Comments on: Identifying Wood Species?

By: Mike Smith

Mike Smith — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 04:43:23 +0000

The above link to the Exotic Wood Directory is, I think, one of the best sites for getting information on identifying wood. As a hobby woodworker, I like to use different woods and sometimes the only way to tell what the wood is, is by looking at the end grain. The above link is the best I have seen for giving information on Domestic and Exotic wood types. Thanks

By: Rob Bois

Rob Bois — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 14:28:51 +0000

And of course once you’ve worked with a number of different species, you can start identifying wood simply by smell. They can’t teach you that in a book!

By: Dan

Dan — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 04:29:54 +0000

While not a wood identification book per se, I would also recommend the old classic, “Know your woods” by Albert Constantine. It can be found for very little money (ten bucks new, five bucks used from Amazon), and is a useful reference book that not only discusses a large number of both common and rare varieties, but comments on the physical characteristics of each type of wood, what various names it goes by, what it is most often used for, and how easy or difficult it is to work. Well written and fun to browse through. Should be in any woodworker’s library.

By: Paul-Marcel ST-ONGE

Paul-Marcel ST-ONGE — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 19:30:44 +0000

Woodcraft also sells a packet of 40 quarter-sheets of veneer for identification purposes. It’s not a bad mix, but a bit pricey. Based on the price, I might not recommend it unless you get some 20% off coupon.

Also at Woodcraft is a small bin of dimensioned exotics; if you’re looking at the woodbins, you’ll walk right past it. Mine has around 30 different types.

By: Jason Buchta

Jason Buchta — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 15:21:02 +0000

Lie Nielsen sells a sampler pack of most major North American wood species. Just FYI. Keep up the good work Marc

By: cwsplinter

cwsplinter — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 14:57:31 +0000

You could also go to this website http://www.hardwoodinfo.com/.

By: Matthew Hills

Matthew Hills — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 14:54:15 +0000

The exotic wood species page is simultaneously amazing and overwhelming. There is so much variation there (this was one of his points) — some of it from misrepresentation of species, and some from photos, and some from natural sample-to-sample variations.

This past weekend was chatting with a neighbor as he was milling up face frames for his parent’s bathroom. The wood he was using was pretty neutral looking, and I couldn’t quite place it (grain similar to alder, but without the knots and color was lighter). Turned out to be Liquid Amber. I would have expected the wood to be similar to poplar (both are water-loving, fast-growing trees), but it’s surprisingly hard. He said that the sugar content is high and it tended to burn pretty easily.

Oh well, one more step in the journey.