You will never see long, wide boards of this species, and it is considered the most expensive exotic wood in the world when you calculate cost per board-foot vs. the actual usable portions which are produced from log / half-log resaws. That’s because it mostly grows in India and it’s extremely hard to get ... 2. Although it can have varying grains, straight-grained pieces are generally very easy to work, and the wood turns smoothly and finishes well. Height: 45 mm / 1.77 inch. Canarywood comes from all over South America. Massive stockholding of over 500,000 board feet. It is so dark and dense, it’s almost inconceivable that it is a true Dalbergia-genus rosewood. Despite successfully enduring, the average life span of an Elm tree has been greatly foreshortened; very few trees survive long enough to reach full maturity. Due to past exportation restrictions being placed on it, Indian Ebony has come into even more limited supply, here in the US. This process can be slowed and minimized by using a finishing product with UV-inhibitor additives. The most desired examples are of the curly-figured variety, which can be bold and quite dramatic. *Due to cites restrictions, we are unable to ship Bubinga internationally. The wood has a truly beautiful hue to it, making it widely sought after. Sharing these same characteristics and propensities as its notorious cousin, carefully attention and proper precautions should be taken when working and handling it. Sustainability: This species is not listed in the CITES Appendices, but is reported by the IUCN as being “data deficient.” Due to a recent history of exploitation, exporting has been restricted and is closely monitored in India and Sri Lanka. Comments: Yellowheart is an important commercial lumber in Brazil. Like true ebonies though, Brown Ebony is very dense and hard to work. Pau Marfim is a dense, fine textured, mostly straight grained hardwood which is generally a creamy white colorm but it can vary from a lemon color to a pale yellowish-brown, also. It is typically straight-grained and easy to work, although grain patterns can occasionally be wavy or interlocked. Name Money/unit log Money/unit plank Plank Color / … Image not available. Sapwood colors are a pale white, off-white or a pale yellowish brown. Color tends to a darker reddish brown than its counterpart. American Beech is a common, plentiful wood and, thus, priced rather modestly. Common Uses: Veneer, inlay work, marquetry, turnery, bandings, jewelry boxes, archery bows, pool cues, various musical instrument applications and small specialty items. It has a distinct odor similar to that of Western Red Cedar. The wood earned its “… Rosewood” nicknames (by which it is commonly known) because its colors and density are similar, which its medium brown base typically augmented by black streaks or grain lines, and sometimes even purple, tan and golden secondary hues, and sometimes a purplish tint, overall. Although not a true Diospyros ebony species, Katalox earned its “Royal Mexican Ebony” nickname due to its great density (which actually supercedes all true ebonies, in that regard) and the fact that, as it ages, it turns considerably darker than when its initially cut and dried. Long boards are always in short supply and sell at a premium, when found. Common Uses: Veneer, musical instruments, furniture, cabinetry, flooring, interior trim, turnings, and other small specialty wood objects. Due to the lack of a categorized source of different types of colored wood, we decided to take a look at the natural colored wood and introduce the wood species for each color. But, Pernambuco — or “Brazilwood,” as it is just as commonly known — is responsible for the naming of the country, itself! Renown for its “landscape” or “spiderweb” grain patterns, its colors range from medium to dark shades of brown (occasionally with either a green or purplish tint), and are accentuated by intermingled bands of unpredictable, irregular black growth rings. Ash Wood: Black, White, and Everything in Between; Brazilian Rosewood, East Indian, and Other Rosewoods; Elm Wood: Hard and Soft; Genuine Lignum Vitae and Argentine Lignum Vitae; Hard Maple and Soft Maple; Mahogany Mixups: the Lowdown; Pine Wood: An Overall Guide; Poplar, Cottonwood, and Aspen: What's What? Common Uses: Veneer, inlay work, marquetry, turnery, bandings, jewelry boxes, small specialty items. Comments: The aesthetically desirable of Yellow Poplar boards is often referred to as “Rainbow Poplar;” so named for its muted mineral-stained color streaks, which truly span the rainbow. The wood can have a similar