forces .
It needs careful drying , to avoid cracks .
– General “behavior” while working with : nice glue behavior , easy working with your woodworking tools . Easy nailing – screwing – painting – polishing .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : general woodcrafts , shipbuilding , floors .
47) Obeche .
–Country of Origin : Africa .
– Common Wood Products : pasted timber , veneer .
– General Properties : It’s a light weight wood , with yellowish color . Its’ not a strong – resistant wood . The tough of the metals make it , blue ( cyanosis) and it has serious bug problems .
– General “behavior” while working with : As all the soft woods , you can wrok with it easily but it has themes , of holding the nails – screws . It’s torn by its softness . It has nice painting and polishing behavior .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : Wherever you don’t need heavy – duty carpentry properties , you can use it . In shelves , frames , and inside woodworking projects , mostly .
48) Limba .
–Country of Origin : It comes from Africa , mostly the western areas .
– Common Wood Products : sawn timber , veneer .
– General Properties : It’s color is yellow to pink color with some black areas inside . It isn’t resistant to wood bugs and it has pores in its surface .
– General “behavior” while working with : It’s an easy wood to work with power and hand – tolls the same .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : We make wooden furniture , plywood and musical instruments from limba wood .
49) Purple Heart / Peltogyne( Amaranth) .
–Country of Origin : It comes from central & south USA , from Mexico , and Southeast Brazil .
– Common Wood Products : sawn timber , veneer .
– General Properties : It’s an amazing beautiness wood .
It has a pink – brown color which becomes a deep purple one , in the sunlight . It has straight fibers , resin and the surface has pores .
It’s very resistant to bugs and wear during time . Again i say : It’s very – very – very , beautiful .
– General “behavior” while working with : In here , the purple heart , needs your fully attention . It has resin , so your power tools ( cutting – sanding ) will need care , but especially the cutting process needs your colossal attention .
Be very careful because during the cutting , you may “burn” the purple heart wood piece . Go slowly .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : we create elite musical instruments , wooden furniture of top level , and in general very elite decorative materials .
50) Sapele .
–Country of Origin : It’s a tropical wood and it comes from Africa as most of the tropical ones .
– Common Wood Products : veneer , sawn timber .
– General Properties : It has a pinkish color which becomes reddish brown or red . It’s a medium density’s and strength wood and it’s very sensitive to bugs .
It smells like cedar and many are using it as a substitute of the mahogany wood . Is has very beautiful shaped a “waters” .
– General “behavior” while working with : You need only to be careful when you planing it , in order not to rip it . Otherwise , you can work with it , without issues . You can nail it , screw it , glue it and JESUS :
Don’t paint it . Its shape and “waters” are magnificent .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : We make veneer , playwood , decorative designs .
51) Wenge .
–Country of Origin : It comes from Africa and mostly from the Cameroon and Gabon .
– Common Wood Products : veneer and sawn timber .
– General Properties : It’s a very heavy wood , with straight fiber structure , dark brown color and it’s very resistant to the bugs .
It’s a very beautiful wood , with fantastic “water” shape and variety .
– General “behavior” while working with : It needs great attention during the drying process(very slow) , and it’s very difficult for impregnation .
The rsin it has , may cause glue issues and it needs careful nailing , screwing . It’s a tough wood .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : its hardness makes it excellent for floors and veneer .
52) Greenheart Wood / cogwood /( Lauraceae ) .
–Country of Origin : USA , Guyana
– Common Wood Products : sawn timber , veneer .
– General Properties : It has a light olive tree – green color and it has big resistance to bugs . You may be cautious for allergies and take measures . it’s an extremely hard wood .
– General “behavior” while working with : It’s a very – very hard wood and it’s very difficult to work yo it , with your carpentry tools ( hand or power ones ) .
– Carpentry Projects of Use : docks ( the Liverpool & Manchester are from greenheart) , boatbuilding , fishing rods .
54) MDF ( medium – density fibreboards ) .
We all know the MDF bards . It’s the shortcut of the medium Density Baords .
They aren’t physical wood , it’s and industrial one , built by us , the humans . We make it and we give to it , all the properties we like , for the exact carpentry crafts , we want to create .
We create the MDF boards , by using heat and high pressure ( wood’s cellulose – fluids are “getting together” this way) , to incorporate the wood’s fibers and make them one solid piece , the MDF board .
We use them to any woodcraft we like .
We use them on the constructions field very much , in the malls and cinemas , in our home’s not expensive furniture , in “countless” places .
They have good acoustic properties and nice insulation ones .
As i mentioned in the beginning of the article , you should not confuse the MDF boards with the cement-wood fibers , boards . It’s a totally different situation , with totally different use and properties .
Be aware , if you have sensitivities/allergies , that they contain some chemicals , as formaldehyde .
55) OSB ( oriented strand boards ) .
OSB boards is another engineered wood , which i personally , like very much .
It’s a industrial wood board material , use very much as a plywood , in several construction projects and it’s very cheap . It has a unique looks ( i like this much ) and we use them mainly as wood helpers , to our houses or whatever .
They haven’t big resistance to the weather conditions ( the water- rain – moisture , especially ) , but you see them to coffee shops and many more places , in the outdoors .
You cannot relay to them as the real wood , but they can do many jobs , without spending much money .
The difference it has to the chipboards ,is that we incorporate big pieces of wood . In the chipboards we use smaller ones , that’s why they are kind of similar .
56) Chipboard – Particle Board – Flakeboard .
It’s another manufactured material , we built and it’s made from wood chips ( small/medium wood pieces from trees , wood residues and waste ) , which we incorporate together using usually a resin .
Our school boards , are made from this engineered wood .
You can use them to substitute the plywood , because it’s cheaper , paint it very well and it’s more denser than the real wood .
A disadvantage , is that you should be careful and avoid water and moisture conditions , with the chipboards .
As i said previously , people confuse the OSB with the chipboard . The OSB uses more machined wood parts and it’s stronger than the chipboard .
57) Plywood .
Plywood is a engineered material – wood leaf which is made from many layers(thin ones) of real wood veneer , incorporate to each other , with glue and pressure .
Plywood belongs to the “family” of the MDF( medium density fibreboards , OSB ( oriented strand boards) , HDF ( high density fibreboards)and Chipboards engineered wood .
It has many benefits with the biggest one , being the dimensional stabilty( small expansion and shrinks ) it has . You can nail it to its edges with no problem , because it reduces the tendency of wood , while you “push it” , in its edges .
ATTENTION : you should not confuse the engineered wood , with the cement + wood fibers mixed wood , you can find in the markets . It is another totally material .
TIP : Sometimes , it’s very difficult to identify the industrial wood from the real one , especially when the industrial is smoothened and painted very well .
Of course if you see an transverse cut of the wood piece , or its finish , you’ll see the pressured fibers .
It has two sides , the one is smoother than the other one .
I’ve written an article with a “secret” of , how can you nail close a wood’s edge , without torn it , read it HERE .
Many people concider in their minds the plywood as a different type of wood but it’s not . If you want to see my post for the 3 basic types of wood , read it , HERE .
Keep Woodworking and giving yourself , happiness .
