A variety of different woods are used in our products and if you are purchasing an item from our online shop, you may find the following information useful in identifying and choosing a wood type.
Mahogany Wood includes a variety of tropical trees ranging from all over America to the east west and central Africa. Mahogany varies in colour from nearly golden to deep brown with most varieties having a red tint. Freshly cut mahogany wood may appear yellow or pink, but it ages to deep rich shades of brown and red. Its resistance to termites makes it long-lasting for interior building trim, either structural or ornamental. The hardwood's straight, tight grain makes it durable; Mahogany's dense grain makes it resistant to rot and thus a popular wood for boat construction.
Origin: West Africa, chiefly Gabon and Cameroon Republic.
The heartwood is a light golden-yellow with narrow veining streaks of dark brown to almost black, giving the quartered surfaces a zebra-stripe appearance. The grain is interlocked or wavy and produces alternating hard and soft grained material.
This hard, heavy stable timber is mainly used for decorative purposes due to its nature; the main use for zebrano is a sliced decorative veneer for small cabinet work, flush doors, cross bandings or inlay bandings, fancy goods. Also used by turners and carvers for decorative work.
White oak ranges from a dark gray to a whitish-gray with a glassy surface and is not prone to chipping. White oak has a distinctive perfume-like odour when cut. It is straighter with a tighter grain pattern. Stain will not penetrate the grain easily, making staining of white oak more consistent. White oak ranks with maple and birch on the hardness scale. White oak is used exclusively for fine furniture, handles, church pews, and antique reproductions. ,/p>
White oak's impenetrable tight grain and absence of tannic acid make it acceptable for exterior applications such as furniture and decking in boats.
The English or European Oak is probably the most common tree in the UK. Heartwood is a light to medium brown, commonly with an olive cast, though there can be a fair amount of variation in colour. Nearly white to light brown sapwood is not always sharply demarcated from the heartwood. Quarter sawn sections display prominent ray fleck patterns. Commonly used for Cabinetry, furniture, interior trim, flooring, boatbuilding, barrels, and veneer.
Origin: Dry savannah regions of central and southern Africa.
African Blackwood is often completely black, with little or no discernible grain. Occasionally slightly lighter, with a dark brown or purplish hue. The pale yellow sapwood is usually very thin, and is clearly demarcated from the darker heartwood. African Blackwood has a fine, even texture, with small pores that should not require filling; the grain is typically straight.
Heartwood is rated as very durable in regards to decay resistance, though only moderately resistant to insect attack. The sapwood is commonly attacked by powder-post beetles and other borers.
Origin: North America.
Ash heartwood is a greyish brown, sometimes with a red tinge. It is generally straight grained and coarse, but with a smooth texture. Bending properties vary, but are generally very good. Ash is non-durable and perishable. The sapwood is susceptible to attack by powder post and common furniture beetles. Heartwood is moderately resistant to preservative treatment and sapwood is permeable. White Ash is used extensively in sporting goods, bats, oars, pool cues, tool handles, cabinet work, high-class joinery, plywood and panelling.
Origin: Various eastern states of America.
It has a soft texture and is predominantly pale cream to light green in colour, and often within each board there will be vivid purple and black colouring. A medium density wood with low bending, shock resistance, stiffness and compression values. Used for Light construction, furniture, interior joinery, kitchen cabinets, doors, panelling, mouldings, turning and carving.
Origin: Europe and southwest Asia.
Sapwood is usually a thin band of pale yellow or tan colour, while the heartwood is an orangish brown, sometimes with a darker brown or purplish hue. Colour tends to darken with age. Grain is straight, with a fine uniform texture. Good natural luster. Yew ranges from durable to very durable in regard to decay resistance, and is also resistant to most insect attack. Used to make Bows (archery), veneer, cabinetry, furniture, carvings, musical instruments (lutes), and turned objects.
