Our core 16 woods are among the finest woods from the United States and around the globe.
Below, you’ll find images and information to help you determine which is right for you.
Our Custom Workshop has access to an even greater variety; see the complete list here.
RED OAK
Quercus Rubra
A very popular wood for cabinetry and furniture during the late eighties and early nineties, this is the wood of middle-class American childhoods. Glossy, polyurethane coated floors and cabinets make this the wood of the people. It’s popularity is well earned – it’s handsome and works easily. While not currently in vogue in kitchen decor, it’s doubtful we’ve heard the last from this classic.
WHITE OAK
Quercus alba
WHITE OAK
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From ships and barrels to ink and acorns, mission furniture to post and beam structures, oak can be considered the wood that built civilization – in a very literal sense. It splits cleanly and works easily, while remaining a strong, tough wood. A timeless classic, white oak may well set the standard for wood; druids and treefolk need look no further.
HICKORY
genus Carya
A “masculine” wood, Hickory is used in tool handles and for smoking meat. Tough to work, sharp tools are a must, lest your cuts be left stringy and ragged. The creamy sapwood can provide pleasing contrast and visual interest occasionally alongside the darker heartwood. Andrew Jackson was known as Old Hickory by some of his contemporaries due to his tough nature, however this is somewhat of misnomer: young Hickory is actually tougher and more elastic than the old heartwood of large mature Hickory trees.
CHERRY
Prunus serotina
CHERRY
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Cherry is one of the few woods that one may wish to leave in the sunshine to darken, perhaps on a windowsill for a few days. It will shift from a pale, pinkish red to a deep, warm, reddish brown. This color change is initially rapid, visible day to day, but slows gradually. Like most fruit woods, cherry works easily, and can feature vivid grain. A classic, tasteful American wood for furniture and paneling.
BLACK WALNUT
Juglans nigra
BLACK WALNUT
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Walnut comes in many varieties, but American black walnut is the most ubiquitous. An exceedingly popular fine furniture wood, it is light, beautiful, and works easily. Wide, flat-sawn boards can have brilliant figure and cathedrals, making excellent dining room table tops – perfect for gaming! A perennial favorite, and a truly refined classic.
LACEWOOD
Cardwellia Sublimis
Lacewood is among the most “friendly” woods to work in our lineup. While it is hard and heavy, it machines well and is very stable. The brilliant figure on the surface of Lacewood appears due to the way the wood is milled; the sides of a piece may look rather plain by contrast. Examining the endgrain can show you the way Lacewood is cut, which results in the interesting pattern.
PERUVIAN WALNUT
Juglans Boliviana
PERUVIAN WALNUT
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Another variety of walnut, sometimes called tropical walnut. It is darker and more consistent in color than American Black Walnut. It works very easily and takes an oil finish nicely. Interestingly, walnut leaves contain a compound that acts as a mild herbicide.
BLACK POISONWOOD
Metopium brownei
BLACK POISONWOOD
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Also known as Chechen, Black Poisonwood is a vibrant deep colored wood. Coming from the same family of plants as Poison Ivy (the family Anacardiaceae) the bark of the tree produces urushiol which is the same chemical skin irritant that Poison Ivy produces. Hence the name: Poisonwood. Don’t worry, the heartwood of the tree doesn’t contain any of the compound and is completely non-toxic.
ZEBRAWOOD
Microberlinia brazzavillensis
ZEBRAWOOD
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Nothing if not aptly named, zebrawood displays swirls of dark black grain which play across a golden, green-yellow background. It works moderately well, but keep your tools sharp, as it can be stringy and fibrous. Evoking the wild like few other woods, if you’ve rolled up a Barbarian Druid or are just looking for something a bit different, zebrawood might be the ideal choice.
WENGE
Millettia laurentii
WENGE
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Hailing from Central Africa, this dark grainy wood is strong, hard, dense, and stable. While it does not possess the pure black of Gabon ebony, wenge is nonetheless among the darkest natural woods to be found anywhere. Exotic and striking, it is very popular in decorative usage for its unique, wild look and distinctive character.
BOLIVIAN ROSEWOOD
Caesalpinia ferrea
BOLIVIAN ROSEWOOD
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Extremely popular and sought after, rosewood is the quintessential wood for inlay, turnings, carvings and many musical instruments. Very hard, fine-grained, and crisp, there are many varieties of rosewood, some sold under other names. All of them take a beautiful polish and are considered fine tonal woods. Unquestionably one of the finest woods we offer, rosewood speaks of refinement and grace.
SPALTED TAMARIND
Tamarindus Indica
SPALTED TAMARIND
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The dark lines in Spalted Tamarind can be seen as “property lines” between competing types of fungus. In pieces of spalted wood, the fungus is allowed to infect the wood to just the right point, then stopped before the wood becomes unusable. Retrieved at just the right time, each piece of Spalted Tamarind will have a unique appearance, making it a very popular exotic selection.
PURPLEHEART
Peltogyne
PURPLEHEART
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Purpleheart is a very hard, dense wood, primarily known for its remarkable coloring. One of our most highly varied woods in hue, it ranges from warm and subtle plum to vivid, cool shades of violet. Over time, the color will mellow to a rich tint. Purpleheart is unmistakable, unique among thousands of wood species, and many collectors count it as a favorite.
FLAME BOX ELDER
Acer negundo
FLAME BOX ELDER
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This subspecies of Maple tree owes its brilliant coloration to invading beetles and fungus. First the beetles attack, boring holes throughout the tree. These wounds become avenues for a fungal invasion. As a defense, the tree releases powerful and colorful chemicals around each wound to fend off the fungus. Eventually the tree falls and we are able to appreciate the beauty of nature in action. The red coloration will become more muted over time, but will never fade away, and battle between the tree and the invaders can stand at your game table.
ENGLISH WYCH ELM BURL
Ulmus glabra
ENGLISH WYCH ELM BURL
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Wych Elm is the only Elm that is known to be native to the British Islands. Being very common in Scotland it is also known as Scots Elm instead of Wych Elm in some circles. In this case we are using the burl of the tree for lumber. Burls are the large roundish growths that naturally occur on many species of trees. The grain within burls is tightly swirled and highly figured. Note: There may be small voids or cracks in any burl wood, these are natural features of the burl and we do not fill or modify our burl wood in any way.
GABON EBONY
Diospyros crassiflora
GABON EBONY
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Black. More than any other wood on earth, Gabon ebony sets the standard for dark wood. Limited to decorative uses due to the size of the tree, it is fine grained, hard, quite easy to work and takes detail very well. Prized throughout history for its glossy, pure black, Gabon ebony is darkness manifest in wood. Paladins, healers and lovers of the light need not apply. Rogues, necromancers, and vampires, on the other hand…
