 | | | UNFINISHED WOOD WALKING STICKS | | | Maintained by: | | Unfinished sticks cut for making walking sticks, bow staves, or atlatl's. Available Woods: Osage Orange, Hickory, Hornbeam (Musclewood), Hop Hornbeam (Ironwood), Plum, Sumac, Oak, Sassafras, Cedar, Elm, Walnut, Maple, Black Locust, Ash, Pecan and others. I Guarantee My Wood to be the Stated Variety. | |
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| Table 1: Common Hardwoods
Table 2: Soft Hardwoods
Table 3: Hard Hardwoods
Table 4: Common Softwoods
| Table 1: Common Hardwoods |
| Species |
Uses |
Wood Characteristics |
Drying |
Workability |
| Ashes |
Furniture, handles, boxes, baseball bats, cooperage, boat oars, ladders, chairs, fork and shovel handles, agricultural implements, ship building |
Strong, hard, straight, close grained, tough, excellent elastic properties, prone to fungal and beetle attack |
Kiln and air-dries easily, dimensionally stable |
Easy to work, good nail and screw holding properties, glues and finishes well, excellent steam bending properties |
| Basswood |
Food containers--boxes, tubs, pails and baskets, bee hives and honey sections, slack cooperage, toys and novelties, great for carving |
Soft, low strength properties, uniform texture, poor durability--can be treated |
Easy to dry, high shrinkage |
Easy to work, poor nail holding properties, glues well, easy to carve, poor staining, but holds enamel and paint well |
| Beech |
Food containers, baskets, butcher blocks, chairs, flooring, handles, novelties, woodenware, turnery, clothes pins |
Hard, heavy, strong, uniform texture, grain can be interlocked, attractive quarter-sawn, wears well under water |
Extra care needed--high shrinkage, prone to warp and splitting |
Difficult to work with hand tools, machines well, hard to nail, prone to split, holds nails and screws well, good finishing properties, can be steam bent |
| Birches |
Flooring, furniture, door, cabinetry woodenware, butcher blocks, firewood. Traditionally--(sweet birch sap) birch beer |
Wavy grained, strong, poor durability, high impact resistance |
Dries slowly, high shrinkage |
Machines and finishes very well, holds nails and screws well
Yellow birch--bends well, extra care is needed for gluing
Sweet birch--good for turning, tends to split |
| Cherry |
Cabinetry, furniture, tool handles, novelties, musical instruments, woodenware |
Excellent strength properties, attractive quarter-sawn, poor durability |
Dries easily, weigh down to avoid warp |
Easy to work, machine and turn, holds screws and glue well, finishes very well, turns darker with age |
| Hickories |
Best wood for handles--axes, hammers, ladder rungs, golf clubs, agricultural parts, archery bows
Traditionally--spokes, wheel rims and buggy shafts |
Hard, heavy, strong, excellent elasticity |
Prone to split, check & warp, high shrinkage |
Excellent workability with sharp tools, prone to split, finishes very smoothly, excellent bending properties |
Sugar Maple
(Hard Maple) |
Furniture, paneling and cabinetry, flooring, wood with figure prized for decorative cabinetry and musical instruments, turning |
Poor durability, very strong, very hard |
High shrinkage, prone to blue stain, sticker quickly and allow good airflow |
Machines and finishes well, good glue, nail, and screw holding properties, prone to splitting, excellent bending properties |
Red Maple
(Soft Maple) |
Turned articles, kitchen utensils, toys, novelties, crating, pallets, inexpensive cabinets |
Poor durability, strong, hard |
Prone to blue stain, sticker quickly and allow good airflow |
Easy to work, turns and finishes well |
| Red Oaks |
Cabinetry, furniture, veneer, flooring, millwork, pallets |
Strong, poor durability |
Dries fast, end coat to avoid checking |
Machines well, can be steam bent |
| White Oaks |
Fine cabinetry, millwork, flooring, ships, heavy construction, bridges, liquor barrels and other containers |
Very durable, attractive quarter-sawn, very strong, impermeable to liquid, hard with straight grain |
Dries slowly, prone to checks and splits, high shrinkage |
Machines well, tannic acid causes discoloration so avoid metals containing iron fasteners |
| Yellow Poplar |
