Woods Tier List

[SculptyWorks]

Just having some fun with the tier lists everybody seems to be doing these days!

[Duke_of_URL]

I have to agree with most of his rankings even from a furniture perspective. I'd hasten to add that cutting 'exotic' species like Rosewood and Padauk produces sawdust that can be dangerously inflammatory in the lungs of some people. Respiratory protection is highly recommended.

[SculptyWorks]

I have to agree with most of his rankings even from a furniture perspective. I'd hasten to add that cutting 'exotic' species like Rosewood and Padauk produces sawdust that can be dangerously inflammatory in the lungs of some people. Respiratory protection is highly recommended.

You are absolutely right! Wearing a respirator while working with wood (and anything that makes dust/vapors) is so second-nature for me that it didn't occur to me to mention.

[mr herb]

What about cherry? I made a cradle for my wife years ago from cherry. Remember that it was a job rounding edges and doing detail sanding--but the color is great, I think, and the cradle still looks beautiful.

[Crusty]

I agree that cherry is a fine wood and it's often overlooked because there's little figure in it and the grain is mostly uniform. I knew of a banjo that was the best sounding one I've ever heard which went unsold for nearly a year because (I think) it lacked the dramatic appearance of figured maple.

[SculptyWorks]

What about cherry? I made a cradle for my wife years ago from cherry. Remember that it was a job rounding edges and doing detail sanding--but the color is great, I think, and the cradle still looks beautiful.

I didn't include a bunch of species (like cherry) because I haven't worked with them enough to claim to have experience and a proper opinion on their characteristics.

There's also several varieties of 'cherry'. I've put together things with black cherry (Prunus serotina) but haven't done much carving on it.

One of my grandfathers' hobbies was beekeeping, and he made the beehives out of Jatoba, aka. Brazilian Cherry (Hymenaea courbaril) - those were the fanciest beehives EVER! - and I helped put together a bunch of them but never did much actual carving on the wood.

From what little I've done with black cherry, I'd have put it probably on B, it's a good wood and very durable. Might have bumped it to A if through enough experience I fell in love with it. Brazilian Cherry I distinctly remember being very hard and splitting very easily when nailing it so it would go on B or C.