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OVERVIEW OF WOOD SPECIES

Heart-shaped log in a woodpile

We can imagine that with all these types of wood, you sometimes can’t see the forest for the trees. Of course, we don’t want to leave you out in the rain here either, and we are happy to advise you in detail about all the hardwood types.

Here you will find a list of all the wood types we offer, in terms of colour, character, workability and use, with product examples. If you still have any specific questions, you are welcome to contact us by email or phone at any time.             

      
Wood type Colour Character Workability Our products
Maple Maple wood grain Mostly light-coloured, fine-pored and homogeneously structured wood with differences in density and colour depending on the species. Depending on the density, working maple ranges from easy to difficult and requires sharp tools, as otherwise burn marks can occur on the wood surface. Grain deviations make it harder to work. Maple is easy to slice and peel and bends well when the grain runs straight. Surface treatment is unproblematic. To keep a light colour, the use of UV-stable treatment products is recommended.
Birch Birch wood surface Fine-pored wood with a mostly smooth, silky shining surface, variable in colour; predominantly yellowish to reddish-white, the heavier species sometimes with a light to dark brown, and in individual cases also dark reddish-brown, heartwood. As a rule, all birch woods can be worked well and cleanly both by hand and by machine, with the effort required depending on the density. The wood is easy to peel, slice, profile, turn and carve, and generally bends well.
Oak Oak wood grain Clearly visible annual rings, giving an elegant, even grain. Oak woods are robust and known for their durability. They are weather-resistant and very resistant to external influences. Both under water and in the ground, oak is extremely durable. Oak is one of the medium-weight woods, is very firm and warps little, but cracks easily.
Beech Beech wood grain Light, homogeneous and plain wood with a hard, dense surface that is marked by characteristic wood rays. The wood of older trees often shows a decorative reddish-brown coloured heart (red heart). Thanks to its generally homogeneous structure and despite its high hardness, all beech wood grades can be worked easily and cleanly. The exception are grades with coarse grain deviations, e.g. caused by knots. Screwing and nailing require pre-drilling. Beech is well suited for making sliced and peeled veneers. To preserve the respective colouring, the use of UV-stable surface treatment products is recommended. Beech bends well after steaming. The sapwood area can be impregnated very well, whereas the red heart impregnates poorly.
Aspen Aspen has a whitish to white-yellow colour. The wood darkens considerably as it takes up more oxygen. The overall character of aspen wood is homogeneous and not very decorative. Aspen wood is easy to work.
Spruce Yellowish-white wood with a matt sheen that darkens to yellowish-brown when exposed to light. The regular alternation between light earlywood and darker latewood produces distinct flame patterns on tangential surfaces and narrow stripes on radial surfaces. Straight-grained, light-coloured softwood without heartwood colouring, clearly structured by dark latewood bands. Spruce wood is light, soft and relatively elastic, as well as load-bearing. Both fresh and dry wood can be worked quickly and in a tool-friendly way, by machine and by hand, with all kinds of tools.
Cherry Cherry wood grain

Reddish-brown wood with a harmonious, fine structure and a matt shining surface. The mostly even, fine structure of cherry allows very easy working with all tools. Smooth surfaces and clean edges are easy to achieve.                        
Lime (Linden) Whitish to yellowish, occasionally also slightly reddish. Diffuse-porous, straight-grained wood with a fine texture and an inconspicuous grain.  Light-coloured and lightweight hardwood with a very homogeneous structure and a slightly greasy, matt or silky shining surface. The light to medium-weight wood can be worked easily by hand and by machine; it cuts well, planes very well and is excellent for peeling, slicing, carving and turning.          
Walnut The heartwood of American walnut is darker and more evenly coloured, often with a purplish-brown shade and less conspicuous colour stripes.  Particularly beautifully coloured hardwood with a brownish-grey base colour, frequently striped or figured. Annual ring boundaries are distinct, the vessels coarse and arranged in a semi-ring-porous pattern. Very decorative. With a straight grain, the wood can be worked very well with all hand and machine tools; after machining or slicing, the surfaces are strikingly smooth and slightly glossy. For nails and screws it is advisable to pre-drill. Surface treatment and gluing are unproblematic; with strongly alkaline adhesives there is a risk of staining.
Black alder Reddish-white, reddish-brown. Light-coloured, reddish-white/brown, diffuse-porous hardwood with delicate flame figuring, fine vessels and false wood rays. Light in weight and easy to work. However, it has little load-bearing capacity.
Poplar (plywood) Poplar is a light, whitish, reddish-brown to brownish, diffuse-porous hardwood. The vessels are formed very evenly throughout the year. Earlywood and latewood are similar, so the wood has an even structure. Nevertheless, the annual rings are clearly visible, since the latewood forms a narrow, denser band towards the ring boundaries.  Good workability and low weight.