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Information found in :  A Guide To Useful Woods Of The World Second Edition.   Edited by James H. Flynn, Jr. and Charles D. Holder.  International Wood Collectors Society

 

 

 

A-E

   
     

  • Apple

(Malus sylvestris)

    

Also Known As::

   Many names and thousands of varieties.

From:

   Found world wide in temperate zones and at higher elevations in tropical areas. 

Uses:

   Mostly used for small objects such as tool handles, woodenware and individual pieces of furniture.
     
  • Black Walnut

(Juglans nigra)

  

Also Known As::

   American Walnut, Eastern Black Walnut, American Black Walnut, Gunwood

From:

   From Massachusetts to southern Ontario and Nebraska, southward throughout the eastern half of the united states, except the Atlantic coastal plain south of Virginia, the Gulf coast and the lower Missippi valley.

Uses:

   Black walnut is the foremost American wood for cabinetwork.  Also used for gunstocks because it keeps its shape.
     
  • Bubinga

(Guibourtia tessmannii)

  

Also Known As::

   African Rosewood, Eban, Kevazingo, Kssingang, Amazakone, Akume

From:

   Cameroon, Gabon, Ivory Coast

Uses:

   Mostly used in veneer form for decorative paneling and inlay work.
     
  • Caragana

(Caragana arborescens)

  

Also Known As::

   Common Caragana, Pea-Shrub, Pea-Tree, Siberian Pea-Shrub, Siberian Pea-Tree

From:

   Widely distributed in its native range in northeast Asia.  It was brought to Western Canada in the 1880's for use as a field shelter-belt and garden ornamental.  It is extremely hardy and now common on the Canadian Prairies and some adjacent tier states.

Uses:

   Due to its small size, it is limited to small craft items such as turnings, and jewelry boxes.
     
  • Cocobolo

(Dalbergia retusa)

  

Also Known As::

   Nicaragua Rosewood, Granadillo, Nambar, Palisandro

From:

   Western Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Mexico, Columbia, Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala

Uses:

   Used extensively used for knife handles because of its color, texture, grain and waterproof properties.
     
  • Eastern Cottonwood

(Populus deltoides)

  

Also Known As::

   Carolina Poplar, Southern Cottonwood

From:

   From Quebec to southern Manitoba and North Dakota, south to Florida and Texas.

Uses:

   Principal uses are for boxes and crates, packing cases and paper pulp.  It is also used for inexpensive parts of furniture, kitchen cabinets, food pails and butter tubs.  In its growth region it is used for posts, poles and fuel.  The tree is frequently planted on the Great Plains for shelter and ornamental purposes as it is remarkable for rapid growth in its first 40 years.
     
  • Macassar Ebony

(Diospyros celebica)

  

Also Known As::

   Indian Ebony, Camagon, Golden Ebony

From:

   Southeast Asia and the Phillipeans.

Uses:

   Uses include musical instrument parts, special fittings on furniture such as knobs and decorative items.

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G-M    
     
  • Goncala Alves

(Astronium fraxinifolium)

  

Also Known As::

   Gateado, Kingwood,Mura, Tigerwood, Zorrowood.

From:

   Guyana, Columbia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Trinidad, Brazil

Uses:

   Used for boat building, general construction, furniture, cabinetry, flooring and shutters.
     

  • Koa

( Acacia koa)

 

Also known As:

  

Koa-ka, Hawaiian Mahogany

Found In:

 

Hawaiian Islands

Uses:

  

In the past Hawaiian natives used it for dugout canoes.  Now it is used in Ukuleles because of its appearance and its fine resonant qualities.
     
  • Lacewood

(Cardwellia sublimis)

  

Also Known As::

   Silky Oak, Selano, Austrailian Silky Oak, Northern Silky

From:

   Queensland, Australia

Uses:

   Used for cabinetry, furniture and for paneling and trim in fine residences and banks.
     
  • Lilac

(Syringa vulgaris)

    

Also Known As::

   Hundreds of varieties of this wood so it is impossible to name them.

From:

   Lilac is cultivated in practically every state in the northern half of the United States.

Uses:

   It has no commercial use but is used by wood crafters for jewelry and candle holders.
     
  • Monkey Pod

(Samanea saman)

  

Also Known As::

   Raintree

From:

   Native to Mexico and Guatemala, Bolivia and Brazil.  It was introduced in Hawaii in 1847.

Uses:

   Widely used for turned bowls for the Hawaiian tourist trade.
     
  • Mopane

(Hardwickia mopane or Colophospermum mopane)

  

Also Known As::

   Iphane, Musaru, Mwani, Shantsi, Mopanie

From:

   Tropical Africa in Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Angola.

Uses:

   It is used in furniture, mine props, railway sleepers and poles.  African natives often cook raw meat on the live coals and consumer the feast with the ash coverings.

