7 Common wood species for furniture
There are so many different wood species out there, over 100,000 in fact. No wonder picking a wood type for your next piece of furniture or project can be overwhelming! While there are over 100,000 species in the world, there are much fewer options readily available. Many times, the species available to you are dictated by your location. Not all trees grow everywhere and sometimes it is difficult and expensive to import.
In this post, we will highlight 7 common wood species for furniture found in the United States. There are many more species out there which may review in a future post. Let us know in the comments if you would come back for that! This post is written as a high level informational piece directed towards consumers or beginner woodworkers, rather than experienced woodworkers. Thus, the intention is for those parties to be more knowledgeable about wood materials before they make a purchase.
What separates wood species?
There are many characteristics used to describe differences in wood species. In the realm of woodworking, these are things like wood color, grain patterns, regional prevalence, and hardness, among others. Many of these characteristics are subjective, but the Janka Hardness Scale is pretty scientific.
The Janka Hardness Scale was designed to create a measurement for durability of woods, specifically for flooring. However, it can be used to judge how well the wood tolerates abuse of any kind. The Janka Scale can also be an indicator of the level of ease or difficulty with which the wood can be worked with. The harder the wood, the more stress it can put on equipment to mill (that is, take it from a rough, lumberyard cut to a smooth, square usable piece) or otherwise manipulate it. In the US, the Janka scale is measured in lbf (pounds of force). In other parts of the world, it is measured in N (Newtons). The higher the number, the harder the wood.
Interesting Fact
The softest wood is Balsa, coming in at about 70 lbf. The hardest wood is Australian Buloke which is about 5,060 lbf!
Scientifically speaking, a species is a single, extremely unique living thing. In woodworking however, species is used more generally to describe a group of unique species that are similar enough to lump together. So, these groupings will have similar characteristics like color, durability, texture, grain, etc.
Now, to the 7 common wood species for furniture making and general woodworking!
1. Maple
Maple is popular hardwood characterized by a light, creamy, almost white color wood with a subtle, loose grain. There are lots of varieties of maple trees, but typically Sugar Maple is the variety that is used most commonly.
Maple trees are prevalent in forests in the northeastern United States, down through Kentucky and Tennessee. They can be found throughout the mid west as well. Maple is a fairly hard wood that measures at 1450 lbf on the Janka Scale. Because of its level of durability, hard maple is commonly used in baseball bats, butcher blocks and bowling alleys. All situations where an very hard material is required.
Interesting Fact
The Sugar Maple is the state tree of 4 states – New York, Vermont, Wisconsin and West Virginia.
Due to its lighter color and subtle grain pattern, maple is used as a neutral component in many designs. This is likely a factor in why it is routinely used in kitchen cabinetry and hardwood flooring. Maple is also a very popular choice for cutting boards, especially when being engraved. There is a nice level of contrast between the light background and dark engraving.
2. Walnut
Black walnut is a dark brown wood that is very popular for its rich, natural, unique coloring. No stain is needed to make walnut look great. In fact, many wood stains try to imitate the beauty of walnut, but no stain can compare to the innate beauty that walnut possesses. Stains simply cannot capture the grain and deep color of walnut.
Walnut trees are found all over the world, but the American Black Walnut is common in the eastern United States. Additionally, the nuts that grow on the tree are also very popular for cooking. On the Janka scale, walnut weighs in at 1010 lbf, subsequently making it an ideal candidate for wood working.
Compared to other species, there can be a lot of fluctuation in the color of walnut. This fluctuation is noticed even when cut from the same tree. The darkest brown comes from the inner heartwood of the tree. The sapwood, or outer rings, tend to be much lighter. Therefore, this is something to consider in production of walnut pieces whether that is something that you like or if you prefer a more consistent hue.
Interesting Fact
Living black walnut trees secrete a substance called juglone. This substance is toxic to other plant species, like other fruit trees and bushes. This helps ensure lower competition for water, nutrients and sunlight for the tree during its life.
Historically, walnut was used frequently in gunstocks, intricate carvings and coffins. Today, walnut is a very popular choice for tables of all kinds, floors and bedroom suites.
3. Oak
Like maple and walnut, oak is an extremely popular wood species. Oak is commonly grouped into red and white varieties, mostly based on coloring. Both groupings are similar in that they are a medium (brownish or reddish) color wood that have prominent grain patterns. The grain pattern can be intense, but that does not prevent it from being great wood species for furniture.
Oak is commonly used in indoor furniture, cabinetry and flooring. This is an abundant species that grows in nearly all of the eastern United States. On the Janka scale, white oak comes in at a solid 1350 lbf, while red oak is 1220 lbf.
To know if you have any oak trees growing near you, look for acorns on the ground. Acorns are the fruit produced by mature oak trees – it can take a tree 20 years to being making them. One oak tree produces approximately 2,000 acorns per year.
Interesting Fact
Oak holds a very niche role in the distilling industry. Nearly all barrels used in bourbon distilling are made of white oak because the bourbon absorbs flavor from the wood. In Kentucky alone, there are an estimated 11.4 MILLION barrels of bourbon aging at any given time (and likely growing by the day).
