Most Common Wood Species Used
Ash
Ash is the most used hardwood in the shop due to multiple factors, durability, workability, a straight grain white wood (similar to pine but a greater quality), light in weight and the overall abundance in Wisconsin. Ash when properly prepped for stain/finish can be truly transformed beautiful piece. Due to these characteristics, Ash is readily available at a very affordable rate which helps a customer obtain quality interior furniture.
Oak
There are two main types of Oak that is used are red (slightly less hard) and white (harder of the two). While both have very similar characteristics, such as straight grain structure, very coarse, and a heavier wood, they also are very different.
Red oak tends to have a pinkish to reddish brown color to it. It is better for interior projects, due to its porous structure and the ability to take stains better.
White Oak on the other hand tends to be white to a slight brown color to it. It has a very tight cellular structure which will help resist rot and decay. It is usually twice the price of red oak due to the demand for a white wood, with the durability and water resistance.
Black Walnut
Walnut is arguably my favorite hardwood to use, due to the amazing grain structure that goes along with the multiple variations of browns. This wood like ash is extremely durable with a low rot resistance, great workability and when finished properly, gives any piece a very distinguished high end look. Black walnut due to the demand for a quality wood, price does tend to be on the steeper end of “standard” hardwoods.
Hard Maple
Maple is a great hardwood is you can get arguably the greatest grain structures, while naturally it is straight, it is not uncommon to see it curly or wavy. Maple has a very fine, even texture to it which makes it great for finishes more so than stains, unless a preconditioner is used and even then multiple coats may be needed to achieve an even coat. It is incredible for cutting boards, butcher blocks, and cabinetry whether it is making the face frames, or even custom drawer boxes. Pricing for hard maple tends to be middle of the road for a white wood being less in comparison to white oak, yet more than ash.
Cherry
Cherry offers a perfect middle of the road color in comparison to Ash and Black Walnut. The natural variances in color range from a rich red to a reddish-brown and will continue to darken as it ages. While it is not as dense as the previous two mentioned, it is not seen as negative. It still makes for a great high end furniture, especially tables due to its unique color and grains, dries very quickly with moderately high shrinkage but dimensionally stable.
Hickory
By far the hardest wood that is used in the shop, Hickory is a gorgeous wood that is normally a light brown with a reddish hue and can have a gold-yellowish tints in it too. There are two grades to hickory as your high end is typically used in more high end furniture, cabinetry, even flooring. The lower end is usually used for more of a rustic look in a hole as it often times has a lot more knots and streaks in it. Hickory is slightly higher priced than ash yet less than hard maple.
Hardwood Dealer - Kettle Moraine Hardwoods
Dimensional Lumber
Kettle Moraine Hardwoods has done a phenomenal job ensuring that they have a large quality inventory of kiln dried both domestics and exotic hardwoods. Everything is separated in accordance to the thickness of the lumber, which is measured in 1/4’s.
Example - A 2” thick piece of wood, would be 8/4.
All lumber is then measured in what is referred to board feet (bf) as a total measurement, Length, Width, and Thickness.
Slabs
The slab selection that is at their lumber yard is also top notch. Everything is kiln dried, and propped up along the wall for you to see all characteristics in the slab, grain structure, knots, etc. If you happen to be out of driving distance of their lumber yard they keep an updated inventory directly on their site, allowing you to choose a slab, inform me and can be purchased that way for furniture projects.