WOOD SPECIES

I apologize for not writing for the past couple of days.  My wife is very sick and is in the

hospital so my mind and efforts have been elsewhere.  She will be in and out of the

hospital for the next four weeks.

Today I want to introduce you all to the many different species of wood that exist around

the world.  There are literally hundreds of species of wood which are broken into basically

3 different categories: Hardwoods (angiosperms), Softwoods (coniferous) and Psudowoods

(other wood-like materials).  There are over 200 hardwood species alone.

Since the list is so extensive I will just list the hardwood species today.

Below is the list of Hardwood Species:

Hardwoods (angiosperms)

• Abachi (Triplochiton scleroxylon)
• Acacia (Acacia sp., Robinia pseudoacacia)
• African padauk (Pterocarpus soyauxii)
• Afzelia, doussi (Afzelia africana)
• Agba, tola (Gossweilerodendron balsamiferum)
• Alder (Alnus)
  • Black alder (Alnus glutinosa)
  • Red alder (Alnus rubra)
• Ash (Fraxinus)
  • Black ash (Fraxinus nigra)
  • Blue ash (Fraxinus quadrangulata)
  • Common ash (Fraxinus excelsior)
  • Green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica)
  • Oregon ash (Fraxinus latifolia)^[1]
  • Pumpkin ash (Fraxinus profunda)^[1]
  • White ash (Fraxinus americana)
• Aspen (Populus)
• Bigtooth aspen (Populus gradidentata)
  • European aspen (Populus tremula)
  • Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides)
• Australian red cedar (Toona ciliata)
• Ayan, movingui (Distemonanthus benthamianus)^[2]
• Balsa (Ochroma pyramidale)
• Basswood, linden
  • American basswood (Tilia americana)^[1]
  • White basswood (Tilia heterophylla)^[1]
  • American beech (Fagus grandifolia)
• Birch (Betula)
  • American birches
    • Gray birch (Betula populifolia)
    • Black birch (Betula nigra)
    • Paper birch (Betula papyrifera)
    • Sweet birch (Betula lenta)
    • Yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis)
  • European birches
    • Silver birch (Betula pendula)
    • Downy birch (Betula pubescens)
• Blackbean (Castanospermum australe)
• Blackwood
  • Australian blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon)
  • African blackwood, mpingo (Dalbergia melanoxylon)
• Bloodwood (Brosimum rubescens)^[3]
• Boxelder (Acer negundo)
• Boxwood, common box (Buxus sempervirens)
• Brazilian walnut (Ocotea porosa)
• Brazilwood (Caesalpinia echinata)
• Buckeye, Horse-chestnut (Aesculus)
  • Horse-chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum)
  • Ohio buckeye (Aesculus glabra)
  • Yellow buckeye (Aesculus flava)
• Butternut (Juglans cinerea)
• California bay laurel (Umbellularia californica)
• Camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora)
• Cape chestnut (Calodendrum capense)
• Catalpa, catawba (Catalpa)
• Ceylon satinwood (Chloroxylon swietenia)
• Cherry (Prunus)
  • Black cherry (Prunus serotina)
  • Red cherry (Prunus pensylvanica)
  • Wild cherry (Prunus avium)
• Chestnut (Castanea spp.)
  • Chestnut (Castanea sativa)
  • American Chestnut (Castanea dentata)
• Coachwood (Ceratopetalum apetalum)
• Cocobolo (Dalbergia retusa)
• Corkwood (Leitneria floridana)
• Cottonwood, popular
  • Eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides)
  • Swamp cottonwood (Populus heterophylla)
• Cucumbertree (Magnolia acuminata)
• Cumaru (Dipteryx spp.)^[4]
• Dogwood (Cornus spp.)
  • Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida)
  • Pacific dogwood (Cornus nuttallii)
• Ebony (Diospyros)
  • Andaman marblewood (Diospyros kurzii)
  • Ebène marbre (Diospyros melanida)
  • African ebony (Diospyros crassiflora)^[5]
  • Ceylon ebony (Diospyros ebenum)
• Elm
  • American elm (Ulmus americana)
  • English elm (Ulmus procera)
  • Rock elm (Ulmus thomasii)
  • Slippery elm, red elm (Ulmus rubra)
  • Wych elm (Ulmus glabra)
• Eucalyptus
  • Lyptus: Flooded gum (Eucalyptus grandis)
  • White mahogany (Eucalyptus acmenoides)
  • Brown mallet (Eucalyptus astringens)^[6]
  • Banglay, southern mahogany (Eucalyptus botryoides)
  • River red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis)
  • Karri (Eucalyptus diversicolor)
  • Blue gum (Eucalyptus globulus)
  • Flooded gum, rose gum (Eucalyptus grandis)
  • York gum (Eucalyptus loxophleba)^[6]
  • Jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata)
  • Tallowwood (Eucalyptus microcorys)
  • Grey ironbark (Eucalyptus paniculata)
  • Blackbutt (Eucalyptus pilularis)
  • Mountain ash (Eucalyptus regnans)
  • Australian oak (Eucalyptus obliqua)
  • Alpine ash (Eucalyptus delegatensis)
  • Red mahogany (Eucalyptus resinifera)
  • Swamp mahogany, swamp messmate (Eucalyptus robusta)
  • Sydney blue gum (Eucalyptus saligna)
  • Mugga, red ironbark (Eucalyptus sideroxylon)
  • Redwood (Eucalyptus transcontinentalis)^[6]
  • Wandoo (Eucalyptus wandoo)^[6]
• European crabapple (Malus sylvestris)
• European pear (Pyrus communis)
• Gonçalo alves (Astronium spp.)
• Greenheart (Chlorocardium rodiei)
• Grenadilla, mpingo (Dalbergia melanoxylon)
• Guanandi (Calophyllum brasiliense)
• Gum (Eucalyptus)
• Gumbo limbo (Bursera simaruba)
• Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis)
• Hickory (Carya)
  • Pecan (Carya illinoinensis)
  • Pignut hickory (Carya glabra)
  • Shagbark hickory (Carya ovata)
  • Shellbark hickory (Carya laciniosa)
• Hornbeam (Carpinus spp.)