Red Meranti is a tropical rainforest species found throughout South East Asia and the South West Pacific, where it is used for decorative purposes. The timber's heartwood ranges from pink to pinkish-brown. The sapwood is sometimes lighter than the heartwood. The grain is moderately coarse but even in texture with quarter sawn material sometimes displaying an attractive ribbon figure. Growth rings are absent and rays are medium to fine. Red Meranti is a softwood, it can be dried using conventional methods and bonded using standard procedures.
The timber can be painted, stained, or polished but the open grain means surfaces should be filled before finishing. This species also machines well to a smooth surface and takes standard fittings and fastenings easily. Red meranti is commonly used for decorative applications including panelling, flooring, joinery, mouldings, plywood and turnery. It is regularly sought after for furniture and carving as well.
Origin: Entral and Southern Europe.
Heartwood colour ranges from an orangish brown to a darker violet brown, darkening with age. Clearly demarcated sapwood is a pale yellow. Laburnum’s dark colour makes it suitable for use as an ebony substitute, particularly within its natural range in Europe. Wide rays can exhibit ray fleck on quarter sawn surfaces. End grain slices of Laburnum are sometimes used in making a decorative “oyster veneer” pattern for use in furniture. Used for turned objects, musical instruments (woodwinds), furniture, veneer, fence posts, archery bows, carving, and small specialty wood objects.
Iroko is a large hardwood tree from the west coast of tropical Africa The wood colour is initially yellow but darkens to a richer brown over time it has a medium to course texture with open pores and an interlocked grain. It has similar appearance to Teak for which it is often used as a substitute. The wood is used for a variety of purposes including boat-building, domestic flooring and furniture making
A well known member of the Maple family the wood of Sycamore tree most used is predominantly comprised of the sapwood, with some darker heartwood streaks also found in most boards. The sapwood is white to light tan, while the heartwood is a darker reddish brown. Sycamore also has very distinct ray flecks present on quarter sawn surfaces giving it a freckled appearance and it is sometimes even called “Lacewood". Uses for Sycamore wood are Veneer, plywood, interior trim, pallets/crates, flooring, furniture, particleboard, paper (pulpwood), tool handles, and other turned objects.
Origin: Africa.
Heartwood is a very dark brown with black streaks. Upon application of a wood finish the wood can become nearly black. Has a straight grain and a coarse texture. Panga Panga also has very large pores that can present a challenge to fill if a perfectly smooth/levelled finish is desired. Very durable, and resistant to termite attack. Panga Panga can be dark enough to be used as substitutes for ebony.
The two main types of Walnut are the Persian or English walnut from Persia and the black walnut from north east USA. Heartwood can range from a lighter pale brown to a dark chocolate brown with darker brown streaks. Colour can sometimes have a grey, purple, or reddish cast. Sapwood is pale yellow-gray to nearly white. Figured grain patterns such as curl, crotch, and burl are also seen. Black Walnut is rated as very durable in terms of decay resistance, though it is susceptible to insect attack. Used for Furniture, cabinetry, gunstocks, interior panelling, veneer, turned items, and other small wooden objects and novelties.
Chestnut grows commonly across the northern hemisphere. Heartwood is a light to medium brown, darkening to a reddish brown with age. Narrow sapwood is well-defined and is pale white to light brown. Wormy Chestnut is also seen, which is chestnut that has been damaged by insects, leaving holes and other discoloration in the wood. Used in Flooring, rustic furniture, shingles, and reclaimed lumber.
Origin: Eastern North America.
Heartwood is a light pinkish brown when freshly cut, darkening to a deeper golden brown with time and upon exposure to light. Sapwood is a pale yellowish colour. Has a fine texture with close grain. The grain is usually straight and easy to work—with the exception of figured pieces with curly grain patterns. Heartwood is rated as being very durable and resistant to decay. Uses include Cabinetry, fine furniture, flooring, interior millwork, veneer, turned objects, and small specialty wood items.
Origin: North-Eastern to North America.
