African Mahagony – African Mahogany (Khaya senegalensis) is a reddish brown wood with dark russet polarized granules. It has lightly concentrated, semi-large pores making it unable to be painted. With a Janka hardness of 1070 lbf (pounds force), African Mahagony is a medium hardwood. African Mahogany originates from Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Benin, and other tropical countries of Western Africa. Despite being an exotic imported lumber, LAJ Wood Products can supply African Mahogany at excellent prices. African Mahogany can also be called Benin Mahogany, Dry Zone Mahogany, and Senegal Mahogany.
Alder – Alder (Alnus rubra) is a light tan, reddish amber wood that holds light brown strides from the tree’s growth rings. When initially harvested, Alder has a white almond flesh and then gradually turns into a honey color over prolonged exposure to sun’s light and warmth. Alder’s fine, straight grain tends to be somewhat openly spaced out. Unlike most other wood species where heartwood is stronger, denser, and darker than sapwood, Alder’s heartwood and sapwood are almost identical. Almost no wood is wasted from one tree, making Alder an increasingly popular wood among lumber mills and woodworking shops. Alder and Maple are ideal for goods and products whose purpose is to have a homogeneous color consistency. With a Janka hardness of 590 lbf (pounds force), Alder may not be as hard as many other kinds of wood but is still hard enough to be safely used for a large array of products.
American Cherry – American Cherry (Prunus serotina) is a light-red wood with a tinge of orange and brown. Whole heartwood cuts of American Cherry exhibit a medium sienna color, while outer sapwood is peachy yellow. Engineered or adjoined pieces of American Cherry can portray contrasting shades of colors ranging from creamy bisque to dark red. Its wavy grain has a smooth texture and holds a reddish-auburn mix. American Cherry has an undulating grain pattern and can contain sporadic dark spots from gum pockets and knots.
Brazilian Cherry – Brazilian Cherry (Hymenaea courbaril) is a dark magenta/burgundy hardwood with hues of red and orange along its light almond grain. Its jagged grain contains a surplus of polarized white stripes which contrast the existing dark burgundy colors. Brazilian Cherry is mostly harvested from Central America and South America. With a Janka hardness of 2690 lbf (pounds force), Brazilian Cherry is one of the strongest woods on Earth. Wood products manufactured using Brazilian Cherry will turn darker if exposed to sunlight for prolonged periods of time. Brazilian Cherry is one of the most popular dark hardwoods offered by Stair Parts Depot. Be careful when handling Brazilian Cherry – its sawdust can cause irritation to the eyes and skin. Depending on where it is being sold, Brazilian Cherry can also be called “Jatoba”.
European Beech – European Beech (Fagus sylvatica) is a salmon-colored wood with light tones of pink and red. Its grain is dark brown and is polarized (straight in one direction). Its texture is medium to moderately rough before finish. European Beech has a Janka hardness of 1450 lbf (pounds force), making it very sturdy and shock resistant. Despite its toughness, Beech can still be bent using steam bending. The majority of European Beech lumber originates from forests in Germany and Ukraine. Despite being an imported lumber, LAJ Wood Products offers European Beech at a very reasonable price.
Hickory – Hickory (Carya tomentosa) is a light tan, beige wood with yellow-white wavy streaks. It carries a very distinctive look because of its unique grain variation. Its heartwood tends to be a medium to dark ocher brown, while its sapwood ranges from creamy white to light beige. When pieces of heartwood and sapwood are adjoined together, it creates a rustic look to the wood. Hickory is mostly harvested and manufactured in Southern and Eastern United States. Hickory has a Janka hardness of 1880 lbf (pounds force), making it one of the hardest, toughest, and most shock-resistant wood harvested in the United States. The combination of density, rigidity, and stiffness is unmatched by any other North American commercial lumber. Despite being an incredibly tough wood, Hickory still performs well under steam-bending, a woodworking technique used to bend the shape of a slice of wood. Hickory Smoked food refers to meats that are cooked in an enclosed chamber of a barbeque filled with Hickory logs. The burning wood gives the food a distinct Hickory flavor. Depending on regional jargon, Hickory can also be called Mockernut Hickory, Whiteheart Hickory, Hognut, and Bullnut.