  • American hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana)
• Ipê (Handroanthus spp.)
• Iroko, African teak (Milicia excelsa)
• Ironwood
  • Balau (Shorea spp.)
  • American hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana)
  • Sheoak, Polynesian ironwood (Casuarina equisetifolia)
  • Giant ironwood (Choricarpia subargentea)
  • Diesel tree (Copaifera langsdorffii)
  • Borneo ironwood (Eusideroxylon zwageri)
  • Lignum vitae
    • Guaiacwood (Guaiacum officinale)
    • Holywood (Guaiacum sanctum)
  • Takian (Hopea odorata)
  • Black ironwood (Krugiodendron ferreum)
  • Black ironwood, olive (Olea spp.)
  • Lebombo ironwood Androstachys johnsonii
  • Catalina ironwood (Lyonothamnus floribundus)
  • Ceylon ironwood (Mesua ferrea)
  • Desert ironwood (Olneya tesota)
  • Persian ironwood (Parrotia persica)
  • Brazilian ironwood, pau ferro (Caesalpinia ferrea)
  • Yellow lapacho (Tabebuia serratifolia)
• Jacarandá-boca-de-sapo (Jacaranda brasiliana)
• Jacarandá de Brasil (Dalbergia nigra)
• Jatobá (Hymenaea courbaril)
• Kingwood (Dalbergia cearensis)
• Lacewood
  • Northern silky oak (Cardwellia sublimis)
  • American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis)
  • London plane (Platanus × acerifolia)
• Limba (Terminalia superba)
• Locust
  • Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia)
  • Honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos)
• Mahogany
  • Genuine mahogany (Swietenia)^[7]
    • West Indies mahogany (Swietenia mahagoni)
    • Bigleaf mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla)
    • Pacific Coast mahogany (Swietenia humilis)
  • other mahogany
    • African mahogany (Khaya spp.)
    • Chinese mahogany (Toona sinensis)
    • Australian red cedar, Indian mahogany (Toona ciliata)
    • Philippine mahogany, calantis, kalantis (Toona calantas)
    • Indonesian mahogany, suren (Toona sureni)
    • Sapele (Entandrophragma cylindricum)
    • Sipo, utile (Entandrophragma utile)
    • Tiama, (Entandrophragma angolense)
    • Kosipo, (Entandrophragma candollei)
    • Mountain mahogany, bottle tree (Entandrophragma caudatumi)
    • Indian mahogany, chickrassy, chittagong wood (Chukrasia velutina)
    • Spanish Cedar, cedro, Brazilian mahogany (Cedrela odorata)
    • Light bosse, pink mahogany (Guarea cedrata)
    • Dark bosse, pink Mahogany (Guarea thompsonii)
    • American muskwood (Guarea grandifolia)
    • Carapa, royal mahogany, demerara mahogany, bastard mahogany, andiroba, crabwood (Carapa guianensis)^[8]
    • Bead-tree, white cedar, Persian lilac (Melia azedarach)
• Maple (Acer)
  • Hard maple
    • Sugar maple (Acer saccharum)
    • Black maple (Acer nigrum)
  • Soft maple
    • Boxelder (Acer negundo)
    • Red maple (Acer rubrum)
    • Silver maple (Acer saccharinum)
  • European maple
    • Sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus)
• Marblewood (Marmaroxylon racemosum)
• Marri, red gum (Corymbia calophylla)
• Meranti (Shorea spp.)
• Merbau, ipil (Intsia bijuga), Kwila
• Mopane (Colophospermum mopane)
• Oak (Quercus)
  • White oak
    • White oak (Quercus alba)
    • Bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa)
    • Post oak (Quercus stellata)
    • Swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor)
    • Southern live oak (Quercus virginiana)
    • Swamp chestnut oak (Quercus michauxii)
    • Chestnut oak (Quercus prinus)
    • Chinkapin oak (Quercus muhlenbergii)
    • Canyon live oak (Quercus chrysolepis)
    • Overcup oak (Quercus lyrata)
  • English oak (Quercus robur)
  • Red oak
    • Northern red oak (Quercus rubra)
    • Eastern black oak (Quercus velutina)
    • Laurel oak (Quercus laurifolia)
    • Southern red oak (Quercus falcata)
    • Water oak (Quercus nigra)
    • Willow oak (Quercus phellos)
    • Nuttall’s oak (Quercus texana)
• Okoumé (Aucoumea klaineana)
• Olive (Olea europaea)
• Pink ivory (Berchemia zeyheri)
• Poplar
  • Balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera)
  • Black poplar (Populus nigra)
  • Hybrid black poplar (Populus × canadensis)
• Purpleheart (Peltogyne spp.)
• Queensland maple (Flindersia brayleyana)
• Queensland walnut (Endiandra palmerstonii)
• Ramin (Gonystylus spp.)
• Redheart, chakté-coc (Erythroxylon mexicanum)
• Sal (Shorea robusta)
• Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua)
• Sandalwood (Santalum spp.)
  • Indian sandalwood (Santalum album)
• Sassafras (Sassafras albidum)
  • Southern sassafras (Atherosperma moschatum)
• Satiné, satinwood (Brosimum rubescens)^[9]
• Silky oak (Grevillea robusta)
• Silver wattle (Acacia dealbata)
• Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum)
• Spanish-cedar (Cedrela odorata)
• Spanish elm (Cordia alliodora)
• Tamboti (Spirostachys africana)
• Teak (Tectona grandis)
• Thailand rosewood (Dalbergia cochinchinensis)
• Tupelo (Nyssa spp.)
  • Black tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica)
  • Tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera)
• Turpentine (Syncarpia glomulifera)
• Walnut (Juglans)
  • Eastern black walnut (Juglans nigra)
  • Common walnut (Juglans regia)
• Wenge (Millettia laurentii)
  • Panga-panga (Millettia stuhlmannii)
• Willow (Salix)
  • Black willow (Salix nigra)
  • Cricket-bat willow (Salix alba ‘Caerulea’)
  • White willow (Salix alba)
  • Weeping willow (Salix babylonica)
• Zingana, African zebrawood (Microberlinia brazzavillensis)

