Rock Maple

BOTANICAL NAME: Acer saccharum

OTHER COMMON NAMES: Hard Maple, White Maple, Sugar Maple and Black Maple (Acer nigrum), have very similar properties and appearance to Rock Maple and are commonly sold under the name of Rock Maple.

TREE DESCRIPTION: Rock Maple is a medium to large non rainforest hardwood of North cast America and Canada. It can reach heights of up to 40m (132ft) and diameters of up to 0.6 1m (2 3ft). Large sections of this timber are obtainable in long lengths. The sap of this tree is the source of Maple syrup.

COLOUR: The heartwood is creamy white, sometimes with a reddish tinge. The sapwood is wide, generally of the same colour and not clearly defined from the heartwood. Older and larger trees sometimes have a dark brown heart.

GRAIN AND TEXTURE: The grain is generally straight though sometimes wavy, producing wood with a fiddle back figure. It has a naturally high lustre. The texture is very fine and uniform. 'Birdseye' figure is present in some trees.
Queensland Maple

BOTANICAL NAME: Flindersia brayleyana

OTHER COMMON NAMES: Maple and Silkwood or Maple Silkwood.

TREE DESCRIPTION: Queensland Maple is a medium to tall hardwood of the rainforests of Northern Queensland and also Papua New Guinea. In ideal conditions, it can grow to a height of 40m (132ft) and 2m (6.5ft) in diameter. The trunk is usually well formed and yields a wide variety of board sizes.

COLOUR: The heartwood is pinkish brown to medium brown.

GRAIN AND TEXTURE: The texture is medium and uniform. Grain can be straight, although it is often interlocked, displaying a wide variety of slightly too highly figured material with a natural lustre.
Macassar Ebony

BOTANICAL NAME: Diospros rumphii and D. celebica

OTHER COMMON NAMES:

TREE DESCRIPTION: Macassar Ebony is a small to medium hardwood found growing in the coastal forests of Sulawesi (Celebes) in Indonesia. It can reach a height of 15m (50ft) and a diameter of 0.6m (2ft).

COLOUR: The heartwood is variegated, usually brown to dark brown with stripes of dark brown or black. The sapwood is red brown and distinguishable from the heartwood.

GRAIN AND TEXTURE: The grain is usually straight with a very fine and uniform texture.
Jarrah

BOTANICAL NAME: Eucalyptus marginata

OTHER COMMON NAMES:

TREE DESCRIPTION: Jarrah is a large hardwood growing in the South West corner of Western Australia. It can reach heights of up to 40m (132ft) and diameters of up to 2m (6ft). Due to its height and clear straight trunk, it can yield long lengths of straight, large section timber. It is a non rainforest species.

COLOUR: The heartwood is a uniform pink to dark reddish brown. The sapwood is very narrow in older trees, clearly distinguishable from the heartwood, and usually pale yellow in colour.

GRAIN AND TEXTURE: The grain is straight and often slightly interlocked, producing wood with a moderate fiddleback figure. The straight grained material has a rather plain appearance. Growth rings are not prominent. The texture is moderately coarse and even.
Huon Pine

BOTANICAL NAME: Dacrydium franklinfl

OTHER COMMON NAMES: White Pine, Macquarie Pine.

TREE DESCRIPTION: Huon Pine is a medium to tall softwood, which grows only in the cool temperate high rainfall areas of South Western Tasmania. It is one of Australia's longest lived species. The tree occasionally reaches heights of up to 38m (125ft) and 1.9m (6ft) in diameter. Normally, it is less than 20m tall.

COLOUR: The sapwood is pale, very narrow and is not easily distinguishable from the heartwood, which is light cream to yellowish brown in colour.

GRAIN AND TEXTURE: It is usually straight grained, with fine growth rings closely spaced, giving it a very fine and even texture. Sometimes, it exhibits a beautiful birds eye figure. (The most valuable figure is acquired from full burl or near burl.)
European Beech

BOTANICAL NAME: Fagus sylvatica

OTHER COMMON NAMES:

TREE DESCRIPTION: European Beech is a medium sized hardwood of importance. It is found growing throughout Europe and Britain. The tree grows to a height of around 30m and a diameter of 1.2m (4ft) or larger.

