What Does "Old Growth" Mean The sawing and drying forum discusses what "old growth" means when used to describe lumber, and what qualities "old growth" wood may or may not have. May 14, 2006
Types of Mahogany Here's a little in-depth info about the various wood species that are labeled "Mahogany." March 13, 2014
Wood Identification Puzzle Once again, the wood detectives try to identify some boards from pictures. Elm, Hickory, and Ash are the likely suspects. February 15, 2009
Toxicity of Black Locust The leaves, bark and wood of Black Locust are poisonous to both people and livestock. March 31, 2008
"Water Oak" Versus "Pin Oak" Locally common names for Oak varieties can cause confusion. Here's a discussion of some Oak tree varieties and some information on their characteristics. February 9, 2008
Showing Off Some Curly Maple A bandmill operator shares photos of a huge curly maple log, before and after sawing. December 15, 2005
Treated pine vs. cedar The Wood Doctor offers his prognosis for outdoor projects using cedar and treated pine. 1998.
Wood I.D. Puzzle Another guessing game about wood species — this time, a hurricane-downed log from south Texas. April 18, 2009
Working with Ash Beautiful and easy to work, ash also ages well. Fans discuss ash and its virtues in this thread from the Architectural Woodworking forum. November 9, 2005
Sawing Dawn Redwood A discussion of the characteristics of lumber sawn from Dawn Redwood. March 28, 2010
Uses for Yellow Poplar Yellow Poplar makes excellent paint-grade cabinetry and trim, and can even be stained to resemble Cherry. April 27, 2007
Telling Hard and Soft Maple Apart The two types of maple have different densities and different end grain appearance. There's also a chemical test. December 6, 2006
Woods for outdoor furniture A manufacturer of outdoor furniture consults the Wood Doctor for help with choosing a species to replace beech. 1998.
Qualities and Uses for Sweet Gum A small sawmiller sees his first load of Gum wood, and gets advice about its value and how to handle it. June 22, 2005
Working with Iroko Wood It's sometimes called "African Teak," but Iroko is not Teak, and does not act like Teak. May 7, 2007
Recognizing a Big-Leaf Maple Burl This big burl, received as a gift, is identified as the western species Big-Leaf Maple by woodworkers familiar with that wood. December 23, 2014
Parenchyma Cell Rings and Wood Grain Info about parynchyma cell rings, a structure similar to growth rings that can affect the appearance of sawn lumber. October 1, 2009
Mahogany Supply and Varieties More info on what "Mahogany" really means, and information on the availability of various types. April 6, 2007
Pecan Versus Hickory Wood What's the difference? The tree species are from related groups, and the wood is often considered interchangeable. April 24, 2006
Osage Orange Uses Osage Orange is prized for traditional bow-making and other valued uses. April 18, 2009
Identifying a Burl Several votes for Bigleaf Maple, and one for Buckeye, in this show-and-tell of an interesting burl destined to become a tabletop. October 19, 2013
It's Not Cherry — What Is It? Experts try to identify a log that was purchased as Cherry, but is really something else. October 29, 2008
Hardwood Utilization Book Review "The Management, Manufacture and Marketing of California Black Oak, Pacific Madrone and Tanoak" covers the various aspects encountered by the forester, the logger, the sawmill manager, the marketing people, and the business owner - 1998
"False Acacia" (a.k.a. Black Locust) Black Locust is known in Europe as "False Acacia." Here's some info about the species and the lumber. October 15, 2010
Heart pine, defined Forum contributors define heart pine discuss differences between heartwood, sapwood and pith. August 12, 2001
Is Eastern red cedar toxic? Eastern red cedar does not share some of the reaction-generating characteristics of its Western namesake. 1998.
"Mahogany" — One Name, Many Species Here's a rundown on the official species names of the many different trees whose wood is sold as "mahogany".March 29, 2006
Harmful saw dust Steering clear of cedar dust, and what could happen if you don't. January 16, 2001
Red cedar vs. white cedar siding The differences between the two woods, specifically, their suitability for use as siding. October 17, 2000
Identifying Old Pine Planks The Woodweb crew checks out some photos of what is probably Southern Yellow Pine, and possibly Longleaf Pine. September 6, 2010
Identifying Pignut Hickory Forum members identify Pignut Hickory by looking at photos of the leaves, stems, and bark. November 28, 2014
Facts about Tulip Wood Most "Tulip" is a variety of Poplar, and it can have interesting traits. October 2, 2005
Hickory or Pecan Ideas for telling two highly similar plywood faces apart. February 25, 2005
Laminating different species In a triple lamination, it's OK to use two species of lumber, given a few conditions. 1998.
