What’s your favorite wood?

jvk | Posted in Wood and Materials on July 20, 2011 05:29am

What is your favorite wood including milling and applying finishes? Maple, poplar, cherry etc splotch. Oak is wild grained and needs to be filled for a smooth surface.

Replies

BruceS | Jul 21, 2011 08:26am | #1
easy

Black Walnut and Black cherry, Butternut is pretty but a bit on the soft side..
roc | Jul 22, 2011 12:37am | #2
You sure ask hard questions.

Answer : Bubinga

Super strong. I just love looking at it with a bit of the right finish on it. Visually complex.

Reasons not to work it :

ENDANGERED

Some of it eats cutting tools.

Got to regrind the "regular" cutting angles of the edge tools to work it.

What you make weighs a ton.

Not easy to buy locally (where I live anyway)

Yah, bubinga that is my favorite wood.

I bought some to make strong tools and shop helpers out of and I fell in love.

Later I realized that the plank I bought had phenomenal grain and this stuff is precious. I made saw horses out of it. Really strong-I -will-use-them-for-the-rest-of-my-life-and-cherish-them-saw-horses. But saw horses none the less. Later made good stuff out of it. Now I must stop buying it. Endangered and all.