| Acacia, Black (CA). Gold/brown, moderate texture and hardness. Looks very similar to koa, though not as curly. Salvaged. |
| Almond, Tropical (Florida Keys). Varies in color from gray/brown to chocolate brown, to yellow. Moderate hardness, texture varies from fine to coarse. Occasionally has figured grain. Salvaged. |
| Ancient Kauri** (New Zealand). This wood has been buried in bogs for 30,000-50,000 years, yet is perfectly preserved. The wood is an olive color with occasional lighter streaks, very fine texture and chatoyance. |
| Ash (NC). Very light cream color with coarse grain. Very hard. |
| Ash, Curly Western (OR). Creamy background with some areas of rich, golden brown. Very smooth texture, hard and heavy. Sometimes called "Olive Ash). |
| Avodire (Africa). Uniform canary yellow color, sometimes with dramatic curl figure. Excellent depth, coarse texture, moderate hardness. Sometimes called "White Mahogany". |
| Beech, Spalted (UK & USA). Tan background with black lines. Moderate hardness with some soft areas. Salvaged. |
| Birch, Spalted (USA). Black lines and gray or brown streaks superimposed on a cream/gray background. Fine texture, looks much like spalted maple. |
| Birch, Huron (Canada). This wood is from a log that sank in Lake Huron on its way to a mill in the early 1900's that has been recently salvaged. Tan with lighter sapwood, broad curl figure and nice chatoyance. |
| Blackwood, African** (Africa). Very dark brown/black, almost as black as ebony. Very dense and hard, a member of the rosewood family. |
| Bloodwood (S. America). Crimson, sometimes with darker markings, very hard and dense. Holds its color better than most other red woods. |
| Box Elder (USA). Cream colored background with pink or red streaks, sometimes also has black wormholes and black or gray streaking. The colors are caused by a fungus which the boxelder beetle brings to the tree. |
| Bubinga (Africa). A very hard, dense wood. Fine to medium texture, burgundy color, often with a mottled grain figure. |
| Bubinga, Pommele* (Africa). Dark red/brown with a fine grain and beautiful pommele figure (see image). |
| Bubinga, Quilted* (Africa), Dark red/brown with a fine grain and beautiful, broad quilt figure. I often bookmatch the lids with a streak of silvery sapwood down the center for a very nice contrast effect. |
| Cape Beech (Africa). Tan/cream color with darker flecks for a fish scale-like grain, waxy feel. Hard and heavy. |
| Cascara (NW USA & BC). Bright yellow-yellow/orange. Moderate texture and hardness. |
| Chakte Kok (Mexico). Apple red, ages to deep crimson, sometimes with areas of white sapwood. Moderate texture and hardness. Sustainably harvested. |
| Cherry (USA). Starts out pink/tan, ages to a deep red/brown. Fine texture, moderate hardness. |
| Cherry, Curly (USA). Cherry (see above) with a broad curl figure. |
| Cocobolo* (Mexico). A beautiful rosewood with black markings on a dark red to red/brown background .Extremely hard and dense. |
| Curunai (South America). Salmon pink, very fine grain, hard and heavy. Sustainably harvested. |
| Ebony** (Africa). Jet black with occasional light streaks. Extremely hard and heavy. |
| Ebony, Striped**(Africa). Same species as African Ebony, above, but the younger trees have brown streaks in the wood. |
| Ebony, Asian** (Indonesia). Dark brown, almost black background with lighter brown streaks. Extremely hard and heavy. |
| Eucalyptus, Curly (California). Salmon pink to red/brown, fine to medium texture, very hard. Curly grain may be througout the piece, or only in areas. Salvaged. |
| Ginkgo (TN). Blonde, soft wood with fine straight grain. Occasional darker streaks or small dark knots, looks much like pine. Everyone knows the tree and the its leaves, but the wood is seldom seen. My supply came from a huge tree in Knoxville, TN. |
| Goncalo Alves (South America). Golden brown with occasional dark streaks. Very hard, fine texture. |
| Ironwood, Desert* (AZ). Dark red-brown, with darker markings. Very hard and dense. |
| Jamaican Dogwood (Florida Keys). Interesting interplay between the grayish sapwood and yellow/green heartwood. Fine texture, very hard. Salvaged. |
| Jichituriqui ("heechee tur eekee", my favorite wood name). (So. America) Yellow to pinkish yellow. Moderate texture and hardness. Sustainably harvested. |
| Kiaat (Africa). Dark golden brown with lighter streaks, sometimes with areas of creamy/gray sapwood. Medium texture and hardness |
| Koa*, Curly (Hawaii). Golden brown to dark brown, with curly grain, nice depth, moderate hardness. |
