Another topic from the list of questions we get asked a lot is what type of wood should I choose for my project? This can seem like a daunting task, and one not to be taken lightly. After all, the entire success of a project can be jeopardized with the wrong choice of material. Fortunately, there are many great woods to choose from, and by evaluating some basic criteria it can become an easy and risk free decision to pick the right one. The criteria we use include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Cost
- Availability
- Durability
- Tone
- Texture
- Special Considerations
I’ll discuss cost, availability, and durability here and come back to the more subjective issues of tone and texture in later posts.
Cost & Availablity
There are many high quality woods that are suitable for the making of quality furniture and cabinetry. Some of the most popular that come to mind are ash, maple, oak, cherry, mahogany, and walnut. These are all readily available, stable, and highly attractive woods that are ideal for most interior woodworking projects. And, while costs do vary from species to species and exceptions must be made for highly figured and prized boards, this core group of materials is available at reasonable cost. In fact, because such a large percentage of the cost of any custom furniture or cabinetry project is the labor of the skilled craftsmen creating the piece, the cost of the material is rarely the determining factor in choosing a material. This is actually good news because it means that we can focus on choosing our material based on appearance, not on price.
Durabilty
While traditionally divided into categories of hardwoods and softwoods, these lumber classifications have more to do with the cell structure of how a particular species than they do with the strength of toughness of a particular wood and offer little practical advice on what might be an appropriate material for a given project. In truth, almost all hardwoods and mahoganies are suitable for furniture construction. While special consideration may be given to particularly durable woods, such as maple or oak, for projects that will be subject to extra abuse, all of our standard hardwoods will hold up just fine.
Tone & Texture
Next time we’ll discuss “tone & texture,” which are the terms we use here in the shop to define the color and appearance of a particular wood. These are the most important criteria in selecting a material for each project, and our unique approach ensures we can help you pick the perfect material for yours.
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