COLOUR: The heartwood is usually pale brown but can change during the kiln drying process to a darker reddishbrown. The sapwood is also cream to pale brown and not always distinguishable from the heartwood.

GRAIN AND TEXTURE: The grain is normally straight. The quarter cut surface reveals dark flecks against a lighter background producing the characteristic 1 silver grain' due to the rays present in the wood. The texture is fine and even.
Australian Blackwood

BOTANICAL NAME: Acacia melanoxylon

OTHER COMMON NAMES:

TREE DESCRIPTION: Australian Blackwood is a medium to tall hardwood with an extensive distribution throughout Eastern Australia including the higher rainfall areas of Tasmania, Victoria, South Australia, NSW and right up to the Tableland areas of North Queensland. The best and largest trees occur in the Cool Temperate high rainfall areas and the tall open forests in North Western Tasmania. The tree is normally 10 to 20m (33ft 66ft) tall and up to 0.5m (20inches)in diameter, but can vary from a small shrub to one of the largest Acacias in Australia, growing to heights of 35m (1-15ft) tall and 1.5m in diameter.

COLOUR: The heartwood varies greatly in colour according to the area of occurrence, though it is generally goldenbrown to darker brown, sometimes with a reddish tint and streaks of reddish colour. Sapwood is pale and up to 10Omm (4inches) wide. Obviously, the name Blackwood does not refer to the colour of the wood. It probably arose from the skin discolouration which occurs when it is handled.

GRAIN AND TEXTURE: The grain is usually straight. Sometimes it is interlocked producing wood with mild to very high fiddleback figure. This, along with its naturally high lustre, makes Blackwood one of Australia's most decorative timbers. The texture is medium and even.
American Cherry

BOTANICAL NAME: Prunus serotina

OTHER COMMON NAMES: Black Cherry

TREE DESCRIPTION: American Cherry is a medium sized non rainforest hardwood of wide distribution. It is most plentiful in the hardwood forests of eastern and mid western USA and in southern Canada. It can attain heights of 30m (100ft) and diameters of 0.9-1.5m (3-5ft).

COLOUR: The heartwood is pale pinkish brown to brown, darkening somewhat on exposure to deep reddish brown. The sapwood is much paler and is easily distinguishable from the heartwood.

GRAIN AND TEXTURE: The grain is usually straight and often displays a nicely figured surface. The texture is fine and even.
American Black Walnut

BOTANICAL NAME: Juglans nigra

OTHER COMMON NAMES: Black Walnut

TREE DESCRIPTION: American Black Walnut is a medium to large hardwood occurring in the eastern part of the United States and to a lesser extent in South Eastern Canada. (it is also grown in limited quantities as a plantation timber in Australia). The tree reaches a maximum height of 45m (150ft), with 30m being more common and has a diameter of 1.2-1.8m (4-6ft). It is a non rainforest species.

COLOUR: The heartwood is usually a uniform pale to dark purplish brown which tends to darken with age it seems to be darker and more uniform that European Walnut. The sapwood is narrow and sharply defined from the heartwood by its pale colour.

GRAIN AND TEXTURE: The grain is usually straight, sometimes wavy. Highly figured veneers are obtained from gnarled stumps. The texture is moderately fine and even.
Zebrano

BOTANICAL NAME: Micoberlinia brazzavillensis and M bisulcata

OTHER COMMON NAMES: Zebrawood, Zingana and African Zebrawood.

TREE DESCRIPTION: Zebrano is a large hardwood of West Africa. The wood is derived from two species of trees which grow mainly around Camaroon and Gaboon and is usually supplied in billets and logs up to I m (3ft) in diameter.

COLOUR: The heartwood has a background colour of straw to pale brown with irregular streaks of dark brown or almost black giving the wood a decorative appearance. The sapwood is pale and relatively featureless compared to the heartwood.

GRAIN AND TEXTURE: The grain which is usually interlocked can be somewhat variable. The texture is coarse and uneven. The appearance of the wood varies according to the log and the way the wood is cut.
Queensland Silky Oak

BOTANICAL NAME: Cardwellia sublimis

OTHER COMMON NAMES: Bull Oak, Oak, Silky Oak, Northern Silky Oak.

