Glossary of woods

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Acacia

A shrub yielding a yellow-coloured strong and durable hardwood, used in inlay work

Alder

Of light yellow brown colour, widely used in turnery

Amaranth

see Purple Heart, Bois Violette and Brazilian Rosewood

Amboyna

An East Indian wood of yellowish-brown colour, often used for its distinctive 'birds eye' burr figurings, used both on large surfaces, and as specific inlays

Apple

A heavy hardwood, reddish-brown in colour, with straight grain, used as both a veneer and inlay

Ash

Having a deep yellow brown colour of great depth, Hungarian ash has a strong 'water marked' grain, as opposed to the standard European variety

Beech

Of brownish white colour, having a speckled grain

Birch

Colour ranging from cream to biscuit, and having a straight plain grain

Bog Oak

Oak, which has been preserved in peat, bogs, black in colour, and possessing great hardness and strength

Box

A very hard, extremely heavy wood of pale yellow colour, with a fine regular texture, used in stringing and inlay work

Brazil Wood

A hard, heavy wood strongly marked colouring from brown through to red, used in veneering, or as an inlay

Calamandar

also known as Coromandel, and Macassar Ebony; A strikingly marked grain, its colours ranging from yellow, through hazel brown, to black

Camphorwood

Of a brown to yellow colour, possessing insect resistant qualities, much used in 'campaign' furniture

Cedar

A fragrant, light, soft brown wood with straight grain, resistant to warping, used as drawer linings in better furniture, and humidors

Cherry

A hardwood with reddish yellow close grain

Circassian Walnut

A generic name for the strongly figured wood, originating in the Caucasus and southern Europe, the colours having brown to yellow tones, and with the Italian variety having black inclusions

Coromandel

See Calamander and Macassar Ebony

Deal

A generic name given to the timber of firs and pines

Ebony

A dense hardwood of black hue, the origin of the French term 'Ébéniste' denoting a master cabinet maker capable of working with this wood

Elm

A hard, durable wood of yellow brown colour, with strong markings; burr elm is used in veneers

Gonçalo Alves

also known as Tigerwood and Zebrawood; reddish brown in colour, strongly marked striations

Hare-Wood

the name given to the cut sycamore, stained with ferrous sulphate, and used sparingly in inlays

Holly

An ivory white, hard, fine-grained wood, used in inlays and stringing

Kingwood

also, Bois Violette, Amaranth, Palisander, Purpleheart and Brazilian Rosewood; From the tropical Americas, strongly marked, colours ranging from yellow through browns, and having a violet hue

Laburnum

A hard fine-grained wood, the decorative burr grain used in 'oyster' veneers

Lacewood

Striped, and of a highly decorative yellow colour, used as veneers, and obtained from quarter sawn Planes

Lignum Vitae

A very heavy dark wood of great strength; sinks in water

Lime

A light, soft, but tough and durable white wood, free from knots and cross graining, much used by carvers

Mahogany

The best is regarded as Cuban, hard, durable, well marked and easiest to carve; 'Honduras' or 'Spanish' has a less marked grain

Maple

A compact, fine-grained white wood, with noted 'birds eye' markings, used for picture frames and drawer linings

Oak

A Highly durable dark brown wood of considerable strength; pollarded oak is used in decorative veneers

Olive Wood

Of a greenish yellow colour with black cloudy spots and veins

Padouk

A hardwood, of a dark red colour, visually akin to mahogany

Palisander

See Kingwood

Palmwood

Banded, and of chocolate brown colour alternating with a lighter yellow, used sparingly in veneer work

Partridgewood

Chocolate brown with darker flecks, resembling the markings of a male partridge, and used sparingly in inlay work

Pear

A white, fairly soft, durable wood, often used in carving

Pitch Pine

A variety of wood from the North Americas; it is hard and of a striated yellowish colour with reddish tints

Plane

A white close-grained wood

Pollard Oak and Walnut

The wood of oak and walnut trees that have been polled, cut at the top to give a bushier head, and creating a 'speckled ' marking created by the outgrowth of multiple branches

Purple Heart

See Kingwood

Rosewood

A hard-wood from the tropics; having a marked grain, with colours ranging from yellow through the browns

Sandalwood

A fragrant, insect resistant wood of yellowish hue

Satin Walnut

The English name for American Gum; a light brown sometimes with black striped markings

Satinwood

A hard, close-grained, heavy wood of yellow colour shading to a golden hue; often with a distinct rippled figuring, and extensively used in Adam, Hepplewhite and Sheraton designs. Originating in both the East and West Indies

Snakewood

A rare, very hard heavy wood of yellow colour, mottled with deep brown marks, arranged regularly and bearing a slight resemblance to the markings of a snake

Sycamore

A species of maple, hard and even-grained; in its natural state is of a light yellowish colour

Teak

A heavy, very hard wood of reddish brown colour

Thuya

A North African wood used for inlay work, of a golden brown colour, with small "birds'-eyes" in a halo or circle

Tulipwood

A hardwood of yellowish colour with reddish stripes; it is usually cut across the grain and used in veneers for crossbanding

Walnut

A fairly hard fine-grained wood of rich brown colour, veined and shaded with darker browns

Yew

A very hard, tough, pliable wood of orange red or dark brown colour, with strong markings

Zebra Wood

see Gonçalo Alves