appearance to that of Zebrawood, although Marblewood is a more coarse wood and the two species are unrelated. Left undisturbed, trees can grow to towering dimensions — producing valuable, coveted slabs which are renowned for their incredibly detailed, 3D-like crotch sections. For more information about a type of wood, go to its respective page. Its texture can range from fine to medium, and it generally has a good natural luster. Sustainability: Not listed in the CITES Appendices or on the IUCN Red List. This wood comes from a unique, beautiful looking tree that grows mostly in … It is considered neither a tough nor durable wood, so such finishing is recommended. While it has never been an inexpensive wood, recent revelations of epidemic poaching across Mexico has resulted in a greatly reduced supply and sharp price increases on wholesale and retails levels. It glues and finishes well, also. Thus, Padauk remains a reasonably priced exotic import with aesthetics that can be, at times, quite stunning and vibrant. . Also worth mentioning is Sonokeling: a true Dalbergia indigenous to Indonesia — where it is also known as “Jacaranda.” Many sources consider this wood and East Indian Rosewood to be of the same species (Dalbergia Latifolia), however tree farmers in Indonesia are not in agreement with this assessment. Sustainability: This species is not listed in the CITES Appendices, and is reported by the IUCN as being a species of least concern. Common Uses: Baseball bats, handles, ladders, flooring, utility wood. While this is a pricey true (Diospyros) ebony, its price is generally about half of what you’d spend on the aesthetically similar Gabon Ebony. Its color can range from a light golden brown to a darker reddish- or pinkish-brown. After the tree buds, its flowers have a simlar hourglass shape to that of tulips — earning it the other common name by which its known of “Tulip Poplar.”. While its grain patterns can be straight, wavy, irregular or interlocked, its texture is fine and it has an impressive natural luster. Sustainability: This species is not currently listed in the CITES Appendices but is listed on the IUCN Red List as being a species of least concern. The wood has also become a popular choice with luthiers, for acoustic guitar soundboards. Its dark neutral color and ability to hold detail makes it very popular with wood turners and carvers, also. To its credit, the species has managed to not only survive, but maintain some longevity — due to its early seed-bearing tendencies, and quick rate of growth. Comments: The tree is known for its toxic milky latex, that exudes from all parts of it. Its great density and hardness makes it essentially impenetrable to insect attacks, also. It’s surface is typically darker than most sap maple (often featuring secondary / additional discolorations and other long streaks), although it retains the same high degree of natural luster. Heartwood ranges from a light tan to light brown with a reddish tint. It is considered quite durable, although it can be subject to insect attack. This is a rare kind of wood used for many musical instruments. It has been used for centuries there for carved woodwind instruments, and is considered to have excellent tonal properties, similar to African Blackwood. Surfboards are a great example of beautifully crafted projects that can be made of Balsa wood. Despite its great popularity throughout southern Africa, its sawdust can be quite harmful to the eyes (even being reputed to cause blindness, in extreme cases of repeated exposure). It’s relatively rare and it’s not the easiest type of wood to work with in the world, to say the least. Iroko is a very tough, durable wood that has been traditionally used in a multitude of applications in its native Africa. It is generally a bit lighter colored, with heartwood ranging from the lighter to darkers sides of medium brown, with dark brown to black streaks and/or highlighted grain lines. Comments: Morado is a popular Brazilian Rosewood substitute and is thought to be about as similar in properties to rosewood as any non-Dalbergia-genus species possibly could be. Common Uses: Shipbuilding, commercial & residential construction, furniture, woodturning and carving. Honorable mentions: Muninga (Padauk-relative with rock-solid stability) Boxwood (legendary for turning and carving) Laburnum (think of it as European Rosewood) Wamara (close relative to #2 ranked Katalox) Sycamore (break out of bland with some quartersawn stock) Texas Ebony (Ebony!? Although opinions differ, Olivewood is thought by many to be a very durable wood, although it