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Cherry
Like all fruit trees, cherry belongs to the rose family
and was used as early as 400 B.C. by the Greeks and Romans for furniture
making. The cherry tree provided American colonists with fruit,
medicine, and wood for home furnishings. The bark was used as a
drug to treat bronchitis, and cherry stalks were used to make tonics.
Cherry helped define American traditional design because colonial
cabinetmakers recognized its superior woodworking qualities. Today,
cherry helps express Shaker, Mission, and country styling.
Color: Light reddish-brown. Cherry darkens
considerably with age and exposure to sunlight.
Pattern: Straight-grained and satiny.
Small gum pockets produce distinctive markings.
Characteristics: Light, strong, stiff,
and rather hard. Cherry grain is more subdued than some other hardwood
species.
Uses: Fine furniture, cabinetry, flooring,
and decorative woodwork.
Finishing: Cherry is unsurpassed in its
finishing qualities -- its uniform texture takes a finish very well.
Relative abundance: 3.9 percent of total
U.S. hardwoods that are commercially available.
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Maple
The American species of maple is divided into two groups:
hard maple, which includes sugar and black maple; and soft maple,
which includes red and silver maple. Maple's scientific name is
derived from the Latin word for hard. Its wood was used for making
spears. Sugar maple is the state tree of Wisconsin, Vermont, New
York, and West Virginia; for Rhode Island, it's red maple. Early
American settlers used maple ashes to make soap. Until the turn
of the century, the heels of women's shoes were made from maple,
as were airplane propellers in the 1920s. Maple has been a favorite
of American furniture makers since early colonial days. Hard maple
is the standard wood for cutting boards because it imparts no taste
to food and holds up well.
Color: Cream to light reddish brown.
Pattern: Usually straight-grained and
sometimes found with highly figured bird's-eye or burl grain. Bird's-eye
resembles small circular or elliptical figures. Clusters of round
curls are known as burl.
Characteristics: Heavy, hard, strong,
tough, stiff, close-grained, and possesses a uniform texture. Maple
has excellent resistance to abrasion, indentation, and shock.
Uses: Furniture, cabinets, decorative
woodwork, flooring, cutting surfaces, musical instruments, bowling
pins, utensils, and bowls. Its characteristics make it ideal for
ballroom and gymnasium floors, as well as cutting boards and countertops.
Finishing: Takes stain satisfactorily
and polishes well. Maple is suitable for enamel finishes and brown
tones.
Relative abundance: 7.7 percent of total
U.S. hardwoods commercially available.
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Oak
The oaks, red and white, are the most abundant hardwood species
found in the United States. The Latin name for oak, means a fine
tree. White oak is impervious to liquids, and has been used extensively
for ship timbers, barrels, and casks. It would be difficult to name
a wood with a longer and more illustrious history in furnishings
and interior design. Oak was a favorite of early English craftsmen
and a prized material for American colonists. It's commonly associated
with Mission, country, and contemporary styles.
Color: White oak is light brown with a
gray tinge. Red oak is slightly redder than white oak.
Pattern: Quartersawn -- striking flake
pattern that reflects light. Plainsawn -- attractive figure of stripes
and leafy grain. Riftsawn -- fine pinstripe pattern.
Characteristics: Heavy, very strong and
hard, stiff, durable under exposure, great wear-resistance, and
holds nails and screws well.
Uses: Flooring, furniture, cabinets,
ships, and decorative woodwork.
Finishing: Oak can be stained with a range
of finish tones.
Relative abundance: Red oak: 3.6 percent
of total U.S. hardwoods commercially available. White oak: 15.1
percent of total U.S. hardwoods commercially available.
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Pecan
Seven species of hickory are considered commercially important:
five are true hickories and two are pecan hickories. The hickories
and pecans are members of the walnut family and are related so closely
that individual specimens of hickory and pecan can't be identified
with any certainty. Hickory is the hardest, heaviest, and strongest
American wood in common use. Its name is an English contraction
of its Indian name powcohicora. Whereas various parts of the world
had supported hickory during the countless geologic ages, practically
nowhere but in eastern North American did it survive the catastrophic
changes of the Glacial Epoch, some 50 million years ago. Thus, it's
the first and foremost strictly American tree. Westward trekking
pioneers allegedly made hickory a prerequisite for their wagon wheels.
Color: White to tan to reddish-brown with
inconspicuous fine brown lines.
Pattern: Fine grain.
Characteristics: Extremely tough and resilient,
even textured, quite hard, and only moderately heavy. Exceedingly
high resistance to shock.
Uses: Furniture, paneling, flooring,
cabinets, decorative woodwork, bending stock, skis, and tool handles.
Finishing: The grain pattern welcomes
a full range of medium-to-dark finishes and bleaching treatments.
Relative abundance: 2.2 percent of total
U.S. hardwoods commercially available.
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Walnut
American black walnut, the aristocrat of cabinet woods, is one of
the most respected North American fine hardwoods. Its reputation
dates back to the 16th century. Walnut mixes well with other woods
and natural materials to provide a friendly atmosphere in otherwise
stark interiors. The wood develops a rich patina that grows more
lustrous with age.
Color: Light gray-brown to dark purplish-brown.
Pattern: Plain to highly figured. This
species produces a greater variety of figure types than any other.
Characteristics: Moderately heavy, very
strong, and exceptionally stable.
Uses: Furniture, cabinets, doors, flooring,
architectural woodwork, gunstocks, and novelties.
Finishing: Walnut takes and holds paints
and stains exceptionally well, and is readily polished.Relative
abundance: 1.9 percent of total U.S. hardwoods commercially available.
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