Aromatic Cedar : This cedar is classified as a softwood, and is moderately heavy.  Its red heartwood is a sharp contrast to the thin white sapwood and makes a striking chest.  It easily works to a smooth finish.  We recommend a Natural oil stain or Fruitwood to slightly darken the colors for an antique appearance.  Interiors are always unfinished to preserve the aroma said to repel moths. Yellow Birch : The wood from yellow birch is hard, heavy, and strong, resisting nicks and scratches. Light, red brown heartwood meets a white sapwood and takes stain well. Grain varies from tight to open with waving figure, depending on whether the lumber is quarter sawn or flat sawn. Butternut : Lightweight  Butternut is a wood with beautiful open grain movement and a natural golden brown color. Also known as White Walnut, when stained to match, it closely resembles black walnut in appearance but is not as hard or scratch resistant. Pine : Eastern white pine is classified as a softwood. It is lightweight and moderately low in strength. The wood has reasonably uniform texture and is straight grained. Western Red Cedar : This light-weight wood has a reddish brown to a dull brown color  with highlights of white from the sapwood.   It is classified as a softwood, has a coarse, uniform grain,  and takes stain well.  However it dents and scratches easily, giving it a "distressed " character over time Walnut : Black Walnut is a favorite for furniture, a bit heavier than cherry.  It's color varies from purplish brown with thin, darker veins, to a grayish brown. This deepen to a beautiful, dark color  when finished with a clear oil stain. It resist denting. African Mahogany : Variations in the rather coarse grain seem to shimmer in the light. This wood has a natural tendency to darken with age.

Red Oak: Quarter sawn oak lumber is easily  distinguished by the broad rays, which add to its good looks. This handsome hardwood takes stains well because of its coarse grain, and finishes nicely, though not at smoothly as the finer textured woods, such as cherry and maple. White Oak:  A hard, straight -grained wood, white oak has more attractive figure than red oak. It is durable and takes stain well, finishing more smoothly that red oak.  Curly Maple : So called because of the pattern of the grain found in certain hard maple boards which produce a shimmering effect when given a finish. Very attractive and adds value to a piece of furniture. White Ash : A strong, straight grained wood, sometimes with a wavy grain that adds interest to its appearance.  It resists nicks and scratches and if given a darkened stain, it resembles oak. Hickory: While hickory looks somewhat like ash, it is much heavier and harder, and extremely durable. Wood texture is coarse, and grain is usually straight, though wavy and other irregular figure does occur. Hard Maple : Hard Maple's texture is fine and very uniform: for this reason it is difficult to stain and is usually given a natural finish.  However, it sands to a "smooth as glass" surface. The wood is medium heavy, strong, and resistant to scratches and nicks. Usually the grain is straight, but different patterns, such as curly, fiddleback, and bird's eye add value to a piece. Cherry : A beautiful furniture wood,  Cherry is classified as a medium heavy, strong hardwood.  Its grain is straight, finely textured and close, usually with a gentle, waving figure. Since it has a natural tendency to darken with age, we recommend a natural oil finish.