COMMENTS & PHOTOS

Jim Morasco replied to my question about what type of wood he used to carve his eagle head shown here:

Jim replied:

“I’m glad you like th e carving. The wood is Catalpa. It’s the wood I use the most.”

That’s interesting, Jim.  Is it local to your area?  As you can see from the chart above catalpa is considered to be a hardwood.  Is it hard or soft to carve?  I don’t know of anyone else who carves Catalpa.

Today we have a note and a photo of an excellent carving from my good friend Wayne Smith.  Wayne Writes:

“Hi Bob,   …..  just to let you know I’m enjoying your blog and look forward to your daily posts.

I’m attaching a photo of a recent carving that I did ( I expect you recognize the little fellow as I used some of the steps you suggested in one of your past submissions in WCI …) he’s 3 -1/2″ high, and the fish shack is 3″w × 6″h x 1/2″ thick.

I took that one and two others to a local giftshop to see if there might be some interest. By the time I got home  (8 miles) I had a message waiting for me saying they had sold those 3 and were looking for more. Guess I’m going to busy for the next couple of weeks .

Wayne”

I‘m sure you will be busy, Wayne.  That’s a cute little fisherman you’ve created there with excellent workmanship on both the carving and painting.  You took a good thing and made it even better!

NEW EMAIL ADDRESS!!!  We have finally worked all the kinks out of my email situation and my new email address is now fully up and running.  You can now send all of your email, including questions, comments AND photos to carverbobk@woodchipchatter.com.  Of course you can still use the Comment button at the bottom of the Blog page just for leaving questions or comments.  Thank you everyone for your patience and understanding.

Let the chips fly!  Tell your friends about Wood Chip Chatter, and don’t forget to send in your questions and comments so we can keep Wood Chip Chatter Active and keep the conversations going!

And remember to email your photos to carverbobk@woodchipchatter.com

A recent study found that women who carry a little extra weight live longer than the men who mention it.