Furniture, cabinetwork, sash, doors, shelving, boxes, crates, baskets, pallets, veneer, woodenware, carving |
Lightweight, weak, brittle, moderately strong |
Easy to dry, dimensionally stable |
Easy to work, very paintable, nails easily, but holds nails poorly, glues well |
| Walnut |
Cabinetwork, gunstocks, furniture, novelties, molding |
Strong, lightweight, figured grain, absorbs recoil |
Dries slowly, very stable |
Easy to work, good nail and screw holding properties, finishes well with filling |
| Table 2: Soft Hardwoods |
| Species |
Uses |
Wood Characteristics |
Drying |
Workability |
Ailanthus
(tree-of-heaven) |
Woodworking, fuel |
Light, weak, reputed to resist insects, but not fungi, attractive quarter-sawn |
Easy to dry |
Easy to tool, glue, and finish |
| Aspen |
Furniture, interior trim, pallets, boxes, crates |
Low strength, high resistance to wear, light, poor durability |
Dries satisfactory |
Easy to work, surfaces tend to be "woolly," good nail holding properties |
| Black Ash |
Excellent for cabinetry and steam bending, interior trim, chairs, tables, other furniture, basket weaving |
Weaker than white ash, low abrasion resistance, very poor durability, showy figure |
Easy to air dry |
Easy to work and glue, prone to split, finishes well with clear varnish--fill for smooth surface |
| Black Willow |
Millwork, furniture, cases, boxes, picture frames, Venetian blinds |
Very light, interlocked grain, poor durability |
Extra care needed--prone to warp |
Very difficult to machine, glues and finishes well, carves well |
| Box Elder |
Furniture, boxes/crates, charcoal, cooperage, woodenware, woodworking (wood stained red by fungus) |
Light, weak, decays rapidly |
Dries quickly without degrade or checking |
Easy to work |
| Butternut |
Furniture, interior trim, paneling, and craving
Traditionally--church altars |
Weak bending and compression strength |
Easy to dry, low shrinkage |
Easy to work with sharp cutting edge, finishes well |
| Cottonwood |
Boxes/crates, packing cases, shavings, inexpensive furniture parts, poultry cages and bee hive sections, kitchen cabinets, food pails, butter tubs, posts, poles |
Tough, strong, poor durability without treatment |
Extra care needed--prone to warp |
Easy to work, takes stencil ink well, poor nail and screw holding properties, glues and paints well |
| Hackberry |
Woodworking, carving, farm implements, boxes, crates |
Heavy, weak, decays readily when exposed |
Difficult to dry |
Easy to work, stain, and finish |
| Mulberry |
Fence post, excellent for furniture when properly cut and dried |
Light but very durable |
Easy to dry |
Easy to work, prone to splits, screws and glues well |
| Ohio Buckeye |
Woodenware, occasionally lumber, fuel, woodworking (wood stained with gray streaks) |
Light, for its weight strong and tough, decays rapidly when exposed |
Easy to dry |
Easy to work, difficult to split, finishes smooth, good paintability |
| Sassafras |
Woodworking, fences, house sills, furniture, boxes, and slack cooperage, (inner bark) candies and tea
Traditionally--ox yokes, (inner bark) dye |
Light, brittle, very durable |
Dries very easily, prone to checks |
Easily worked and finished, extra care needed--for nails, holds screws and glue well, dimensionally stable |
| Table 3: Hard Hardwoods |
| Species |
Uses |
Wood Characteristics |
Drying |
Workability |
American Hornbeam
(ironwood) |
Items requiring heft and strength--mallets, tool handles, wedges, and other small items, small craft items, turnery |
Extremely dense and smooth, poor durability |
Extra care needed--prone to warp |
Extra care is needed for gluing, easy to finish |
Black Tupelo
(blackgum) |
Boxes, crates, basket veneers, flooring, rollers, mallets, ties, cigar boxes, caskets, sashes, doors, blocks, gunstocks, bowls, furniture
Traditionally--ox yokes |
Very tough, interlocked grained, without luster, poor durability (can be treated) |
Extra care needed--prone to warp |
Difficult to split and nail, dulls tools, glues well, good finish |
| Common Persimmon |
Turnery, golf club heads, shuttle blocks, bobbins, shoe lasts, handles, spools |
Heavy, strong, heartwood is highly decay resistant |
Difficult to dry |
