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Aromatic and rich, the wood of Cedrela Odorata is a joy to work with and is a staple in Central American logging operations. Scientific Name: Cedrela Odorata Growing regions: Central and South [...]

This laminated material comes from Germany, and is made of hundreds of layers of European beech. As woodworkers, we have an affinity for hardwood. Cherry, walnut, maple, poplar and oak. Those [...]

Scientific Name: foundus paletus Other Common Names: Sloof lirpa, common crate. Growing Regions: Worldwide, particularly industrial areas. Characteristics of Tree: A barkless, leafless, short [...]

Scientific Name: Juniperus virginiana Other Common Names: Juniper, aromatic cedar, pencil cedar, Tennessee red cedar Growing Regions: Maine and southern Ontario to South Dakota, south to eastern [...]

Scientific Name: Quercus rubra Other Common Names: Northern Red Oak Growing Regions: Canada and the United States. Size Characteristics: Grows to 70 feet tall, with a trunk up to 39 inches in [...]

Scientific Name: Acer rubrum Other Common Names: Carolina red maple, Drummond red maple, Red maple, Scarlet maple, Swamp maple, Water maple. This wood is often found in the same bin as Silver [...]

Normally we cover solid wood in the Wood Encylopedia, but we thought it might be useful to discuss a versatile material for everything from jigs to drawer parts and scroll saw projects. What is [...]

Scientific Name: Juglans nigra Other Common Names: Black walnut, American walnut, American black walnut. Growing Regions: Throughout the eastern United States and Canada. Characteristics of Tree: [...]

Scientific Name: Quercus macrocarpa Other Common Names: Blue oak, Cucharillo, Encino, Mamecillo, Mossy overcup oak, Roble, Scrub oak Growing Regions: Throughout North America. According to Woods [...]

Scientific Name: Peltogyne venosa Other Common Names: Amaranth, Guarabu, Nazareno, Palo morado, Pau roxo, Purperhart, Saka, Tananeo, Violetwood Growing Regions: Purpleheart grows in Central and [...]

Tree Anatomy In woodworking, we’re generally concerned about the sapwood, heartwood, and annular rings (which is what we see as “grain pattern”). The slower a tree grew, the tighter the annular [...]

Improve your results by understanding wood characteristics. Each species of wood has unique finishing characteristics, both positive and negative. To help you determine how to choose the right [...]