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Box Elder - Flaming
BoxElderFlaming3

From the same genus as Maple, this species has a similar yellow/light brown base color. Pink/red streaks can provide a wonderful contrast to that base color. It is not very hard or dense, but that softness does make it easy to work with.

This is a recent addition to our species offering and we are delighted to be able to offer it in 4/4 and 8/4.

bandings, boxmaking, crafting, inlay, specialty items, turnings
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Kosso
kosso

Gorgeous colors and grain patterns have resulted in the exploitation of this beautiful species for use in production of "Hongmu" furniture. It looks similar in appearance to Kiaat/Muninga, another member of the Pterocarpus genus. We only have a few hundred BF of this endangered species left and don't expect to get any more when it runs out.

boxmaking, cabinetry, inlay, knife handles, specialty items
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Osage Orange - Argentine
osageorange argentine
This South American species is closely related to the domestic Osage Orange.The lumber it yields is typically a bit cleaner with less defects.It is pretty hard and dense making it tough on tools, but it turns and finishes well.
boxmaking, cabinetry, carving, crafting, inlay, specialty items
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Tamarind - Spalted
tamarind spalted
Spalted Tamarind comes from South East Asia. The decay/spalting gives the wood awesome spiderweb type patterns that add character and excitement to its appearance. The spalting is most prevalent in the sapwood which is prone to attack from bugs and fungus which cause it.It is moderately difficult to work, but turns and finishes well. Sometimes the rot is more endemic than is obvious from looking at the surface of the lumber result in some wastage (lost pieces).Take care to use good dust collection and a dust mask, as the fungal spores add more to the air than dust alone.
boxmaking, inlay, specialty items, turnings
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Birch - Yellow
birch yellow

Heartwood can vary from pale yellow to a light, muted reddish brown; sapwood is grayish-white. There are many species of Birch, worldwide; it is one of the most popular woods, ironically, for both veneer and utility applications. Figured pieces are the more desirable for veneer, with wide, dramatic curly figuring (similar to Cherry) decorating the surface.

American Birch works easily -- it turns, glues and finishes well -- although most boards have very little natural luster. It's a versatile wood that can be used for a number of different applications, but it needs to be protected, as the wood will decay when exposed to the elements. (... and if left unprotected will rot.)

boxmaking, cabinetry, crafting, flooring, furniture
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Maple - Soft Curly
Maple - Soft Lumber @ Rare Woods USA
The term "Soft Maple" is not a reference to any particular maples species, per se, but a segment of the Acer genus known for its lighter weight and density (as well as its propensity for displaying the classic maple "curl" figure). Of these lighter maples, Red Maple has the most weight and density, and is also the most prevalent -- growing in areas scattered all over the Eastern US and up into (Eastern) Canada. As is the paradoxical case with all maples, its beautiful pale white / pale yellow / pale golden sapwood are more coveted than its darker heartwood.Its more heavy, dense nature lends Red Maple to a greater variety of utility applications, versus its less substantial Soft Maple cousins. Its figuring can be quite dramatic; tiger-striped, veined, fiddleback and sometimes even quilt figuring are sometimes present.Our Soft Curly Maple generally varies from light to medium figure.
boxmaking, specialty items, turnings, utility lumber, veneer
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Canarywood
Canarywood Lumber @ Rare Woods USA
Canarywood grows across South America from Panama to Southern Brazil. Its heartwood can range from pale yellow to pink, orange and dark reddish -brown. Some of the prettiest pieces can have all the color variations in one piece. Other pieces, more consistent in color, tend at times to resemble Cherry.Being both durable and relatively hard, but still fairly easy to work, it gives woodworkers the opportunity to work with a hardwood species from South America that has good color variation, but is still reasonably priced.
bandings, boxmaking, inlay, specialty items, turnings, veneer
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Thuya Burl
Thuya Burl Lumber @ Rare Woods USA
Our Thuya Burl comes from Morocco.  Reddish brown in color, its figure can vary in density from block to block.  It has a distinct odor similar to that of Western Red Cedar.  The figure makes the species prone to tear-out.  It must be worked carefully with only the sharpest of tools.  Highly figured pieces look simply stunning as knife handles or other accent pieces.
boxmaking, inlay, specialty items
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Ash - Swamp
Ash - Swamp Lumber @ Rare Woods USA
Swamp Ash draws its name not from a particular Fraxinus-genus species, per se, but is a reference to any species of Ash (Fraxinus) whose roots system lies submerged, or partially submerged, in water. It is the softest of all ashes, which makes it the most desirable for electric guitar builders; lightweight and resonant, yet still stable enough for instrument building. Swamp Ash is shock resistant, very easily workable by hand or machine, responds well to steam bending and is easy to sand, glue and stain.
boxmaking, flooring, musical Instruments, turnings
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Tulipwood
Tulipwood Lumber @ Rare Woods USA
Tulipwood is one of the most coveted and seldom-seen of all (Dalbergia genus) rosewood species. The trees are very small in stature, thus, obtaining long, wide boards is quite rare -- and, when found undefective, sell at a premium. It is much more commonly found in smaller, craft-sized pieces. Finding any available boards in widths of 5" or more is uncommon.

