In response to Chris’s query last week about favorite woods, several of you have shared your choices and photos! Thanks to all. – Editor
“I like cherry for boxes, tables, etc. It ages so nicely. Most of my living room furniture, which I made, is cherry. Mostly black cherry, but also some ornamental cherry. But I also like walnut, ash and cedar! All my patio furniture is cedar from my backyard. The bread kneading table I made for my wife is eastern hard maple. I also use exotics, and I’m currently making a bunch of bud vases from ipe (Brazilian walnut). I have slabs of Pacific Maple from Oregon, black oak from California and some hawthorn and holly logs. I guess my point is, I do love cherry, it’s my fav, but I’m flexible. Especially if it’s FTM (free to me) wood!” – Steve Kendall
“While I don’t have a lot of years under my belt, woodworking-wise, I have come to love working with cedar. I make bird and squirrel feeders that I sell online, and I use simple cedar fence pickets. The pickets don’t look like much in the store, but after I’ve cut the pieces and sanded them, I come across some amazing grain and color. And of course, the smell — well, ’nuff said, right? The only other woods I’ve tried so far are pine, poplar, walnut, maple, padauk and ash. I love the color of padauk, so if I were to give you a second choice, it would be padauk.” – Robert Hancox
“Cherry is the love of my life. Thought I’d share this photo of a cherry table I’ve built.” – Ed De Mott
“As you surely know, there are as many favorites as there are species! It is difficult to choose just one, so as you have noted, I think cherry is a wood species that is hard to beat for many uses. It has a rich color, a tight grain, a useful hardness, and it cuts, turns and finishes beautifully. I might just go work up a little cherry project now!” – Dan Hays
“Cherry is my favorite wood, and the best part is it comes right off my farm, bringing new meaning to ‘farm to table.'” – Bruce Patton
“My favorite is walnut. It is a wood that always accentuates any project. This has a goldfinch inlay in yellow wood.” – Randy Wiles
“Since you asked, my favorite wood species is cherry. Widely available. Hard but easier on tools. Ages beautifully. Not dark and dingy. Not shipped in from halfway around the world. Often locally harvested and sustainable.” – Jeff Feldman
“I share your love of beautiful cherry, Chris. I managed to score some a few years ago and finally used it to build a new dining table last winter. With a clear finish, the wood really pops. Walnut is a close second.” – Brian Sigmon
“Hands down, black walnut is my favorite, but cherry is a close second.” – James Eames
“My favorite wood will probably vary depending on the project that I’m working on and the ultimate use of that project. With that caveat, I’d probably say that walnut ranks pretty high on the list. It is beautiful and it is so very pleasant to work with. It cuts and planes easily, and its beauty really pops when the finish goes on.” – Charley Robinson
“The woods I use most of the time are hard maple, walnut and cherry. Often I use them in combination.” – Keith Mealy
“My favorite woods are cherry and mahogany. In spite of its challenges, cherry is one because of its richness as it ages, and I like the smell of it as I am milling it. Mahogany because of its beauty and it’s easy to work. However, it does make a lot of dust, which is the only downside of mahogany for me.” – Neil Carpenter
“My favorite wood is redheart. I use it in small quantities as an accent for bowls, cribbage boards and other projects. After that, I really like walnut. This bowl is a take-off from one of your segmented bowls in Woodworker’s Journal Magazine.” – Terrence Greenwood
“I appreciate most species of wood. As long as they work and finish well, I keep and use them. As of late, I acquired a lot of red cedar that has been stored in the loft of a barn/shop. The deceased family conducted an estate sale, and the oak and cherry supplies had been bought prior to my visit. I purchased the cedar. It was very dry and hard! Anyway, I also bought a Rockler router table and stand that is very sturdy. To provide a means to secure some accessories to the stand, I cut some of the cedar and lined the interior of the stand framework with the cedar. I had wanted to experiment with wood dye for some time, so I added several drops of Trans Tint dye to some neutral Danish oil and applied it as a finish. I was blown away by how the red dye made the cedar pop! It’s been at least two years since I applied the finish, and the cedar still is beautiful.” – Tony Newman
“How can anyone have just one favorite wood? Surly thou dost speak in jest. Possibly the error lies in me. Is it even possible I may be somewhat different? Nah! I simply cannot settle for only one. I love black walnut for special items, gun stocks, knife handles, beautiful boxes and photo frames. For house things it has to be red oak. It is just so much fun trying to drive nails into old dry red oak, but it does make such gorgeous moldings throughout the house and actual furniture. Of course, my go-to wood for the outside has to be white oak for all the right reasons. Naturally there is still room for pine, fur and white wood for all things they are good for. Settle for just one wood? Sorry. Just not possible for this 80-year-old boy!” – Charles Tubbs
“Depending on the project I use both domestic and exotic woods, frequently mixing the two. I guess my favorite is sort of plain-vanilla maple, in all its forms, especially tiger and bird’s eye. The visual effects can be very striking, and the wood is relatively easy to work with. Here’s a picture of a car that I made for each of my eight grandchildren. All are made from rough-cut boards except for the axels, which were store-bought. I made these early in my woodworking hobby/career, so to speak, so I bought a plan and modified it for my use. Today, I’d make my own plan.” – Barry Meyers
Several also asked to see the blanket chest Chris was referring to in his editorial. It is below. – Editor