Oak trees are known for their resilience and strength, 2 qualities that personify the spirit of America. That is the reason why it is the National tree of America (and of numerous other countries).
4. Cherry
Fourthly, the next common wood species for furniture is cherry. It has a light to medium, warm, reddish color. The grain is quite visible, but comparatively more subtle than that of an oak. Because of it’s pleasant color, cherry is very frequently used in cabinetry and fine woodworking. It grows very well in the eastern US and parts of Mexico.
Cherry scores around 950 lbf on the Janka Scale. This makes cherry an easy material work with. A downside, however, is that studies show the dust from cherry is more harmful than dust of other wood species. The result is potential respiratory issues in those working around cherry dust frequently. Wilted cherry leaves and seeds also pose an issue to animals when ingested because of the cyanide they produce during the decomposition process. With all that being said, cherry, in its finished state, is perfectly safe to have in your home.
Interesting Fact
Cherry trees are found all around the world, but the species most common in the US is the Black Cherry, which grows best in the Appalachian regions of the country.
Another unique characteristic of cherry is that the color changes over time. With time and exposure to light and air, cherry will darken and turn slightly more brown. Even with the darkening, it will still maintain those warm red undertones. If used as the main component of a piece of furniture, consider moving stagnate objects around periodically. This is to avoid creating light spots where the underlying wood was not exposed to air and light equally.
5. Hickory
If you are looking for a tough, rustic wood, hickory is it. Compared to other species, there is wider variety of color, grain pattern and visual texture which makes hickory unique. There are 2 groupings that are marketed as hickory – true hickory and pecan hickory. There are a few minute differences between the two types, but generally speaking, true hickory is slightly more dense. The other differences are much harder to notice without an expert eye. Aside from woodworking, hickory commonly used to barbeque because of the heavy, yet mouth watering smoke that it produces.
One of the harder wood species used regularly, it ranks at around 1800 lbf on the Janka scale. Consequently, hickory is often used to build things requiring above average durability. Things like high traffic floors, ax handles, and wheels, to name a few. Since hickory also tends to put more wear on equipment due to its hardness, it can be a more difficult wood to work with. It grows primarily in the central eastern US, but there are varieties that grow worldwide.
Interesting Fact
Native Americans had many uses for the hickory trees. They would use various parts (nuts, bark, etc.) to dye clothing and make soap. Additionally, hickory was used medicinally to create digestive cures and topical ointments.
6. Poplar
Thus far, all of the species we have discussed are usually chosen for their appearance. However, if you are looking for a wood that will eventually be painted, poplar may be a good choice. Poplar is most commonly used in applications where functionality is priority, rather than aesthetics. Poplar is a light colored wood with a soft, structured grain.
On the Janka Scale it measures at about 540 lbf. Comparatively, it is much softer than some of the other woods we have mentioned. Because of its softness, poplar is easy to work with, although it may require extra work to leave a finish similar to harder woods. Poplar grows very commonly in the eastern US. It’s wide presence in nature makes it an economical choice of wood.
Interesting Fact
Most poplar wood that can be bought comes from the tulip poplar tree. It is one of the tallest species and is aptly named since its blooms look much like the bloom of the tulip flower.
Common uses for poplar is pallets, painted furniture, furniture frames and a component of plywood. You may also frequently see poplar used for painted trim pieces (base boards, crown molding, etc.) for home building and remodeling.
7. Pine
Finally, the last wood species we are highlighting, pine! When I hear pine, the first things I think about are huge towering trees and framing wood in most modern building construction. Recently, pine has grown in popularity for furniture due to the increase in DIY home furniture created using construction lumber. It has a light color and has a dark, sometimes thick, noticeable grain.
On the Janka Scale, pine scores a 460 lbf, so, it is a pretty soft for wood. The softness makes it easy to work with. However, when used as a material for furniture that receives a lot of use, it will show everyday wear more than hard woods will. That wear and tear shows up as indentations, scratches, gouges, etc.
Interesting Fact
Pine trees have a very long life span, it is not uncommon to have them grow to be 1,000 years old. The oldest known pine grows in the White Mountains of California and is estimated to be about 4,800 years old!
Pine, similar to poplar, is very widespread, thus making it an inexpensive option to use on projects where wear is not a concern. Compared to other species, Pine is easy to purchase anywhere, regardless of location. Many of the specialty woods listed above can only be purchased through hardwood dealers and mills, whereas pine can be purchased from the big box store with ease.
Wrap up
And that’s it! That wraps up the high level introduction into some common wood species used in furniture making. Altogether, this list discusses most of the wood species used in everyday furniture production and woodworking. There are many more species out there and definitely a lot more to learn about each species, but I hope this post served as a good introduction. If you are interested in more in depth discussion of each wood species, let us know in the comments!
To see some of our examples of these species in our projects, check out our gallery page here https://910woodshopblog.com/910-gallery/ . To see these 9:10 Wood Shop products available for purchase, see our shop on Etsy here : https://www.etsy.com/shop/NineTenWoodShop .
-9:10 Wood Shop
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