can be suspect to insect / bug infestation. Within minutes, these colors quickly change into a variety of different purple hues (depending upon species, growth environment, etc. The average price is $10 thousand per kilogram. The wood is significantly more dense than most mahoganies. Despite its light weight and lack of density, it is a fairly durable wood. Its recent sharp decline in population could lead to this tree getting federal protection, as it already is receiving this attention from Canada. Common Uses: Veneer, furniture, cabinetry, musical instruments, boat building, gunstocks, turned objects, and other specialty wood objects. It turns, glues, and finishes well. Common Uses: Veneer, cabinetry, fine furniture, musical instruments, turned objects, and other small specialty items. Despite not being as oily as Gabon, Indian Ebony still produces a wonderful natural luster and sheen when finished. Sustainability: Not listed in CITES Appendix or the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Himalayan Cedar is an important timber tree in Pakistan, Kashmir and NW India. Birdseye Maple is another title which does not, necessarily, denote a specific Acer species — although the bulk of what is sold is Sugar Maple (Acer Saccharum) — but, rather, a unique figuring that occurs in maple as a result of numerous small- to medium-sized knots accumulating in the wood. Like all other Ash species, the higher up the tree you go, the denser the wood gets. It is thus very expensive and valuable and its fine grains help it to retain its perfume for long. Find out if it's from endangered trees, or from a sustainable source. The heartwood is brown to dark brown, with darker markings and streaks, clearly demarcated from the whitish to pale yellow sapwood. Moisture can't wick up its end grain. Other than the supply issue, a root cause for this is the fact that trees reach full maturity at a height of only 40 to 50 feet, with miniscule trunk diameters of just 1 to 1-1/2 feet. East Indian Rosewood can vary greatly in color, although its base color is most always brown; the shades can range from golden brown, to purplish or dark reddish brown. It comes in a variety of figures — including Birdseye and Tiger Maple figurings — and its soft pale white to pale yellow complexion is sometimes augmented by light blue, red or pinkish tints and highlights, with a marvelous luster and often a luxurious sheen. Its color ranges from a light beige to light brown, with medium to dark brown grain stripes. Despite its large natural range and 23 different species, recent surges in popularity in this new millennium have led to some isolated cases of “near extinction” levels of tree population reduction in several Central American regions where it grows. The color of the heartwood can vary from a light golden tan to a light to medium brown. While possessing a moderate hardness and density, it has generally cooperative working properties, but can gum up cutters and blades. It is a very dense wood, with grains which are typically wavy or interlocked, and moderately course. The wood has become quite popular as a body wood with many electric guitar luthiers who are familiar with it. Red Oak has a light brown heartwood color, with a reddish tint. Its golden to medium brown color, course texture and interlocked grains give it an appearance very similar to that of Teak; although it is significantly less dense, it has been utilized in Africa in many of the same functions / duties that Teak has in other parts of the world. Common Uses: Wine barrels, cabinetry, furniture, interior trim, flooring, boatbuilding, and veneer. Common Uses: Flooring, veneer, cabinetry, furniture, turned objects, carvings and utility applications. Another aesthetic trademark is the typical scores of knots which decorate its two-toned surface. The wood is fine grained, although knots and silica content can complicate what is otherwise a fairly cooperative set of working properties. The trees commonly live for hundreds of years, if left undisturbed. Due to the combination of its cracking tendencies (when drying) and the relative short, squatty profile of most trees, long boards are even more uncommon. (It was Gibson who actually coined the name “Korina” for the wood — a name by which it is now commonly known within the US guitar luthier community.) Sustainability: This wood species is in CITES Appendix II, and is on the IUCN Red List as “Conservation Dependent.”