Quartersawn White Oak

Quartersawn white oak is favored because of its dimensional stability; it is less likely to crack, check, or warp due to the method of cutting. Quartersawn oak also produces ray flake, a distinctive patterning in the wood. Different in every piece of wood, ray flake patterns are a prized feature of quartersawn oak and make each piece of furniture unique.

American Black Walnut

Black walnut wood is dark, hard, dense and tight-grained. It’s prized by woodworkers for its strength, grain and color. It polishes to a very smooth finish, and the color ranges from creamy white in the sapwood to a dark chocolate in the heartwood.  Over the years, natural walnut wood develops a lustrous patina. As the only dark-brown domestic wood species, it has a large following of devoted woodworkers and fine furniture aficionados.

American Black Cherry

Natural cherry wood is perhaps the most prized furniture hardwood in America. Easily our most popular seller, cherry is a smooth-grained, reddish-brown hardwood that comes from the American Black Cherry fruit tree.

Cherry is renowned among woodworkers and furniture aficionados for its color and aging process. It starts out a light pink and darkens over time to a rich reddish hue with a lustrous patina.

Hard Maple

Maple wood is incredibly strong, looks great, and stains nicely. Woodworkers and furniture aficionados gravitate towards maple for its light, creamy color, smooth grain pattern, and impressive durability.

Although there are dozens of species of maple trees around the globe, the species most common among American woodworkers is Hard Maple (aka Sugar Maple or Rock Maple).

Ash Wood

Ash is a light colored, smooth-grained hardwood that grows throughout the east coast and parts of Canada. With its typical straight grain and beige-to-light-brown hue, ash wood is a very attractive option for fine furniture. It’s one of the most durable varieties and has an extensive history in American furniture making. It is durable, lightweight, aesthetically pleasing, and absorbs wood stains well. Its characteristics as a lightweight and shock-resistant wood have made it a favorite for baseball bats, tool handles, and restaurant furniture. Today ash is making a splash in home furnishings, particularly in the mid-century modern style.

Basswood

Basswood (American linden) is a light, soft, and very easily workable type of wood that has managed to become a lumber of choice for many woodworkers who are interested in producing lightweight wood products, such as frames.  This odorless and finely grained wood is also used for larger-scale operations such as creation of wood pulp, veneer, plywood, musical instruments and window shutters and blinds, but is still the lumber of choice not only for frame makers but for woodworkers who wish to carve objects of all sizes, create small and intricate models, puppets and musical instruments.  Framers love it for its ease of carving and moulding, and because its grain is straight and featureless, it’s a great wood for an opaque finish like painting or gilding.  However, it also stains very well because its so light and absorbant.  I like it for ordinary stains as well as antique finishes that feature distressing and patinas.  This is my box of basswood stained samples, twenty stain colors, with both plain and antiqued sample chips, a perfect design tool for picking the right stain for your frame.  Also, my supplier of basswood mouldings has an extensive catalog of profiles they mill.  The combinations are endless.