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American Cherry
Grows throughout the eastern United States; the wood I’ve used comes chiefly from New England and Virginia. The wood is fine-grained and works beautifully. It has a reddish brown color that deepens dramatically with age. |
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Black Walnut
Grows throughout the United States. Other species grow around the world, and all are prized for furniture wood. It is a joy to work and finish, revealing striking undulations of grain as it is rubbed with oil. |
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Bubinga
From West Africa, principally Gabon and Cameroon, it is a prized exotic. It has a moderately course, open grain, can be a bit of a bear to work, yet takes a fine polish. The wood is extremely heavy and fairly hard, and can range in color from red to brown to purple in a single piece. It is occasionally vividly figured. |
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Hard Maple
Grows extensively from Minnesota to Maine, from Georgia northward. My supplies have been coming from Vermont. It is heavy and hard, can be difficult to work, but takes a wonderful finish. Its pale golden color is occasionally brilliantly figured: curly (sometimes called tiger or fiddleback,) or birdseye. |
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Honduras Mahogany
The “true” Mahogany, it is a venerated furniture wood; its durability makes it also popular for marine use. Its color will, over time, darken from golden brown to a rich, deep red. It tends to have remarkable, swirling grain patterns and is a pleasure to work and finish. |
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Zebrawood
Zebrawood is a rare exotic from West Africa. Its striped, course grain can be a challenge to shape and finish. The wood is extremely durable and very heavy. |
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The finish I use is from a recipe by the legendary Sam Maloof, though I have made minor modifications to his application process. After the wood is shaped, it is sanded dry to 180 grit. Then three coats of a mixture of tung oil, linseed oil, and polyurethane are rubbed in by hand with wet-or-dry sandpaper of grits from 220 to 1500. After that, three coats of a mixture of tung oil, linseed oil, and beeswax are rubbed in. I do not use any stains or dyes and I find this finish brings out the natural color and beauty of hardwoods. The finished texture is satiny and warm, and begs to be touched. It is a very durable and long-lasting finish as well. It stands up to years of use, with only a periodic wipe of lemon oil or coat of paste wax. This finish is actually improved by the oil from human skin, and becomes more lustrous with use. |
