Our Woods
Our current wood offerings are ones we know would be of interest and would continue to be available in today’s economy without interruption. We only use hardwoods that have been hand selected by our craftsman for grain and uniqueness. Each accessory is finished with hand rubbed oil to accentuate the beauty and personality of each piece of wood. We do not enhance our woods with stains or varnish which take away from the natural beauty the wood. Our wood suppliers are holders of the Forest Stewardship Council Chain-of-Custody Certificate (FSC) and promote responsible forest management through their purchasing practices.
Ravenwood Woodworks is always expanding our wood selection to include new species of wood. Please let us know if there is a wood that you would like to see us offer.
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Purple Heart
Black Walnut
The heartwood is light brown to dark chocolate brown and may display a purplish cast and darker streaks. American black walnut is considered the most valuable wood native to North America. It machines nicely and finishes beautifully.
Bolivian Rosewood
Bolivian Rosewood is an exotic wood with beautiful, black striping on top of a dark brown background. Bolivian Rosewood undergoes a substantial degree of color change as the wood lightens over time and more so in direct sunlight from the darker brown tones to lighter gold/tan tones. It offers a wide range of colors from medium to light browns through to almost black-brown purplish tones, on top of which there is frequent black striping.
Bubinga
The heartwood ranges from a pinkish red to a darker reddish brown with darker purple or black streaks. Bubinga is a dense, tropical wood, making it rough on tools as well as making it difficult to sand and finish. Once finished though, the reward is well worth the labor with its stunning color and grain.
Cherry
The heartwood of cherry varies from pale, pinkish red to a deep, warm, reddish brown and will darken with age and on exposure to light. Cherry is a very esthetically pleasing wood. It is easy to machines and finishes beautifully.
Jatoba
Jatoba, is also known as Brazilian Cherry. Heartwood varies from a light orangish brown to a darker reddish brown, sometimes with contrasting darker grayish brown streaks. Color tends darken upon exposure to light. Sapwood is a light grayish yellow, clearly demarcated from the heartwood. Jatoba is a dense and durable wood.
Lacewood
Lacewood, is a name given to many species of woods due to its distinctive lacey appearance. The two main species are Australian lacey oak (Cardwellia sublimis) and South American lacewood (Louro faia). Lacewood is a beautiful, very stable wood with heartwood that is a reddish brown, darkening with age. It machines cleanly and easily, has nice grain movement and polishes to a beautiful finish.
Maple
The sapwood is most commonly used. The color ranges from nearly white, to an off-white cream color, sometimes a reddish or golden hue. Maple is a great wood to work with. It machines nicely and is easy to finish. Maple comes in many varieties that we plan to explore in our products.
When freshly cut the heartwood of Purpleheart is a dull grayish/purplish brown. Upon exposure the wood becomes a deeper eggplant purple. With further age and exposure to UV light, the wood becomes a dark brown with a hint of purple. Purple heart is a very hard dense wood, causing it to be rough on machines. It sands and finishes beautifully and develops a nice patina over time.
Teak
Heartwood tends to be a golden or medium brown, with color darkening with age. The grain is straight, though it can occasionally be wavy or interlocked. Teak's texture is coarse, uneven with moderate to low natural luster.
Wenge
The heartwood is a medium brown, sometimes with a reddish or yellowish hue, with nearly black streaks. Once oiled the wood can become nearly black. Wenge is another hard, very dense wood, making it rough on tools and hand finishing. Once finished, it is clear, why it is worth the effort.