Choice of Wood...

Selecting the base wood for a project is influenced by the texture and color of the desired finished product.

In considering texture, oak will have heavy grain lines if not paste-filled before finishing. Cherry and Walnut have medium to smooth surfaces. Maple is the smoothest, but is very hard. Finishes will not penetrate maple very deeply.

Poplar is a softer hardwood. It has a lower cost, but has the most potential of stain blotching. A sanded coat of sealer will help minimize blotching. Poplar can be stained or painted a solid color. Being a softer hardwood, poplar is more susceptible to dents and dings than other 'harder' hardwoods.

If your project will have a solid dark color finish (blk, brown, blue), then choose most any base wood. If your project will have a solid light color finish (wht, tan), then choose a lighter tone base wood like oak, birch, maple or poplar.

Birch, walnut, cherry and mahogany are usually chosen for an oil or stain application.

Many furniture pieces with a cherry or walnut applied finish may actually have been built from other more economical woods. When this occurs, it can be difficult to find the right stain for a reproduction piece that matches the original.

In order of price, low to high, here is a list of typical hardwoods:

$ Poplar, Oak, Birch, Walnut, Maple, Cherry, Mahogany. $$$