Iroko Wood Tearout This tropical hardwood (a good substitute for teak) can be tough on saw blades and moulder knives. December 1, 2005
Rotted siding Gene Wengert helps a homeowner with a question about decaying siding. 1998.
Identifying Pecan Pecan is hard to tell apart from Hickory. July 6, 2012
Relative densities of various birches The Wood Doctor offers resources for information on the relative densities of birch lumbers, and offers an opinion on plastic laminate. 1998.
Know your maples A primer on different types of maple lumber. August 23, 2000
Identifying "Diamond Willow" Woodweb members recognize the unique shape of "diamond willow." Here's a photo. February 1, 2015
A Butt Log Identification Puzzle Are these logs American Beechnut, Red Elm, Butternut, or what? In this long and detailed thread, sawmillers discuss the characteristics that could be clues. November 16, 2011
Analyzing Wood Species, Grain, and Sawing Methods Here's a long and complex (but very informative) thread that starts off with a wood identification problem, moves into a discussion of wood pore structure, and then takes off on an interesting tangent about quartersawing, flatsawing, and other methods for piecing out a log. March 22, 2013
Aging yellow cedar Attaining the look of naturally aged yellow cedar. September 2, 2002
Another Wood Identification Mystery The Woodweb detective team works on another wood identification case (probably Maple, this time). March 28, 2010
A Wood Identification Puzzle No solid answers for this mixed selection of antique boards, but an interesting lesson from the Wood Doctor on the step-by-step method of identifying wood based on end grain. January 12, 2015
Another Wood Identification Puzzle Sycamore? Beech? Mulberry? The forum takes a look at some old wood found in a barn and destined to be made into guitar bodies. January 28, 2013
Alternatives to Honduran Mahogany A discussion of the qualities of some of the woods used as substitutes for Mahogany, plus an attempt to clear up some of the confusion around the much-misused "Mahogany" label. February 5, 2007
"China Cedar" -- What Is It? "China Cedar" is a separate species grown in the Far East. However, Cedar logs from America do get sent to China and come back to North America as lumber, complicating the picture. December 30, 2007
Common Names for Tropical Woods Woodworkers help compile an extensive list of common names for Central American wood species. February 15, 2009
Deodar Cedar -- What's It Good For? A little information but few answers about an ornamental Cedar variety that sometimes finds its way to a sawmill. December 30, 2007
Burmese Versus Plantation Teak A quick discussion of Asian and South American varieties of wood marketed as "Teak" July 13, 2010
Birch Varieties Explained The Wood Doctor lists the various species of Birch tree in North America and relates them to lumber for sale on the market. July 12, 2013
Chestnut Horse chestnut, and why it's the only live type of this wood available. September 6, 2000
WOODPRO - Species Selection Made Easy A free complete working computer program (that can be downloaded at WOODWEB), allowing woodworkers to select the most suitable wood species for any particular application - 1997
10,000-Year-Old Mystery Wood Sawmillers try to guess the species of wood recovered after thousands of years buried in the mud. November 13, 2005
What the Heck is "Honduran Black Walnut"? Woodweb pros discuss the opportunities, risks, and unknowns inherent in buying lumber from foreign sources at arm's length. September 7, 2013
Yellow Cedar Characteristics Not a true Cedar, Yellow Cedar grows mainly on the northern Pacific coast of North America. Here is some info about its useful properties. April 2, 2013
What is "fuming"? Explanations of the process of fuming wood for color. April 11, 2001
Mahogany Versus Sapele for an Outdoor Structure A long discussion about different flavors of Mahogany, their sources and qualities, and how they compare with Sapele for durability and quality. March 26, 2010
Mixing African and Honduras Mahogany A long discussion of the woodworking characteristics of various Mahogany types and substitutes, and the practicality of combining different woods in a single door. June 29, 2008
Guess the Wood Another wood identification mystery leaves the Woodweb forum guessing. What species is this highly figured, iridescent, almost glowing orange/yellow burl in a unique table. April 20, 2011
Guess the Wood Again Eyeballing a wooden chest and trying to guess the species. (It's not Walnut.) April 20, 2011
American Chestnut Log Identification The Woodweb detective team tries to determine if one of the group has found a large American Chestnut log in a firewood pile. March 9, 2010
Budget Alternatives to Teak A search for "poor man's Teak" evolves into a discussion of customers, their tastes and motivations. December 30, 2005
A "Green" Finish for a Cuban Mahogany Bench Thoughts on the meaning of environmental correctness for clear wood finishes, and some interesting history about Cuban Mahogany, a nearly-extinct wood that is making a comeback. March 4, 2009
American Chestnut Versus Chinese Chestnut A discussion of the American Chestnut and the Chinese Chestnut, with regard to wood appearance and blight resistance. May 16, 2008