. Drying the wood is a slow, burdenous process. Here is a table of all of the wood's characteristics. Grains can be straight, wavy or interlocked; its texture ranges from fine to medium, with a nice natural luster. Trees can grow to towering heights, so boards of considerably length, width and thickness can be found. Wood Types. We do carry other thicknesses and turning squares in certain species. It has beautiful finishing characteristics and a rich natural luster. EXOTIC WOOD BLANKS; EXOTIC LUMBER; EXOTIC LUMBER PROJECTS; CLOSEOUTS & SPECIALS; HAND-PICK YOUR BOARD ; African Blackwood; African Mahogany; Afrormosia; Afzelia Burl; Amazon Rosewood; Amboyna Burl; American Chestnut; Anigre; Aspen; Bark Pocket Maple; Basswood; Birch; Birdseye Maple; Black & White Ebony; Black Palm; Bloodwood; Bocote; Bolivian Rosewood; … That being said though,  the beautiful coloring and tighter, old growth rings sing tradition, beauty and class. Its renowned toughness and durability has seen White Oak used in boat building for centuries, as it also responds well to steam bending. It has a base of brown-toned hues, highlighted by a variety of colors which can range from muted purples to reds, oranges and golds, Its pleasing aesthetics and great working and finishing properties make it a popular choice with guitar and furniture builders, alike. Heartwood color gradually fades with continued UV ray exposure. $15.00 + $11.00 shipping . Common Uses: Fine furniture, knife handles, turnings, veneers, and other small specialty objects. Sustainability: This species is listed in CITES Appendix II , but is not yet in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is most commonly used in accent details, turned objects, knife handles and other small specialty items. Defects are not uncommon, and can often present some challenges when working, but hard work and perseverance can produce extraordinary results; there’s really no other wood quite like it. Its splinters can be like little razors and when one pentetrates the skin, it is quite painful and the area can quickly and easily get infected, if quick action isn’t taken to remove it (the splinter) and sterilize the area. It is renowned for its sometimes amazing array of colors and for being a very dense, stable, durable wood (making it well suited for both major industry applications). Alder is typically straight-grained, although knotty pieces can sometimes be wavy or irregular. Comments: Cocobolo Rosewood is a wood that many guitar luthiers continue to turn to, as the remaining remnants of Brazilian Rosewood in the US disappear. Our experience has shown that Cocobolo produces a huge, dense volume of dust, when being sanded. It’s typically used to manufacture musical instruments, and anyone that is capable of purchasing one of those instruments is going to pay a pretty penny for it. While the net effect of all this has been to create a ‘mahogany substitute’ segment of the exotic wood import industry — bringing woods such as Sapele and African Mahogany more into favor — the demand for Genuine Mahogany hasn’t waned. (Although sharp blades may be necessary with some interlocked-grain boards.) This is probably one of the rarest types of wood on the planet. There are multiple species of the Guibourtia genus that are known as Bubinga, so colors and aesthetics can vary dramatically. Across the midwest, from the 1950’s through the ’70’s, the population of Elms was decimated. Its moderate luster is in keeping with its reputation of being aesthetically bland, although darker accents and occasional figuring are sometimes present. Common Uses: Archery bows, carvings, inlay and turned objects. United Kingdom. Limited supply! Name Money/unit log Money/unit plank Plank Color / … (… although finding available lumber in the US is uncommon.). Some say that it comes from a tree’s reaction to invasion by the larvae of the Agromyzia carbonara beetle, but the general opinion seems to be that it is hereditary, classifying the name of the variant as Betula pendula var. Its density falls slightly under the mark of a typical rosewood, while not being near as oily. (… as well as finishing, if filling all surface pores is requisite.) It’s a durable wood and is considered stable, once dried. Sustainability: This species is not listed in the CITES Appendices, and is classified as “a species of least concern,” by the IUCN. ), It is interesting to note that the tree is not actually a true Poplar (of the Populus genus), is a member of the Liriodendron genus. Comments: Jatoba is an excellent choice where strength, durability and moderate pricing is required. Its texture is fine and consistent, and it displays a pleasant natural luster after fine sanding. 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