Skills & Techniques
STL375: What Is Moonwood?
Fine Woodworking staffers Mike, Owen, and Bridgid sit down to discuss Handworks 2026, wood finishes for kitchen utensils, and the moon’s effect on trees.
Category: Wood Types
Learn about hardwoods, softwoods, grain patterns, and the characteristics that influence how different woods look and work.
Wood & Lumber
Blackgum: Water-loving tree is also called tupelo
Blackgum, also called black tupelo, tupelo gum, or just tupelo, is a tree that loves to grow in water and water-soaked soils. In fact, the genus Nyssa is the name of a water nymph. The tree grows throughout the eastern states, from Maine to Texas. Tupelo, Mississippi, (Elvis’ birthplace) was named after this tree. A close…
Furniture
A warm Scandinavian kitchen sets the tone for a Boston home
This wood-clad Boston home has a distinctly Scandinavian character, and the interiors follow the same warm, understated direction. Corner, a design-forward kitchen brand focused on making high-quality design accessible, built the kitchen cabinetry, pantry, bathroom vanity, and other custom built-ins throughout the home. Each space has its own identity, while the materials and detailing keep…
Wood & Lumber
Longleaf pine: Strongest of the southern pines
Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris and Pinus elliottii of the family Pinaceae), also called fat pine or heart pine, is one of the four major species making up the southern pines. It is the strongest of the four, the tallest (over 100 feet) and the most fire resistant.While the tall, stately longleaf pine once covered 30…
Furniture
Andiroba: Mahogany alternative in fine furniture, cabinets, flooring
Andiroba (Carapa guianensis) is found throughout Central and South America, from Cuba to Peru and Brazil. It is an extremely tall tree, reaching heights of 100 to 170 feet. Diameters are often 5 to 6 feet. The central stem is often straight and free of branches for 50 feet or more. As a result, clear…
Wood & Lumber
Northern white-cedar
There are two tree species that are called white-cedar. Northern white-cedar (Thuja occidentalis), also called arborvitae or just cedar, grows from Quebec to Maine to New York and westward to Minnesota as well as down the Appalachian Mountains from Pennsylvania to Tennessee. Atlantic white-cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides), also called southern white-cedar and boat cedar, grows in…
Furniture
Balsam fir: Pale white lumber ideal for furniture, construction
The true firs, called true firs to distinguish the wood from Douglas-fir, consist of more than 40 species in North America, but only seven species produce commercial lumber. In eastern North America, there is one main species, balsam fir (Abies balsamea) ranging from Alberta to Newfoundland, south to Wisconsin and New York. In the western side…
Wood & Lumber
Giant chinkapin: Species not well known outside of Oregon & California
Giant chinkapin (Chrysolepis chrysophylla), sometimes called golden-leafed chinquapin and golden-leafed chestnut because of the minute golden scales on the leaf bottom, is a western hardwood and is an evergreen. It grows in the coastal mountain ranges from southwestern Washington south to central California at elevations up to 6,000 feet. It also occurs inland in the…
Lathe Projects
Woodturning – Massive Bowl Set From Ant Eaten Black Walnut!!
Woodturning – Massive Bowl Set From Ant Eaten Black Walnut!!
