Timber Information
Walnut
Very popular wood over the last decade and used extensively in furniture making due to its’ rich dark brown to purplish-black heartwood. Walnut is worked well with hand or machine tools. It also contrasts well with all the other woods we supply. This is a tough, hard timber of medium density. Walnut has also good steam bending properties. Walnut has very good finishing properties an polishes up to a very high standard. This timber is sourced mainly in the eastern USA and Canada.
White Oak
King of woods when it comes to cabinetmaking, while other woods may come and go in popularity, White Oak remains consistently in demand. Varies in colour from pale yellow-brown to biscuit. Traditionally used for interior applications but with the demand for non tropical hardwoods for exterior use, American White Oak is becoming increasingly popular for shop fronts, window frames and other exterior applications. It is not the most ideal timber for this application and should be prepared and treated with care. It is a very dense and hard wood so all tools will have to be sharp to get the most out of White Oak.
Ash
Ash is most commonly used in this country for making hurleys but is a beautiful wood in its own right. It is very reasonably priced and can be machined easily. The Colour is Creamy white to light brown heartwood with wide white sapwood. Generally straight grained with a pronounced grain this adds to the character of the wood. Stains and finishes well.
Maple
Maple is a very dense material but with good sharp tools finishes beautifully. It is the palest of the woods we supply and the grain is not as pronounced as Ash. Used mainly in flooring throughout the country and was very popular in kitchens in the late 90’s. Speaking from experience, it is a really nice timber to work with and excellent to turn on a lathe.