| Wood name |
Wood |
Bark |
Leaf |
Flowers |
Fruit /Seed |
Tree |
Description |
|
African Blackwood (Mpingo)
Dalbergia melanoxylon |
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Significant black heartwood with light brown sapwood. Very heavy and
hard. The black wood is resinous and takes a waxy shine
Suitable for: Pens |
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Apple
Malus domestica |
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Easy to turn, quite dark, nice patterns. Pleasant smell
Suitable for: Pens, Bowls |
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Ash
Fraxinus angustifolia |
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Quite pretty - pale with light brown stripes
Suitable for: Bowls, Tools, Earrings |
|
Azalea
Rhododendron simsii |
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Quite hard and dusty. Light orangey-brown with darker brownish grain.
Suitable for: Pens, Bangles |
|
Beech
Fagus sylvatica |
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Easily recognisable with its dashed grain patterns - commonly seen as
school desks and chairs.
Suitable for: Rolling pins, Wands, Bottle Stoppers |
|
Beech (Spalted)
Fagus sylvatica |
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Very pretty, easy to work but can break
along the grain due to the spalting.
Suitable for: Pens, Pendants, Earrings, Bottle Stoppers |
| Birch
Betula Pendula |
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Wood from our land, but not yet turned |
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Bottle Brush
Callistemon rigidus |
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Quite grainy but easy to work with a slight pinkish tinge
Suitable for: Flowers, Bottle Stoppers |
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Brazilian Cedar
Cedrela odorata |
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A rich brown and pretty wood with
occasional brown stripes.
Suitable for: Pens |
|
Cherry
Prunus avium |
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Very pretty with brown heartwood and yellow sapwood
Suitable for: Bowls |
| Cocobolo
Dalbergia retusa |
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Very heavy, oily wood. Polishes well
Suitable for: Pens |
|
Crabapple
Malus sylvestris |
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Very pretty and fine grained with a purpleish bloom
probably due to spalting. Tendency for markings within the wood.
Suitable for: Flowers |
|
Douglas Fir
Pseudotsuga menziesii |
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Softwood, excellent patterning with wide grain and very raggedy when
working but smoothes to a clean finish.
Suitable for: Bowls, Stools |
| Ebony
Diospyros ebenum |
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All black and not much else.
Suitable for: Lace Bobbins |
| Eucalyptus (Gum
tree)
Eucalyptus globulus
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Wood from our land, but not yet turned |
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Holly
Ilex aquifolium |
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Very fine grain, quite heavy - easy to turn. Large splits as it dries.
(Loses 35% of weight on drying)
Suitable for: Cord pulls, Wands |
|
Greengage
Prunus domestica italica
|
TBA |
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Suitable for: Pens |
|
Horse Chestnut (Spalted)
Aesculus Hippocastanum |
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Susceptible to fungal growth - turns black in places.
Suitable for: Bowls |
|
Iroko
Chlorophora excelsa
Milicia excelsa
Slightly irritates skin, coughing, headaches |
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Hard & brittle - not good for thin sections. Polishes to a good shine.
Suitable for: Bowls, Pendants |
|
Judas Tree
Cercis siliquastrum |
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Interesting pretty yellowish sapwood with
light heartwood. Suitable for: Pens, Bottle Stoppers |
| Lacewood
Cardwellia sublimis? |
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Very pale
Suitable for: Lace Bobbins |
Lignum Vitae
(Tree of Life)
Guiacum officinale |
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Extremely heavy patterned brown heartwood with much lighter
sapwood. Sinks rapidly in water, although sapwood floats.
Suitable for: Pens, Bowls |
|
Mahogany
Khaya ivorensis |
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Well established dark wood
Suitable for: Bowls |
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Maple/Sycamore
Acer campestre
Acer pseudoplatanus |
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Very white and light
Suitable for: Pens, Bottle Stoppers |
Oak
(French Oak)
Quercus robur |
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Hard, but OK to use. Warm light brown with noticeable grain patterns.
Suitable for: Ornaments, Bowls, Lace Bobbins, Bottle Stoppers |
| Palmira (Black)
(Fishtail Palm)
Caryota Urens |
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Outstanding colouration - short black lines on dark purplish wood -
quite brittle.
Suitable for: |
| Pine (White)
Pinus strobus |
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Retains sap and needs longer to dry than normal.
Suitable for: Mushrooms |
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Plum
Prunus Domestica Insititia |
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Easy and pleasant to turn. Very pretty with brown sapwood and almost
white heartwood
Suitable for: Toys, Cord Pulls, Wands, Mushrooms, Jewellery |
Purpleheart
(Nazareno)
Peltogyne porphyrocardia |
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Darkens from brown to dark red-purple after a few hours
Suitable for: Pendants |
| Rosewood
Dalbergia sissoo
|
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Yet to be tried |
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Sapele
Entandrophragma cylindricum |
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Easy to work, rich colour, slightly aromatic - pleasantly reminiscent
of sweet parsnip.
Suitable for: Pendants, Bottle Stoppers |
|
Teak
Verbenaceae Tectona |
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Light brown well known wood for furniture
Suitable for: Bowls |
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Tulipwood/Poplar
Liriodendron tulipifera |
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Very pale, greyish wood.
Suitable for: Bowls, Lace Bobbins |
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Walnut (American Black)
Juglans nigra |
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Rich dark wood, easy to turn and polish.
Suitable for: Bangles, Lace Bobbins, Earrings |
Satin Walnut
(Red-American)
(Red Gum)
Liquidambar styraciflua |
TBA |
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Rich reddish wood, easy to turn and polish.
Suitable for: Pens |
|
Yew
Taxus baccata
All
parts of the tree are poisonous including the wood due mostly to the
alkaloid taxin. |
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Significant difference in colour between brown heartwood and orange
sapwood. Very pretty. A slow-growing tree, tight-grained , tough and resilient, used
in the past for spears, small hunting bows and longbows.
Suitable for: Pens, Bowls, Bangles |
| Zebrano
Microberlinia brazzavillensis |
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TBA |
TBA |
TBA |
TBA |
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Pretty dark stripes in brown grain.
Suitable for: Small Ornaments |
| Other Woods to be tried: |
Amelanchier
Chestnut |
Elderberry
Hawthorn |
Laburnum
Magnolia |
Rhoose
Robinia |
Rose
Rowan |
Sloe
Willow |
Wood from our land, but not yet turned |
