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Greenheart
GreenheartCloseup

Greenheart is native to the tropical rainforests of South America. This wood is renowned for its strength, durability, and resistance to decay, making it a popular choice for outdoor construction and marine applications. Greenheart lumber is commonly used for piers, docks, bridges, and wharves, as well as for building seawalls, retaining walls, and other outdoor structures.

With a density of over 1,000 kg/m3, Greenheart is generally more resistant to moisture, insects, and decay than other types of wood, which is why it is so commonly used in marine applications. Overall, greenheart lumber is a durable, sustainable, and versatile building material that is prized for its strength and resilience in harsh environments.

boatbuilding, construction, decking, exterior cladding, fencing, utility lumber
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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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Sneezewood
Sneezewood Lumber @ Rare Woods USA
Ptaeroxylon Obliquum, from which Sneezewood is derived, is a deciduous evergreen tree or shrub. The lumber it yields has a heartwood which is generally comprised of light to medium golden brown hues (although the brownish hues can sometimes be dark, toward the tree's center). Grains are generally either straight or wavy, although they can be interlocked. The wood is quite dense, which makes it somewhat difficult to work, but renders excellent dimensional stability when dried.

It turns and finishes well, although gluing can be problematic, due to the natural oil content of the wood.
carving, construction, furniture, specialty items, turnings, utility lumber
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Sycamore - French
Sycamore - French Lumber @ Rare Woods USA
Like all other members of the true maple genus (Acer), European Sycamore is a hardwood whose sapwood is greatly preferred and sought after, versus its heartwood. It sap can vary from an almost pure white to a light cream color with tinting ranging from a golden yellow to a muted red; heartwood is generally medium to dark reddish-brown colored. Grains are generally straight, but can be wavy. Combined with its fine texture, it is easy to work (although, like all maples, it can burn easily) -- turning, gluing and finishing well, with a good natural luster. Not unlike its Acer-genus counterparts, pieces can sometimes be dramatically figured.

Boards are typical found quartersawn, as European Sycamore is the lumber renowned for its preferential, and historical, use as a body wood for stringed orchestral instruments (violins, violas, etc.), possessing superb resonance qualities and full-spectrum frequency response at a very moderate weight.
cabinetry, flooring, furniture, joinery, millwork, musical Instruments, specialty items, turnings, utility lumber, veneer
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Padauk - African
Padauk - African Lumber @ Rare Woods USA
African Paduak is a very strong, stable hardwood. It is known for its typically robust reddish-brown coloration (which darkens with age), although colors can range from a bright orange to a slightly muted burgundy often with highlights, grain lines and/or secondary colors ranging from brick red to a more purplish muted hue. The wood can sometimes be found figured (ribbon; striped; etc.), and it is well known for its deep chatoyance and wonderful natural luster. Grains are typically straight, though sometimes interlocked.The wood is considered very durable and also resistant to bug / insect / termite attack, which accordingly has seen it used in outdoor applications for centuries in its native Africa. Its working and finishing characteristics are decidedly favorable.
flooring, furniture, handles, specialty items, trim, turnings, utility lumber, veneer
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Poplar (American Tulipwood)
Poplar (American Tulipwood) Lumber @ Rare Woods USA
The Yellow Poplar (Liriodendron Tulipifera) tree is the tallest of all Eastern US hardwoods; the wood it yields is some of the least dense. Yellow Poplar is characterized by a light muted cream color, often with mineral-stained streaks typically of gray and/or green. (Sapwood is ivory- to white-colored, easily distinguished from the heartwood.) Although, traditionally, Poplar has been long considered a "utility" type of lumber, the wood's straight, uniform grains and medium texture affords it very cooperative working properties, and it glues and finishes well when finely sanded.