| Leadwood* (Africa). As the name suggests, a very heavy, hard wood.Dark brown, almost black, with irregular grain. |
| Leopardwood (S. America). Looks similar to lacewood, but is harder and denser. |
| Lignum Vitae** (S. America). Green with yellow sapwood, very dense and hard, waxy texture. The Latin name means "wood of life". |
| Madrone (NW USA). Pink/tan to red/brown, sometimes has darker streaks. Fine texture, moderate hardness, looks very similar to cherry. |
| Madrone Burl* (NW USA). Pink/tan to red/brown. Classic burl figure with swirls and eyes. |
| Madrone, Curly (NW USA). Pink/tan to red/brown, sometimes has darker streaks. Fine texture, moderate hardness, looks very similar to cherry. Curls are fairly broad, often an inch or more apart. |
| Madrone, Crotch. (NW USA). Pink/tan to red/brown, sometimes has darker streaks. Fine texture, moderate hardness, looks very similar to cherry. Crotch/flame figure. |
| Mahoe, Red (Florida Keys). Varying shades of deep red/brown, sometimes with dark streaks or almost white sapwood. Fine texture, moderate hardness. Salvaged. |
| Mahogany, African. (Africa). Light red/brown, ages to a beautiful deep red brown. Coarse texture, moderate hardness. |
| Mahogany, Cuban (Florida Keys). Light red/brown, ages to a beautiful deep red/brown. Moderate texture and hardness. Once considered the finest of the mahoganies, seldom commercially available. Salvaged. |
| Mahogany, Fijiian (Fiji). Golden orange brown color. Similar to other mahoganies in texture and hardness. |
| Mahogany, Honduras (Latin America). Light red/brown, ages to a beautiful deep red/brown. Good texture, moderate hardness. I buy certified sustainably harvested Honduran Mahogany. |
| Makore, Curly* (Africa). Pinkish brown color with a mottled curl figure. Moderate hardness, good depth. Similar to mahogany. |
| Maple, Ambrosia (NC). A light blonde/tan background with streaks of gray, brown and black, caused by the ambrosia beetle. Moderate hardness. |
| Maple, Birdseye (NE USA). Light blonde, sometimes with dark streaks. Covered with tiny swirls or "bird's eyes". Very hard, excellent depth. |
| Maple,Curly (USA). Light blonde/tan with curls from several per inch to an inch or more apart. Excellent depth, moderate hardness. |
| Maple Burl. (NW USA & BC). Light blonde to dark tan, classic burl figure with swirls and eyes. Good to excellent depth. |
| Maple Burl, Spalted (NW USA). This tends to be cluster burls, rather than a single large burl. The wood has areas of classic burl swirls and eyes, as well as areas of curly grain between the burls. The spalting causes the color to darken to a warm brown, sometimes with gray or black lines and streaks. One of my favorite, but not always available. |
| Maple, Mill Pond (NH). Old growth hard maple that was submerged in a New Hampshire mill pond for many years. Cream color with a slight pinkish cast, very fine grain. |
| Maple, Quilted* (NW USA & BC). Light blonde to dark tan, sometimes with black streaks of spalting. Figure looks like crumpled satin, extreme depth, surface may appear to be three dimensional. Moderate hardness. |
| Maple, Spalted (USA & BC). Light blonde to gray/brown, with black lines and streaks caused by fungi. Softer than unspalted maple, some areas may be very soft. |
| Mesquite (SW USA). Tan/red to dark brown. Coarse texture, moderate hardness. Burl figure sometimes available. |
| Morado* (Bolivia). Purple/brown with darker streaks. Very hard and heavy. Sometimes called "Bolivian Rosewood", but is not a true rosewood. Sustainably harvested. |
| Myrtlewood Burl (CA & OR: Yes, Virginia, myrtlewood does grow outside of Oregon!). Gray/green to brown green. Usually has areas of burl figure between curly and straight grain, rather than solid burl. Fine texture, moderate hardness. |
| Myrtlewood, Curly (CA & OR) Gray/green to brown green. Curls from extremely fine (frog's hair) to quite broad. Fine texture, moderate hardness. |
| Myrtlewood, Tiger Stripe (CA & OR). yellow/green, with longitudinal black streaks and occasional curls. Fine texture, moderate hardness. |
| Okoume (Africa). Pinkish-brown color, coarse, irregular grain. Similar to mahogany, but often has nice chatoyance. |
| Olive, African* (Africa). Golden yellow/brown with darker drown or black markings. Hard and heavy, very smooth texture. The wood is indistinguishable from Mediterranean Olive. |
| Palm, Black** (Indonesia). Very hard black fibers in a softer, lighter colored matrix. Very striking end grain. |