Difficult to work, finishes to high polish, poor gluing, good nail holding, good shock and wear resistance |
| Eastern Hophornbeam |
Carving, turnings, excellent firewood
Traditionally--splitting wedges, tool handles, mallet heads, wagon axles |
Heavy, very strong, excellent abrasion resistance, very dense |
Very slow to dry |
Difficult to cut or plane, drilling pilot holes is necessary to nail or screw |
| Elm |
Cooperage stays, hoops, baskets, shipbuilding, boxes, crates, flooring, veneers, toys, woodenware, furniture |
Heavy, tough, attractive quarter-sawn |
Extra care needed--prone to warp |
Difficult to split, excellent bending properties, hard to polish, sawn surfaces can be "woolly," dulls tools, nails, screws and finishes well |
| Kentucky Coffeetree |
Fence posts, furniture, ties, construction material, poles
Traditionally--(roasted seeds) coffee substitute |
Durable, heavy, tough, strong, coarse grained |
Difficult ato dry without splitting |
Easy to work, glues and finishes well, holds nails and screws, prone to splits |
| Locust, Black |
Fence posts, handles, boxes, ship construction, crates, woodenware, poles, novelties
Traditionally--wagon wheel hubs |
Very hard, strong, heavy and heartwood durable |
Dries slowly, prone to warp |
Difficult to work with hand tools, machines well, very smooth finish, high polish, hard to nail |
| Osage-orange |
Superior fence posts and ties, musical instruments, turnery and novelties
Traditionally--wagon wheels hubs, Native Americans--bows, war clubs |
Very hard, heavy, tough and resilient, most durable of all North American species |
Dries well |
Difficult to work, dulls tools, difficult to nail, holds screws well, glues easily, avoid finishing with oils |
| Sourwood |
Turnery, handles, machine bearing
Traditionally--sled runners |
Heavy, excellent wear resistance, very close grained, poor durability |
Prone to warp |
Easy to work, glues satisfactorily, sands and finishes well |
| Sweet Gum |
Furniture, interior finishing, boxes/crates, woodworking--beautiful figured grain, prized in Europe |
Strong, stiff, interlocked grain, poor durability |
High shrinkage, thin stock prone to warp |
Very easy to work, plane and sand, holds nails and screws well, satisfactorily gluing, poor steam bending |
| Sycamore |
Butcher blocks, boxes, crates, truck slats, brush backs, slack cooperage, furniture, fruit and vegetable baskets, interior finish, woodenware |
Moderately strong, decays rapidly when exposed, attractive ray flecks when quarter-sawn |
Extra care needed--prone to warp |
Turns with ease, finishes smooth with sharp tools, nails, screws, and glues well |
| Table 4: Common Softwoods |
| Species |
Uses |
Wood Characteristics |
Drying |
Workability |
| Eastern Red Cedar |
Chest linings, interior woodwork, souvenir novelties, buckets, shingles, small boats, posts and poles, (leaf oil) medicine, (wood oil) perfume
Traditionally--pencils |
Highly aromatic, heartwood durable |
Easy to dry, low shrinkage |
Easy to work, carves and whittles well |
| Eastern White Pine |
Millwork, sashes, panel doors, interior trim and paneling, log homes, cabinetry, furniture, match sticks, pattern making, general construction, roof boards, sheathing, crating
Traditionally--war ship masts, (needles) tea to prevent scurvy |
Softest and lightest of the pines, weak, poor durability, low abrasion resistance |
Quick and easy to air dry, low shrinkage, prone to blue stain, sticker quickly and provide good airflow |
Very easy to work, planes well, glues easily, accepts fasteners, dimensionally stable, stains well, good for carving, poor for turning |
| Shortleaf Pine |
Interior and exterior finishing, general construction, veneer, packing shavings, cooperage, mine props |
Pines in the Southern yellow pine group are good for general construction with high strength properties, durable when treated |
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Moderately easy to work, hard to nail |
| Virginia Pine |
Rough construction
Treated--posts, poles, pilings |
Prone to warp with alternate wetting and drying |
Moderately easy to work, hard to nail, knotty | |
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