hardwood
Alder
COLORATION
When freshly cut, Alder is white but rapidly darkens to a light brown with a reddish/yellowish cast over it due to the exposure of oxygen. Likewise, it darkens over time due to UV light and oxygen exposure. With this in mind, it's best to purchase pieces such as tables and benches altogether rather than to purchase separately because they will have a different shade to them when built from separate batches.
Since Alder is generally dark, it stains quite well with dark stains. On the contrary, it is a bit difficult to stain lighter. Amongst the Alder, Red Oak, Maple, and White Oak, Alder is the darkest of the four.
GRAINS & KNOTS
In general, the grain of Alder is straight with a uniformed, even texture, making it prized in the woodworking world. In addition, Alder is known for having large aggregate rays and plenty of knots, hence the nickname "Knotty Alder." With the abundant amount of knots, its perfect for the rustic aesthetic appeal or even the farmhouse/ranch look people are looking for in furniture. In addition, it also has a resistance to moisture, which can be perfect for the outdoors.
DENSITY & DURABILITY
The density and durability of wood is often measured by the Janka Test which is a steel ball pressing against a block of wood to measure the amount of force for the steel ball to go halfway through the block.
Overall, Alder has a Janka of 590, making it pretty sturdy.
Hardwood
Maple
COLORATION
Maple naturally tends to have a whitish tinge with some mineral streaks to give it some reddish-brown tints. With Maple, their mineral streaks darken with stain. However, overtime, the maple will darken with age from a white slab a maple to a honey-golden sheen all due to UV light and oxygen exposure. With this in mind, it's best to purchase pieces such as tables and benches altogether rather than to purchase separately because they will have a different shade to them.Since Maple is naturally light, so it tends to stain better with lighter stains and has difficulty absorbing darker stains.
GRAINS & KNOTS
In general, the grain of maple is straight with fine, systematic texture. Maple has little to no Knots. If any Knot is present, it generally does not show more than about the size of a Nickle.
DENSITY & DURABILITY
As a matter of fact, the Industry Median Hardness of Wood is 1290 Janka, which is Red Oak. If you're questioning how sturdy Maple wood is, it has a Janka rating of 1450, making it popular amongst furniture makers.
Why choose Maple?
The strongest of the hard woods that we offer. It is perfect for those trying to achieve a very light stain. However over time with UV exposure, maple tends to slowly get golden with age. It's also got light smooth grains with little to no knots!
hardwood
White Oak
COLORATION
White Oaks have a beige, creamy-white tone with an olive cast to it. Like Maple, it tends to get slightly darker overtime due to UV light and oxygen exposure. However, it would be barely noticeable since it would be small change.
In comparison to the other woods, White Oaks are the lightest amongst the Maple, Red Oaks, and Alder woods. Since it is light, they stain remarkably well with lighter colors but poorly with darker colors.
GRAINS & KNOTS
White Oaks are straight-grained and have a medium to course grain. They are known to have little to no knots at all. Even if it did have knots, the knots would be very small, blending along with the grain, and giving the wood some variation and texture. Correspondingly, White Oaks have long rays that run alongside the grain.
DENSITY & DURABILITY
If you're questioning how sturdy White Oaks are, they have a Janka rating of 1360, making it a popular material to use in the woodworking world.
Why choose White Oak?
White Oak has a straight grain with an uneven texture. It is known for being durable, beautiful, strong. and the lightest of all woods. It stains very well with lighter stains.
softtwood
PINE
COLORATION
Pine has a creamy-white tone with a yellow-ish hue and rugged knots. Pine is the most common wood type that is chosen by customers to use due to its cost and versatility with stain.
GRAINS & KNOTS
Pine wood has very noticeable knots throughout the wood and has a straight grain. This works well for the country style furniture however, with the rugged look, it matches with many different kinds of styles.
DENSITY & DURABILITY
Pine wood has a score of 380 meaning, this wood is sturdy however, if you have children or animals this type of wood might not be right for you.
Why chooses Pine?
Pine is a softwood which makes it a great entry-level wood and budget-friendly option that still produces a beautiful and sturdy wood piece. However, it has a strong tendency to expand and contract over time based on different environments.