TREE DESCRIPTION: Queensland Silky Oak is a medium to tall hardwood of the rainforests of Northern Queensland. It can reach heights of up to 40m (132ft) and diameters of 2.2m (7ft).

COLOUR: The heartwood is pale pinkish to reddish brown darkening on exposure.

GRAIN AND TEXTURE: The grain is usually straight with the presence of large prominent rays resembling those of true oak. The texture is coarse but even.
Sugar Pine

BOTANICAL NAME: Pinus lambertiana

OTHER COMMON NAMES: Californian sugar pine.

TREE DESCRIPTION: Typically reaches about 45m (150ft) in height and 1m (3ft 3") in diameter.

COLOUR: The sapwood is white, and the heartwood a pale brown to reddish-brown colour.

GRAIN AND TEXTURE: The even-grained wood is moderately soft, with a medium texture.
Paper Birch

BOTANICAL NAME: Betula papyrifera

OTHER COMMON NAMES: American birch, White birch.

TREE DESCRIPTION: The average height of this relatively small tree is about 18m (60ft) and the straight, clear, cylindrical trunk is about 300mm (1ft) in diameter.

COLOUR: The sapwood is creamy white, and the heartwood, which is relatively resistant to treatment with preservatives, is pale brown.

GRAIN AND TEXTURE: The fairly hard wood has straight grain and a fine, even texture, and is moderately good for steam-bending. 
Ebony

BOTANICAL NAME: Diospyros ebenum

OTHER COMMON NAMES: Tendo, tuki, ebans.

TREE DESCRIPTION: This relatively small tree grows up to 30m (100ft) in height, of which the straight trunk is about 4.5m (15ft) and about 750mm (2ft 6in) in diameter.

COLOUR: The sapwood is yellowish white and the durable, lustrous heartwood is the familiar dark brown to black.

GRAIN AND TEXTURE: The hard, heavy and dense wood can have a straight, irregular or wavy grain, and has a fine even texture. 
American Walnut

BOTANICAL NAME: Juglans nigra

OTHER COMMON NAMES: Black American walnut.

TREE DESCRIPTION: It grows to a height of about 30m (100ft), with a trunk about 1.5m (5ft) in diameter.

COLOUR: Light coloured sapwood contrasts with rich, dark brown purplish heartwood.

GRAIN AND TEXTURE: The tough, moderately durable wood has an even but coarse texture; the grain is usually straight, but can be wavy. 
European Walnut

BOTANICAL NAME: Juglans regia

OTHER COMMON NAMES: English, French, Italian walnut etc. according to origin.

TREE DESCRIPTION: This nut-bearing tree reaches a height of about 30m (100ft), and the average trunk diameter is 1m (3ft 3in).

COLOUR: Light coloured sapwood contrasts with rich, dark brown purplish heartwood.

GRAIN AND TEXTURE: The tough, moderately durable wood has an even but coarse texture; the grain is usually straight, but can be wavy.
American Cherry

BOTANICAL NAME: Prunus serotina

OTHER COMMON NAMES: Cabinet cherry (Canada); black cherry (Canada, USA).

TREE DESCRIPTION: This moderate size tree reaches a height of 21m (70ft), with a trunk about 500mm (1ft 8in) in diameter.

COLOUR: The narrow sapwood is a pinkish colour, while the heartwood is reddish-brown to deep red, with brown flecks and some gum pockets.

GRAIN AND TEXTURE: The durable wood has straight grain and a fine texture; it is hard and moderately strong, and can be steam bent. 
English Elm

BOTANICAL NAME: Ulmus hollandica/U. procera

OTHER COMMON NAMES: English elm, Red elm, Dutch elm, Cork bark elm.

TREE DESCRIPTION: This relatively large tree can reach 45m (150ft) in height and up to 2.5m (8ft) in diameter, but elms are usually cut when they reach a diameter of about 1m (3ft 3in).

COLOUR: The coarse-textured wood has beige-brown heartwood and distinct irregular growth rings, with an attractive figure when plain-sawn.

GRAIN AND TEXTURE: The Dutch elm is tougher than the English, with more even growth and straighter grain. Dutch elm disease has led to short supplies of the wood.