HARDWOODS
White Ash
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Description
The sapwood is light-colored to nearly white and the heartwood varies from greyish or light brown, to pale yellow streaked with brown. The wood is generally straight-grained with a coarse uniform texture. The degree and availability of light-colored sapwood, and other properties, will vary according to the growing regions. Where it Grows Throughout the Eastern U.S. White ash trees range in height from 80 to 120 feet with diameter from 2 to 5 feet. Main Uses Furniture, flooring, doors, architectural millwork and molding, kitchen cabinets, paneling, tool handles, baseball bats, hockey sticks, billiard cues, skis, oars and turnings. |
White Birch
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Description
White birch has a white sapwood and light reddish brown heartwood. The wood is generally straight-grained with a fine uniform texture. Generally characterized by a plain and often curly or wavy pattern. Where it Grows Eastern U.S., principally Northern and Lake states. The average tree is 60 to 70 feet in height. Birch prefers valleys and stream banks although it adapts itself to higher grounds. Main Uses Furniture, millwork and paneling, doors, flooring, kitchen cabinets, turnings and toys. |
Hickory
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Description
The hickories are an important group within the Eastern hardwood forests. Botanically they are split into two groups; the true hickories, and the pecan hickories (fruit bearing). The wood is virtually the same for both and is usually sold together. Hickory is the hardest, heaviest and strongest American wood. The sapwood of hickory is white, tinged with inconspicuous fine brown lines while the heartwood is pale to reddish brown. Both are coarse-textured and the grain is fine, usually straight but can be wavy or irregular. Where it Grows Eastern U.S., principal commercial areas: Central and Southern states. Tree height ranges from 60 to 120 feet. Hickories grow slowly and it is not unusual for a tree to take 200 years to mature. Main Uses Tool handles, furniture, cabinetry, flooring, paneling, wooden ladders, dowels and sporting goods. |
Red Maple
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Description
In most respects red (soft) maple is very similar to hard maple. Generally the sapwood is greyish white, sometimes with darker colored pith flecks. The heartwood varies from light to dark reddish brown. The wood is usually straight-grained. The lumber is generally sold unselected for color. Where it Grows Throughout Eastern U.S., and to a lesser extent on the West Coast (bigleaf maple). Average tree height is 60 to 80 feet. Main Uses Furniture, paneling and millwork, kitchen cabinets, moldings, doors, musical instruments, and turnings. Soft maple is often used as a substitute for hard maple or stained to resemble other species such as cherry. Its physical and working properties also make it a possible substitute for beech. |
Hard Maple
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Description
The sapwood is creamy white with a slight reddish brown tinge and the heartwood varies from light to dark reddish brown. The amount of darker brown heartwood can vary significantly according to growing region. Both sapwood and heartwood can contain pith fleck. The wood has a close fine, uniform texture and is generally straight-grained, but it can also occur as "curly," "fiddleback," and "birds-eye" figure. Where it Grows Eastern U.S., principally Mid-Atlantic and Lake states. A cold weather tree favoring a more northerly climate, its average height is 130 feet. Main Uses Flooring, furniture, paneling, ballroom and gymnasium floors, kitchen cabinets, worktops, table tops, butchers blocks, toys, kitchenware and millwork: stairs, handrails, moldings, and doors. |
White Oak
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Description
The sapwood is light-colored and the heartwood is light to dark brown. White oak is mostly straight-grained with a medium to coarse texture, with longer rays than red oak. White oak therefore has more figure. Where it Grows Widespread throughout the Eastern U.S. The white oak group comprises many species, of which about eight are commercial. The trees prefer rich well drained soil, and average height is 60 to 80 feet. Main Uses Furniture, flooring, architectural millwork, moldings, doors, kitchen cabinets, paneling, barrel staves (tight cooperage) and caskets. |
Basswood
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Description
The sapwood of Basswood is usually quite large and creamy white in color, merging into the heartwood which is pale to reddish brown, sometimes with darker streaks. The wood has a fine uniform texture and indistinct grain that is straight. Where it Grows Principally the Northern and Lake states. Average tree height is 65 feet. Main Uses Carvings, turnings, furniture, pattern-making, mouldings, millwork and musical instruments. An important specialized use is Venetian blinds and shutters. |
Aspen
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Description
Sapwood of Aspen is white, blending into the light brown heartwood. The contrast between sap and heartwood is small. The wood has a fine uniform texture and is straight-grained. Where it Grows Commercially in the Northeast. Average tree height is 40 to 60 feet. The aspen has a short life span: just before reaching full growth, it has a tendency to suffer from decay. Aspens are known for seeding and thriving in places where fires have been. Main Uses Furniture parts (drawer sides), doors, moldings, picture frames, millwork, toys, kitchen utensils, food containers, baskets and matchsticks. Important specialized uses include sauna laths because of its low conductivity of heat, and chopsticks. |
Red Oak
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General Description
The sapwood of Red Oak is white to light brown and the heartwood is a pinkish reddish brown. The wood is similar in general appearance to white oak, but with a slightly less pronounced figure due to the smaller rays. The wood is mostly straight-grained, with a coarse texture. Where it Grows Widespread throughout Eastern U.S. The oaks are by far the most abundant species group growing in the Eastern hardwood forests. Red oaks grow more abundantly than the white oaks. The red oak group comprises many species, of which about eight are commercial. Average tree height is 60 to 80 feet. Main Uses Furniture, flooring, architectural millwork and moldings, doors, kitchen cabinets, paneling and caskets. |
Black Ash
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General Description
This heartwood is a light to medium brown color. Sapwood can be very wide and tends to be a beige or light brown; not always clearly or sharply distinguished from heartwood. Black Ash tends to be a bit darker in color than White Ash. Black ash has a medium to coarse texture similar to oak. The grain is almost always straight and regular. Black ash trees (Fraxinus nigra) are native to eastern North America, such as parts of the United States (e.g., Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York) and Canada (e.g., Manitoba, Ontario). They are commonly found in wetland areas, such as swamps, bogs, and along riverbanks. These trees thrive in moist, acidic soils and are often associated with areas that experience periodic flooding. Black ash trees are particularly well-adapted to wetland habitats and are known for their ability to tolerate saturated soils.
Main Uses
Flooring, millwork, boxes, crates, baseball bats, and other turned objects such as tool handles. |