Click on the pictures or the names of the woods below for close-up photos of some of the Domestic woods used in our work. Of course, each piece of wood has is own individual patterns, but the samples on this page should give you an idea of what the general characteristics are for certain species.

Click here to read about some of the Exotic Woods we use.

	White Ash - (Frazinus americana) White ash has a bright almost white coloring with occasional creamy white accents. It's a very strong and durable wood. So strong in fact that it is the only wood used to make major league baseball bats. It is also used in fine furniture making and frequently in archery bows as well.
	Cherry (Flame Figure) - (Prunus Serotina) Frequently used in Shaker and colonial furniture, Cherry is the most popular furniture wood in America. Flame figuring is similar to curl figure, but with wider bands of color.
	Mahogany (ribbon-sliced) (Swietenia spp.) from Honduras - Mahogany has been used in fine furniture making and boat building for centuries and is famous for it's rich red color, also called "Genuine Mahogany".
	Bird's-eye Maple (Acer saccharum) Of all the "exotic" domestic hardwoods, bird's-eye maple is among the most highly prized, for it's distinctive clusters of "bird's eyes" - those shimmering little bubbles of convoluted grain, often accompanied by satiny swirling grain or quilted figure. Few woods in the world are as dramatic, unique or sought after. Many states in the Northeastern and North Central U.S. produce bird's-eye maple, but the best, finest textured wood comes from right here, in pristine Northern Michigan, where the climate and the soil provide ideal growing conditions for this rare and valuable timber!
	Maple (Fiddle-back / Curly / Tiger) (Acer saccharum) The term fiddleback comes from the use of this extraordinarily unusual grain pattern in the manufacture of musical instruments, most commonly associated with the famous luthier Antonio Stradivarius. Stradivarius built many of his violins using this type of figure on the backs of his violins, hence the term "fiddleback."
	Maple (Spalted) (Acer rubrum) Spalted Maple is one of my all time favorite woods because of its limitless variety of distinctive black lines that make each piece a true one-of-a-kind. They look to me like Chinese calligraphy or pen and ink landscapes. Though rare and difficult to find, the beauty of the patterns formed by spalting make for some of the most interesting inlays of fine boxes and is very sought after in the musical instrument industry as well.
	Maple (Quilted) (Acer saccharum) Quilted Maple gets its name from the round figures swirling across the grain pattern. Quilted figure looks somewhat similar to birdseye figuring, but with larger circles for the eyes. It reminds me of big puffy clouds :)
	Maple Burl Light tan to dark brown swirls, curl and eyes.
	Spalted Koa (Hawaii) - Reddish to dark brown with some black streaks, Medium texture usually with straight grain to wavy. Because this species is in limited supply it is hard to find and is expensive.
	Curly Koa (Hawaiian Islands) - Reddish to dark brown with some black streaks, Medium texture usually with straight grain to wavy. Because this species is in limited supply it is hard to find and is expensive.
	Buckeye Burl (Aeculus spp, Western US)- Gold and tan burl grain with gray-blue accents.
	Candy Striped Box Elder (Acer Negundo, US)- Creamy yellow background with candy red stripes.
	Box Elder Burl - Generally pale yellow with rays, or eyes of gold. Occasional pink or bluish highlights.
	Walnut (Curly) California Claro Walnut (Juglans hindsii - Western US) is a hybrid species of walnut with more color and grain accents than other domestic walnuts. Claro has a purplish tint, sometimes with streaks of rose and pink running through it.
	Walnut Burl Produced by grafting American and English Walnut. Swirly grain with blistered effect. Very high priced.
	Birch Burl - Light Reddish brown to white colored burl. Eastern US / Great Lakes States.
	Redwood Burl (California). Deep red/brown color with pronounced burl eyes and swirls.
	Cherry Burl (Prunus Serotina) Lovely pinkish burl with lots of tight eyes. I have just recently acquired a large stock of local cherry burls which I'm in the process of cutting up now and wow are they amazing! I will have a limited amount available for sale to fellow woodworkers so please contact me if you're interested.
	Curly Myrtle / Myrtle Burl (Umbellularia californica, Western US) - Golden to orange brown with tight burl grain.

With regards to Wood Samples, Please Note:

The finish on all of our work consists of multiple coats of our own blend of natural oils; including linseed, tung oils, varnish, and mineral spirits buffed to a high sheen. This is a penetrating oil finish which goes deep into pores and fibers of the woods and allows the full depth and dimensionality of the wood's color, character, and figure to shine through. It produces a mirror-smooth finish that develops the natural color of the wood, enlivens the grain, and is sensual and inviting to touch as well as durable. We have had many people at art shows make comments such as, "How did you get that finish so perfect?" or, "I didn't know wood could be so smooth!" No secrets, just a lot of elbow grease (lots of sanding both before applying the finish and between coats).

Please Note: I am not a lumber distributor - This is a list of the woods I use in creating my own pieces only . For some of my lumber sources, see my links pages.