| Pao Rosa* (Madagascar). Red with black and occasional yellow markings. Hard with a very fine texture. As beautiful as cocobolo. |
| Peroba Rosa (S. America). Pinkish/yellow, ages to pink/red. Moderate texture and hardness. Sustainably harvested. |
| Persimmon (USA). Gray/cream color, very hard, straight grain. A member of the ebony family. Limited availability. |
| Pink Ivory*** (S. Africa). Pale pink to hot pink to deep red, sometimes with areas of creamy sapwood. Very smooth texture, extremely hard and dense. One of the rarest and most beautiful woods in the world. |
| Poinciana, Yellow. (Florida Keys). Gray/brown to red/brown, moderate texture and hardness, surface has a very "silky" feel. Salvaged. |
| Poplar, Mineral (NC). Greenish/tan background with purple, gray, and black streaks. Fairly soft and lightweight. |
| Redwood Burl (California). Deep red/brown color with burl eyes and swirls. Soft. |
| Redwood, Curly (California). Lighter red/brown than redwood burl. Beautiful, uniform curls, about 1/2" apart. Very rare, extremely soft. |
| Rosewood, Bolivian* (Bolivia). See "Morado, above. |
| Rosewood, Indonesian*. (Indonesia). Purplish brown with darker purple/black streaks. Moderate texture, hard and heavy. Plantation grown. |
| Sassafras (USA). Pale yellow color, fairly coarse grain, moderately soft. Wonderful aroma when freshly cut. Limited availability. |
| Sirari. (S. America). Salmon pink, very fine grain, hard and heavy. Looks very similar to Curunai. Sustainably harvested. |
| Sand Kiaat (Africa). Chocolate brown with yellowish sapwood. Coarse texture, moderate hardness. |
| Sapele (African mahogany from Nigeria). Harder and denser than other African mahoganies. |
| Sapele, Curly* (Africa). Classis mahogany color and texture, with a nice curl figure. |
| Sapele, Pommele**(Africa). Classic mahogany color and texture, with extraordinary pommele or quilted figure. Perhaps the most highly figured wood I have ever seen. Very rare, I have only a small quantity of this wood. |
| Sycamore, Spalted (USA). Cream/tan, sometimes yellow background with dark lines and streaks. Sycamore has an interesting "fish scale" texture. A fairly soft wood. |
| Tamarind, Indian (Florida Keys). White to cream background black lines and sometimes gray or brown streaks. Very fine texture, very hard. Salvaged. |
| Tamarind, Wild (Florida Keys). Golden brown, good depth, occasional curls. Looks similar to koa, but not as curly. Fine texture, very hard. Salvaged. |
| Tambotie* (Africa). Golden amber color with cream colored sapwood for contrast. Very hard and dense. |
| Tarara Amarilla (S. America). Yellow/gold, with darker gold brown markings. Moderate texture and hardness. Sustainably harvested. |
| Teak, Rhodesian (Africa), Red/brown, occasionally with white sapwood. Very hard and heavy, fine grained. Not a true teak. |
| Teak, Samoan. (Samoan Islands). Gold/brown to Green/brown. Moderate texture, very hard. Windfall harvested. |
| Thuya Burl*** (Morocco). Golden brown with swirls, eyes and curls. Very dense and waxy. A rare and unique wood. See Coming Soon. |
| Walnut (NC). Varying shades of deep brown. Good texture, moderate hardness. Probably the premier American furniture wood. |
| Walnut, Claro (CA). A beautiful walnut native to certain areas of California.. Dark brown, gray/brown, purple/brown. Often with curly grain, sometimes has burl areas. Good texture, moderate hardness. |
| Walnut, English (CA). More correctly called "Persian Walnut". Cream/tan coloring, sometimes with darker streaks. A little harder and denser than black walnut. |
| Walnut, Grafted* (CA). In California, English walnut seedlings are grafted to claro walnut root stock. Boxes made from this wood will have both claro (dark brown) and English (cream/tan) walnut coloring. Only available for BX-17, BX-18 and BX-19 boxes. |
| Wenge* (Africa). Very dark, almost black with very regular, lighter markings. Sometimes looks like bird feathers. Very hard and dense. |
| Yaka (Fiji). Beautiful gold/brown with darker streaks. Wonderfully smooth texture. |
| Ziricote* (Mexico). Very dark gray/brown background, with black lines and swirls. Moderate texture, hard and heavy. |
I am always looking for woods with interesting or unusual colors/grains /figures. If you have some wood that you would like to sell or trade, please call me at 828-298-6007, or send me an e-mail at RJwdcrafts@aol.com.
* Add 10% to listed prices for boxes made of this wood.
**Add 50% to listed prices for boxes made of this wood.
***Add 75% to listed prices for boxes made of this wood.
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