Maple – Maple (Acer saccharum) is a mix of creamy white, yellow, and beige overtones decorated by patterns of light brown strides from the tree’s annual growth rings. Unlike most other woods, Maple is utilized for its sapwood rather than its heartwood. If you’re looking for something that is very color constant, Maple is a terrific choice. Maple can be used for both staining and painting – just like Poplar, Alder, Cherry, and Hickory. Maple is sold in two different forms: Soft Maple and Hard Maple. Soft Maple refers to a collection of different species (Acer macrophyllum, Acer negundo, Acer rubrum, Acer saccharinum, Acer pensylvanicum). Soft Maple can be anywhere from 700 lbf to 900 lbf on the Janka Hardness scale, which is strong enough for a variety of indoor applications. Hard Maple has a Janka hardness of 1450 lbf (pounds force). Baseball bats in the Major Leagues can be made out of a mix of Hard Maple, Hickory, White Ash, and Bamboo. Depending on where it’s sold, Soft Maple can be called Bigleaf Maple, Red Maple, Box Elder, Swamp Maple, Silver Maple, Striped Maple, or Water Maple. Hard Maple can be called Sugar Maple, Black Maple, or Rock Maple. Maple and Alder are the most consistent woods in terms of color and grain variation.
Poplar – Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) is composed of white, yellow, and tan overtones, with a minuscule hint of olive green. The hints of green transform to a light brown with prolonged exposure to sunlight. Some people like to showcase the unique color of Poplar wood products by using stain and clear-coat, but most utilize Poplar for its anti-absorption properties (paint-grade wood allows water-based paints to dry and bond on its surface). Poplar is great for anything that requires painting, such as stair balusters, posts, handrails, veneer, panels, pulpwood, pallets, crates, furniture frames, plywood, home construction timber, etc. Poplar can also be called Yellow Poplar or Tulip Wood.
Red Oak – Red Oak (Quercus rubra) is the most widely used wood species for interior applications in North America. It is composed of red and light brown overtones with a slight hint of pink. Red Oak products can be stained and clear-coated to achieve a golden bronze finish. It is a particularly grainy type of wood with moderately coarse texture. Grain variation is moderately tight and has dark brown strides that are enclosed by small, jagged ridges. Red Oak is not meant to be painted; its pores will absorb water-based paints like a sponge. Whether it’s a small house or large commercial building, chances are that there are some Red Oak building blocks in the structure’s make. Red Oak is primarily harvested from eastern and central United States and southeast Canada.
White Oak – White Oak (Quercus alba) is a light to medium olive-brown colored wood. White Oak’s grain is ivory-colored and generally points in one direction, and has a moderately coarse texture. White Oak is mostly manufactured and harvested from eastern and southern United States. White Oak has tyloses – giving the wood a closed cellular structure, and making it water and rot-resistant. With the proper stain and clear-coat, White Oak can be used in exterior applications such as barrel & cask manufacturing and boat building. White Oak is a very popular type of lumber, used in high-end products such as furniture, staircases, cabinets, floors, ladders, dowels, sporting goods, etc.
Walnut – Walnut (Juglans nigra) is a chocolate-colored wood ranging from light brown to dark burgundy. It is primarily harvested from eastern United States. Its grain is straight and tightly spaced together and its texture is moderately coarse. Walnut that’s flat-sawn cut showcases a pattern of wavy streaks originating from the tree’s growth rings. If it is quarter-sawn cut, the streaks are straight and uniformed, portraying alternating stripes of light and dark brown. Walnut’s Janka hardness is 1010 lbf (pounds force), making it a very sturdy wood.