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N-Q    
     
  • Northern Red Oak

(Quercus rubra)

    

Also Known As::

   Eastern Red Oak, Gray Oak, Mountain Red Oak, Chene

From:

   Expansive range extending from southern Quebec to central Alabama and from eastern Nebraska to the Atlantic Ocean.

Uses:

   Used for mine timbers, cabinetry, flooring, millwork, plywood, railroad ties and many other purposes.
     
  • Osage-Orange

(Maclura pomifera)

  

Also Known As::

   Bowwood, bois-d'arc, Bodark, Hedge Apple, Bodock, Mockorange, Naranjo Chino

From:

   Found in southwestern half of Arkansas, southeastern Oklahoma and the eastern half of Texas.

Uses:

   In the past, Osage-orange was used for wheel rims and hubs of farm wagons.  Native Americans used it for bows due to its great strength.  It makes superior fence posts and railroad ties.  It is also used in musical instruments, especially fretboards, as a substitute for ebony.
     
  • African Padauk

(Pterocarpus soyauxii)

  

Also Known As::

   Comwood, Barwood, Corail, Yomo, Vermillion, Bois Rouge, African Coralwood, Muenge

From:

   African Paduak is found in Gabon, Congo (formerly Zaire), Cameroon, Nigeria, and the Ivory Coast.

Uses:

   Before the use of aniline dyes, the dye from African Padauk was in demand by dying industry.  Currently it is used by the veneer and lumber trades.  Padauk makes as excellent flooring timber, suitable for heavy traffic areas.
     
  • Pernambuco

(Caesalpinia echinata)

  

Also Known As::

   Bahia Wood, Braziletto, Brazilwood, Pau Brasil

From:

   Costal forests of eastern Brazil.

Uses:

   Carefully selected pieces are used exclusively for violin bows.
     
  • Purpleheart

(Peltogyne paniculata)

  

Also Known As::

   Violetwood, Pau Roxo, Pau Ferro, Corracy, Amaranth

From:

   Ranges from Sao Paulo in Brazil to Trinidad and Panama.

Uses:

   Because of its good mechanical properties and durability purpleheart is used for heavy outdoor construction such as bridges and dock work.  It is reported to have good resistance and can be used in chemical plants for vats and filter press plates.  When exported, its biggest use is for billiard cue butts.  A dye produced from the wood is used for textile fabrics.

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R-Z    
     
  • Brazilian Rosewood

(Dalbergia nigra)

    

Also Known As::

   Jacaranda, Pianowood, Caviuna, Pau Preto, Obuinia

From:

   In northern Espirito Santa, Bahia and eastern Minas sections of Brazil.

Uses:

   Rosewood has been used for 300 years in making furniture and cabinets.  It is also commonly used for levels, knife handles, billiard tables, piano cases, brush backs, turned articles and marquetry.  This wood has been the first choice as tonewood for the finest of stringed musical instruments.
     
  • Honduras Rosewood

(Dalbergia stevensonii)

  

 

Also Known As::

   Palisandro de Honduras

From:

   Restricted to southern part of Belize in the damp forests and along rivers.

Uses:

   Chief use is for the manufacture of bars for marimbas and xylophones in the United States.  It is superior for this purpose over Brazilian Rosewood due to its greater density, toughness, and more highly resonant qualities. 
     
  • Russian Olive

(Elaeagnus angustifolia)

    

Also Known As::

   Oleaster

From:

   Native to Europe and central Asia and was brought to America during colonial times.  Because of its ability to resist drought and its extreme tolerance to cold it has been widely used as a windbreak species through out the plains states and central Canada.

Uses:

   Russian- Olive is not a commercial timber species.
     
  • Ceylon Satinwood

(Chloroxylon swietenia)

    

Also Known As::

   East Indian Satinwood, Buruta, Flowered Satinwood

From:

   Sri Lanka, southern India

Uses:

   Primarily used for cabinetry.  Also used for tool handles, brush backs, flooring, veneer, and plywood.  In veneer form, it is used for inlays and decorative purposes.
     
  • Wenge

(Millettia laurentii)

  

Also Known As::

   Pallissandre, Dikela Kiboto

From:

   Wenge is found in open forests in the southern regions of Tanzania and Mozambique.  This species also appears in the Congo region in periodically inundated swampy forests.

Uses:

   Used for heavy construction, crossties, tool handles, furniture and cabinets.  Also used for flooring when looking for a handsome and dark appearance. 
     
  • Zebrawood

(Microberlinia brazzavillensis)

  

Also Known As::

   Zebrana, Okwen, Zingana

From:

   West Africa, mainly in Gabon and Cameroon, sometimes in pure stands along riverbanks. 

Uses:

   Zebrawood is used extensively in veneer form for cross-banding and inlays and borders on furniture.

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