Characteristics of Wood Species

There is nothing more beautiful than solid wood. No two trees are exactly alike, allowing each piece of furniture to have its own individual appearance and beauty. The process of staining and finishing helps to enhance, blend, or minimize its grain and bring out the true beauty in each piece of wood.
 
Oak is a strong, heavy wood with pronounced grain patterns. The grain will vary from a closely knit grain to a sweeping arch pattern or flame. Occasional dark streaks known as mineral streaks are common in furniture quality Oak. Knotty Oak exhibits the same characteristics as Oak, with much more prominent and larger knots and mineral streaks.
 
Alder is a strong hardwood, with typically straight and fine textured grain details. Its appearance is often similar to that of Maple, Birch and Cherry. It is very uniform in texture, with occasional mineral streaks and small knots, adding to the unique character of this wood. Knotty Alder is similar to Alder, with the exception of more and typically larger knots in the wood.

Maple is a hard wood, typically straight-grained, with a fine, even texture. Variations in the wood will also appear, producing a birdseye, curly grain or fiddleback pattern. Mineral streaks or sugar streaks are common, and will vary in size and quantity from piece to piece. They are a natural characteristic of maple and will appear darker when stained.

Cherry is a strong and moderately hard wood. The markings and luster of Cherry have long been desirable to woodworkers. These markings can be seen as occasional clusters of tiny pin knots or bird pecks, mineral streaks, and small darker streaks of gum. Cherry darkens and gains more red or copper hue when exposed to light, but does reach a point when the color stabilizes.

Hickory is a heavy, hard, and strong wood. Color and shade variations of this wood are dramatic, ranging from off-white to charcoal. Its grain pattern is strong, with a bird"s eye pattern and a medium coarse texture. Mineral streaks, knots and pinholes or bird pecks are common. Typical degrees of variation are often not present in a single sample.

Beech is whitish to reddish brown, straight-grained wood with small grey flecks and light mineral coloring and streaking. Beech is a strong wood with a density that is similar to maple. Rustic Beech has most of the same features as Beech, plus Rustic will include repaired knots of various sizes and heavy mineral coloring and streaking.