Unlike most other hardwoods, the sapwood of Hard Maple lumber is most commonly used rather than its heartwood. Sapwood colour ranges from nearly white, to an off-white cream colour, sometimes with reddish or golden hue. The heartwood tends to be a darker reddish brown. Birdseye Maple is a figure found most commonly in Hard Maple, though it’s also found less frequently in other species. Hard Maple can also be seen with curly or quilted grain patterns. Rated as non-durable to perishable, and susceptible to insect attack. Common uses are Flooring (from basketball courts and dance-floors to bowling alleys and residential), veneer, paper (pulpwood), musical instruments, cutting boards, butcher blocks, workbenches, baseball bats, and other turned objects and specialty wood items.
Origin: Eastern to Midwest United States.
Heartwood is light to medium reddish brown. Paler sapwood is usually well defined. Grain is interlocked (making it very resistant to splitting). With a somewhat coarse, uneven texture. Rated as non-durable; susceptible to insect attack. Living trees are susceptible to Dutch elm disease. Common uses are Boxes, baskets, furniture, hockey sticks, veneer, wood pulp, and papermaking.
Origin: Central and South America.
When freshly cut the heartwood of Purpleheart is a dull greyish/purplish brown. Upon exposure the wood becomes a deeper eggplant purple. With further age and exposure to UV light, the wood becomes a dark brown with a hint of purple. This colour-shift can be slowed and minimized by using a UV inhibiting finish on the wood.
Purpleheart is rated as being very durable, and resists both decay and most insect attacks, though it has been reported to be susceptible to attack from marine borers. Common uses are Inlays/accent pieces, flooring, furniture, boatbuilding, heavy construction, and a variety of specialty wood items.
Origin: Eastern United States.
Heartwood is light cream to yellowish brown, with occasional streaks of gray or green. Sapwood is pale yellow to white, not always clearly demarcated from the heartwood. Can also be seen in mineral stained colours ranging from dark purple to red, green, or yellow, sometimes referred to as Rainbow Poplar. Colours tend to darken upon exposure to light. Poplar typically has a straight, uniform grain, with a medium texture. Low natural luster. Heartwood is rated as being moderately durable to non-durable; susceptible to insect attack. Seldom is used for its appearance,
Poplar is a utility wood in nearly every sense. It’s used for pallets, crates, upholstered furniture frames, paper (pulpwood), and plywood. Poplar veneer is also used for a variety of applications: either dyed in various colours, or on hidden undersides of veneered panels to counteract the pull of the glue on an exposed side that has been veneered with another, more decorative wood species
Origin: Europe
.Beech is typically a pale cream colour, sometimes with a pink or brown hue. Veneer tends to be slightly darker coloured, as slicing the veneer usually requires the wood to be prepared with steam, which gives the wood a more golden tone. Flat sawn surfaces tend to be very plain, while quarter sawn surfaces exhibit a silvery fleck pattern. Grain is straight, with a fine to medium uniform texture. Moderate natural luster.
Beech is considered non-durable or perishable; it is also susceptible to insect attack. Common uses are; Lumber, veneer, flooring, boatbuilding, furniture, cabinetry, musical instruments (piano pin blocks), plywood, and turned objects
Origin: Africa
Ranging from the Ivory Coast to the Cameroons and eastward through Zaire to Uganda. Heartwood is a golden to dark reddish brown although the colour tends to darken with age, besides the common ribbon pattern seen on quarter sawn boards.
Sapele is also known for a wide variety of other figured grain patterns, such as: Pommele, quilted, mottled, wavy, beeswing, and fiddle back. Grain is interlocked, and sometimes wavy. Fine uniform texture and good natural lustre. Heartwood ranges from moderately durable to very durable in regard to decay resistance.
Commonly used for; Veneer, plywood, furniture, cabinetry, flooring, boatbuilding, musical instruments, turned objects, and other small wooden specialty items.
Candle Stick 140mm
£10.00
fancy Slimline Walnut
£10.00
European Filigree Chrome
£20.00
Oak Nutcracker
£12.50
Slimline Pen Yellow
£10.00