Yellow Poplar is moderately durable, in spite of its inherent light weight and low density, which has seen it commonly used for crates and pallets throughout the US.
crafting, lutherie, musical Instruments, paneling, utility lumber, veneer
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Sassafras
Sassafras Lumber @ Rare Woods USA
The Sassafras genus is renowned for and distinguished by its aromatic properties. Its typically straight grains and coarse texture bear patterns which resemble Ash; and its generally tan to light brown coloration makes its appearance easy to mistake it as such, though sometimes tints ranging from pale orange to olive green can be present. Despite its relatively light dried weight (31 lbs/ft3 / 495 kg/m3), once dry it is considered to be dimensionally stable, with excellent durability and easy working properties.
boatbuilding, furniture, turnings, utility lumber
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Mahogany - Pod
Mahogany - Pod / Chamfuta Lumber @ Rare Woods USA
Pod Mahogany is a light reddish-brown wood, indigenous to the southeastern region of Africa. (Sapwood is easily distinguishable, with its pale yellow coloration.) It is a very hard wood -- considerably more dense, stable and durable than any other 'mahogany substitute' wood. More dense specimens have been used for a number of demanding outdoor applications in Africa, yet premium-grade pieces can hold their own, aesthetically, with the finest exotic woods in the world -- often boasting a high degree of chatoyance, and a remarkably deep, 3D-like figure.
construction, fencing, flooring, furniture, inlay, paneling, utility lumber
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Sapele
Sapele Lumber @ Rare Woods USA
Sapele is an economically-important wood to the continent of Africa, and one that continues to grow in popularity in other industries beyond veneer mills, here in the US. It is commonly used as a substitute for Genuine Mahogany -- also belonging to the Meliaceae family -- and it, too, is considered moderately durable and stable. Its color can range from a light golden brown to a darker reddish- or pinkish-brown. The color will darken as the wood ages. Sapale is renowned for its sometimes quite dramatic figuring, which comes in an array of different styles: ribbon, pommele, quilted, mottled, waterfall, wavy, beeswing, tiger-striped and fiddleback. It also possesses a beautiful natural luster.
boatbuilding, cabinetry, flooring, furniture, specialty items, turnings, utility lumber, veneer
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Makore
Makore Lumber @ Rare Woods USA
Makore is a beautiful African wood which is renowned for its great strength and durability, despite being of a moderate density. Its heartwood can range from pink to a light to medium reddish-brown, with its yellow sapwood be clearly discerible, when present. Figuring is not unusual, with striped, mottled and sometimes even beeswing being found in quartersawn boards. It is typically straight-grained and easy to work, although grain patterns can occasionally be wavy or interlocked. Although it can have a dulling effect on saw blades, its high silica content contributes to its fine natural luster and poses no real issues with gluing or finishing.
boatbuilding, cabinetry, flooring, furniture, specialty items, turnings, utility lumber, 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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Marblewood
Marblewood Lumber @ Rare Woods USA
Marblewood tree is known for the highly distinctive stripes, ranging in color from dark brown, to even purple or black. While the sapwood is usually bears the same distinctively pale yellow color as the heartwood, only the heartwood features the trademark striping, which makes the wood so appealing to turners. The striping is random and irregular; no two patterns are ever alike. The wood is heavy and dense, making it well suited for applications where strength and durability are key -- such as flooring and furniture.

The wood can prove difficult to work, on account of its density and sometimes interlocked graining. Marblewood is also known for its high natural resin content; proper, complete kiln drying is essential for applications which involve finishing.
cabinetry, carving, flooring, furniture, turnings, utility lumber, veneer
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Mopane Roots
Mopane Roots Lumber @ Rare Woods USA
Indigenous to the southern region of Africa, the Mopane tree is known for its butterfly-shaped leaves -- leaves which are initially a bright green color, later transforming into a cache of reds, oranges, and yellows, in the autumn season. The heartwood it produces is medium to darker brown in color, with a golden to reddish tint, often decorated with black streaks. It is very dense and extremely durable. It is also very resistance to infestation, which has seen it used for centuries in its native region in a variety of outdoor uses.

The wood is considered very difficult to work, as -- in addition to its great density -- its grain patterns are usually interlocked. It turns smoothly and (as would be expected) holds details very well, making it popular with turners and carvers who know of it.