Its heartwood is cream to salmon colored, highlighted by striping which can be any combination of red, violet, purple, pink and rose hues. The sapwood is pale yellow to a very pale yellowish white. Heartwood color gradually fades with continued UV ray exposure.

Tulipwood is typically straight-grained, although grains can also be wavy or (infrequently) irregular. The wood has a high natural oil content and is quite dense, which makes working it an often-difficult prospect. Despite being rather grainy and pourous, it sands very smooth, revealing a pleasing natural luster.
bandings, bows, boxmaking, inlay, musical Instruments, pool cues, specialty items, turnings, veneer
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Yellowwood
Yellowwood Lumber @ Rare Woods USA
Yellowwood is an even-grained, lightweight South African wood that has been used historically for hundreds of years, and a variety of purposes. It was extensively used in railway sleepers, as well as in multiple phases of construction. Its tough, durable nature saw it used as an exterior wood in the region. (It is still very popular throughout Southern Africa for indoor carpentry and floors, as it is also dimensionally stable.) The heartwood is pale yellowish brown, and not easy to distinguish from the sapwood; reddish streaks are sometimes present (in the heart). Grains are typically straight, though occasionally wavy; its texture is fine and consistent, with a nice natural luster.
boxmaking, fine furniture
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Oak - Bog
Oak - Bog Lumber @ Rare Woods USA
English Oak that has been salvaged from a peat bog.

As per wood database:

"The extremely low oxygen conditions of the bog protect the wood from normal decay, while the underlying peat provides acidic conditions where iron salts and other minerals react with the tannins in the wood, gradually giving it a distinct dark brown to almost black color."
boxmaking, furniture, knife handles
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Maple - Hard Curly
Maple - Curly Hard Lumber @ Rare Woods USA
Curly Maple or "Tiger Maple" (so called for its abundant "tiger stripe" figuring) is also not a specific species of maple; the figuring is common in many varieties of the Acer genus. While it is most commonly found in the softer maples, it is also seen regularly in Hard Maples, which is what we offer.Maple is one of those rare woods where the sapwood is considered more valuable and coveted than the heartwood. Pure sapwood boards that are dense and highly-figured are, without question, the most sought after of curly maples. Such boards can command serious money with electric guitar builders. Tiger Maple boards are also very popular with furniture craftsmen, flooring manufacturers, veneer mills and cabinet builders.
boxmaking, fine furniture, veneer
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Maple - Soft
Maple - Soft Lumber @ Rare Woods USA
The term "Soft Maple" is not a reference to any particular maples species, per se, but a segment of the Acer genus known for its lighter weight and density (as well as its propensity for displaying the classic maple "curl" figure). Of these lighter maples, Red Maple has the most weight and density, and is also the most prevalent -- growing in areas scattered all over the Eastern US and up into (Eastern) Canada. As is the paradoxical case with all maples, its beautiful pale white / pale yellow / pale golden sapwood are more coveted than its darker heartwood.Its more heavy, dense nature lends Red Maple to a greater variety of utility applications, versus its less substantial Soft Maple cousins. Its figuring can be quite dramatic; tiger-striped, veined, fiddleback and sometimes even quilt figuring are sometimes present.
boxmaking, specialty items, turnings, utility lumber, veneer
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Cedar - Aromatic
Cedar - Aromatic Lumber @ Rare Woods USA
A firm & stable hardwood, Aromatic Red Cedar is renowned for its durability, resistance to both rot and insects, and its wonderful, fresh, natural fragrance. With is bright pinkish red colors contrasting with a light, pale yellow base, the wood is rarely ever stained or painted. Another aesthetic trademark is the typical scores of knots which decorate its two-toned surface.The wood is fine grained, although knots and silica content can complicate what is otherwise a fairly cooperative set of working properties. It glues and finishes well, although it is very common to leave this wood unfinished so not to squelch its antiseptic aroma.
bows, boxmaking, carving, fencing, humidors, outdoor furniture, specialty items
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Elm - Red
Elm - Red Lumber @ Rare Woods USA
Once a great American utility-wood stable, obtaining long boards of American Elm, presently, can prove to be a most difficult task. Elm's heartwood colors range from a muted tan, to light to medium reddish brown. Its sapwood is easy to distinguish, being considerably paler in color. Recommended applications are those of a utilitarian nature, and preferably indoors; the wood has proven itself to be decidedly "non-durable," and is known to possess poor dimensional stability. Its grains are typically interlocked and its texture is coarse. Although it glues, stains and finishes well, its diffult grains and texture makes resawing a difficult chore, with tearout not uncommon.
boxmaking, furniture, veneer
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Ash - American
Ash - American Lumber @ Rare Woods USA
Along with Hickory and Oak, Ash is one of the most commonly used utility woods in the US and is native to Eastern and  Central North America. It's toughness and excellent shock resistance, makes it a popular choice for tool handles, baseball bats, furniture and flooring Grains are typically straight, and its coarse texture has drawn comparisons to that of Oak. Combined with its modest price, White Ash's easy working properties, generally light overall color and good gluing and finishing characteristics make it a popular wood for a variety of practical and utility applications.
boxmaking, flooring, turnings
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Birch - Flame
birch flame1000x500
Flame Birch is not a species in and of itself, but rather the name given to Yellow Birch with a beautiful flamed figure across the grain. Yellow Birch heart wood can vary from pale yellow to a light, muted reddish brown; sapwood is grayish-white. There are many species of Birch worldwide, it is one of the most popular woods, ironically, for both veneer and utility applications. Figured pieces are the more desirable for veneer, with wide, dramatic curly figuring (similar to Cherry) decorating the surface.American Birch works easily and it turns, glues and finishes well, although most boards have very little natural luster. It's a versatile wood that can be used for a number of different applications, but it needs to be protected, as the wood will decay when exposed to the elements.
boxmaking, crafting, specialty items, turnings, veneer
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Butternut
Butternut Lumber @ Rare Woods USA
Known commonly by its nickname, "White Walnut" (a nickname which is well earned, as it is a member of the true walnut genus, Juglans), Butternut is considerably lighter and less dense than it's walnut (Juglans genus) compatriots; combined with its light weight and low density and hardness, it is very easy to work. Courtesy of its fluted trunks, the lumber produced by Butternut trees can have some irregular, but visually-striking, grain patterns. Found throughout the Eastern United States, Butternut's pleasant light tan coloration has gorgeous pastel look, and certain examples can exhibit a pink or reddish tint.
boxmaking, carving, crafting, furniture, veneer
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Cedar - Alaskan
Cedar - Alaskan Lumber @ Rare Woods USA
Alaskan Cedar has been a wood historically embroiled in controversy with botanical and wood experts, as the wood has had its genus reclassified on six different occasions over the course of the last two centuries. Despite its relatively light weight and density, it is a very durable and rather versatile species -- having seen duty in numerous indoor and outdoor applications. The wood has also become a popular choice with luthiers, for acoustic guitar soundboards.Contrary to other published data, the typical growth range for these trees in the wild is only between 40 and 80 feet tall. Undisturbed specimens have reached heights of 100 feet and some have been reputed to be as old as 3500 years! Despite its modest weight and density figures, it is an extremely tough wood and these trees hold their own through some very challenging conditions. This makes Alaskan Cedar a very versatile wood, suitable for a wide variety of different applications.
boatbuilding, boxmaking, carving, construction, decking, flooring, outdoor furniture
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Free shipping to the lower 48 states on orders > $100*
  • Length limit of 46″
  • Long package surcharge of $12 for over-length packages
  • Does not apply to custom orders.
*t’s & c’s apply

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Rare Woods USA LLC
120 Swift River Road
Mexico, ME 04257
USA

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