We stock roots, but the details we provide are for the timber.
carving, construction, fencing, flooring, furniture, turnings, utility lumber
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Oak - Red
Oak - Red (American) Lumber @ Rare Woods USA
Red Oak has a light brown heartwood color, with a reddish tint. Due to its basically light coloration, it is not always that easy to distinguish its sap from its heart. Like its many cousins, quartersawn examples display varying amounts of its renowned "ray fleck" patterns. Grains are typically straight, but with a coarse texture and large, open pores. The wood works, finishes and glues well. Its impressive strength, hardness and moderate price have made it a popular choice with furniture builders and cabinet makers.
cabinetry, flooring, furniture, handles, utility lumber, veneer
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Hickory
Hickory Lumber @ Rare Woods USA
Hickory is perhaps best known for its pivotal role in "the great American past-time," as it remains the primary wood used in the production of baseball bats. It is also widely used as tool handles. Its heartwood is usually a light to medium brown, often with a reddish hue. Its sap is easily discernible, with a light cream to light yellow coloration. Although it is a non-durable wood, it is renowned for its toughness; it's considered to be among the strongest of hardwoods indigenous to the US.

Despite being a predominantly straight-grained wood (though sometimes wavy), Hickory is considered to be difficult to work. It has a medium texture, with open, medium-sized pores.
flooring, handles, utility lumber
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Iroko
Iroko Lumber @ Rare Woods USA
Iroko is a very tough, durable wood that has been traditionally used in a multitude of applications in its native Africa. Its golden to medium brown color, course texture and interlocked grains give it an appearance very similar to that of Teak; although it is significantly less dense, it has been utilized in Africa in many of the same functions / duties that Teak has in other parts of the world. Despite its toughness (and interlocked grains), it is generally not difficult to work; it glues and finishes well.
boatbuilding, cabinetry, construction, flooring, furniture, specialty items, turnings, utility lumber, veneer
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Jelutong
Jelutong Lumber @ Rare Woods USA
The trees that produce this light-coloured Southeast Asian timber are better known for their sap, historically tapped for use in latex. Among those who know it, Jelutong is a favourite for carving—its low density makes it exceptionally easy to work, while its excellent dimensional stability and ability to take stain and finish make it highly versatile. That said, it is decidedly non-durable and best suited to indoor applications only.Grain is generally straight, though it can occasionally be interlocked, with a fine to medium-fine, uniform texture and a subtle natural lustre. All of this contributes to its excellent working and finishing properties.Before chewing gum production shifted to synthetics, latex derived from the sap of Dyera costulata kept this species in steady demand. In its native Southeast Asia, the wood is commonly used in much the same way as Basswood.Trees can reach impressive heights, so wide, clear boards are not uncommon—although finding available lumber in the U.S. still is.
carving, specialty items, utility lumber
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Lignum Vitae - Argentine
Lignum Vitae - Argentine Lumber @ Rare Woods USA
Without question, one of the world's hardest, most dense woods, Argentinian Lignum Vitae is very similar to its namesake -- the world's most dense wood, genuine Lignum Vitae -- in appearance, working properties and physical characteristics. (Both are classified in the same scientific family, Zygophyllaceae.) It is a beautiful wood, with heartwood colors ranging from medium to dark brown, quite often featuring green highlights (sometimes in a prominent fashion) which become more pronounced as the wood ages and is increasingly exposed to UV rays. Sapwood is pale yellow. Its grains can be straight, wavy or slightly interlocked, and it has a smooth, consistent texture and an impressive natural luster that emerges with fine-grit sanding.While its dense, hard, heavy physical nature makes it rough on blades and sometimes difficult to glue, it turns very smoothly and is extremely stable and durable.When (genuine) Lignum Vitae first made it onto CITES' Appendix II list, Verawood became more well known and popular -- commonly used as a substitute. Now that it, too, has made it onto both CITES and the IUCN's radar, it is not an easy wood to access in the US, either.
boatbuilding, construction, handles, turnings, utility lumber
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Basswood
Basswood Lumber @ Rare Woods USA
Basswood's color ranges from a pale off-white to pale yellow, to a very light muted brown. The species is known for its excellent strength-to-weight ratio, although its lack of density can make it susceptible to damage if placed under excessive weight. While species from the Tilia genus are referred to as either "Lime" or "Linden" in Europe, in North America it is commonly called "Basswood."Straight grains and fine texture combined with its soft character -- make Basswood exceptionally easy to work. It glues and finishes well, but does not bend well. Its consistency, light color, light density and hardness (bordering on that of a softwood) has made it a popular fine carving wood for centuries.
carving, fencing, musical Instruments, utility lumber, veneer
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