Wood

Walnut hands down.

-- Betsy - GO BUCKS!

i don’t like pine much. i haven’t worked with much but i love mahogany. i liked pine to until i used it a lot. its really soft, hard to finish, and i just don’t really like it. mahogany is really nice though. especially when carving such as my thank you card for Charles Neil.

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i want to try working with walnut though. and so many other woods. i know that purple heart burns a lot and ”its purple”! lol. and birch is really hard i didn’t like working with that much. especially shaping it. and oak is nice. also ebony, it just chips out a lot when cross cutting. well thats all i got for now! time for bed!

Pine is my favorite wood!

-- I will not be silent, nor will I preach.

I’m a cherry guy.

It is like working butter with hand tools or machines, it’s durable, and once you learn how to finish it without blotches, it produces a gorgeous end result. I have also found that with some perseverance you can dig some really cool figured pieces out of the lumber pile.

I like the look of walnut, and it is very workable. I just find that the fine dust from machines gives me nosebleeds. I usually reserve walnut for small pieces or detail work.

If I ever have to work pau amarello again, it will be too soon.

I have worked with somewhere in the neighbourhood of 100 species of lumber over the years, but cherry still comes out on top.

-- The only easy wood project is a fire

I’m usually working with oak, but I really like cherry.

i love the look of oiled walnut.

-- Roper - master of sawdust-

Another walnut man here!

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

Read Oak and Walnut

cherry is my favorite, it looks great, works great, and smells good when cutting it. and i use the scraps in my smoker to flavor meats.
i don’t really care for pine. mahogany is ok, just a little brittle and chips out, and i don’t care for oak too much.
purple heart is different, it smells good when working it, but because it’s so dense it does start burning faster and it’s harder to sand out the burn marks

-- Joey, Magee, Ms http://woodnwaresms.com

my favorite wood is FREE wood. I can butcher any of it, but if it’s cheap it doesnt hurt as much.

-- Smile. Life can be FUN!

I can only vouch for what I have worked with.

I really like clear VG Doug fir if I can find it. I also like White Oak. The grain in QS is absolutely stunning. Maple is quite nice too. I have found curly, spalted and tiger figured wood just digging through a new pile at Hughes Hardwood. I am working with Mahogany for the first time in my current project. It is lovely under a chisel but be careful with machine tools because it has a tendency to blow out if you don’t back it up.

-- Scott - Chico California http://chicowoodnut.home.comcast.net

Excellent point Woodrat—- cheap wood is always the best and easiest to work. It also doesn’t hurt as much when you throw it in the burn pile.

-- Betsy - GO BUCKS!

I have only worked with a few different species of wood, namely walnut, pine, and oak, but walnut comes out on top without a question. It’s a wonderful thing to see boards of rough walnut transform into a beautifully finished project.

Very tricky question. I use pine a for a lot of projects but for appearance Myrtle burl for bowls & black hearted sassafras for spindle jobs.

-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python

I would have to say walnut.

And cedar.

-- Urban logger, http://nelsonwoodworks.biz/

For “common” hardwood, I like red oak – next (due to expense) would be walnut. As to the exotics – I love bubinga…

-- GlennL, New Jersey

uh – hands down, the free type

-- Rob (A) Waxahachie,TX

I like oak and cherry. But if the project calls for it, I enjoy cedar becasue it smells so good.

i like oak i work with it every day but if i could afford it birdseye maple its beautifull

andy…........

-- cut it saw it scrap it

Quarter sawn white oak, due to the design of furniture I make most of the time. I really like working with cherry and maple also.

-- Tim -- http://tmuli.com

Oak and walnut are my favorites!

-- Steve-o

I really like to work with Maple even with the challenges it presents.

-- //FC - Round Rock, TX - "Experience is what you get just after you need it"

Red Oak, but I am making a flute and picalo case for my son out of walnut: my favorite might be chaning.

-- Brian, Lebanon PA, If you aren’t having fun doing it, find something else to do.

If I was limited to working with only one wood it would be Walnut. I love everything about walnut including the smell when you cut into it. I do like zebrawood though but hate the smell and splinters. Other noteables I have worked with and like are: quartersawn white oak, African and genuine mahogany, Ash, hard maple and teak.

dying to work with but haven’t yet list would include: wenge, bubinga, and cherry

My could do without list would include: pine, philapine mahogany and red oak.

-- Brian, Folsom, CA http://www.brianfullerdesigns.com

I have been working with Western Maple. It works nicely, harder than soft maple, softer than hard maple and has a slight red or pink color. Screws, glues, planes great. Dimensionally stable. Burns easily. Cheaper than ash or sometimes even cheaper than poplar.

-- Days in the shop don't count toward the total.

I like Walnut, however I was working with Teak today it is a easy wood to work with.

-- Ron Central, CA

I like hard maple for general overall wood working. I like the looks of honey locust, cherry and ash for turning. I had the pleasure of turning some orange agate the other day. It is some of the most beautiful wood I have ever seen.

-- My favorite piece is my last one, my best piece is my next one.

Well I am a big QSWO fan, but Mesquite and Koa are a very close second.
To me there is a pleasent aroma excreted when sawing or sanding white oak.
Not to mention the medulary rays look stunning with a good finish.

-- MISSION FURNITURE-My mission is to build furniture

I’m gonna have to say leave the red oak at the store. It’s aweful and is better torn out of the 70s homes. Mission style furniture looks best with quatersawn white oak but I wouldn’t use it for anything else. Just fits that style. I tend to sway toward Alder for all of our general cabinetry work, like kitchens and such. It’s easy to work and stains well. Natural maple and Hickory are my favorites for natural finishes. I love to work with walnut and cherry as well. But again these woods are good for cabinetry. Mahogany and maple are my choices to carve. I’d have to say I love Bubinga and wenge for furniture. I also tend to design a lot with purpleheart. It really just depends folks. The design, price, and mood all are a huge part. And, is it getting a clear coat, stained, or painted? hmmmmm….. I just really love working wood. Any wood as long as I am making something.

-- ~ Inspiring those who inspire me ~

I have only had the opportunity to work with a few woods to date. Pine, red oak, ash, cherry, walnut, poplar and now mahogony for my current project. So far I like Cherry the best. You can’t beat the smell of freshly milled cherry. At least to my nose. Mahogony now is coming in a close second though. I have found it’s been pretty easy to work with, but likes to tear out so needs back up whenever possible.

i also really like hickory! its a challenge to work with bet is soooo beautiful. and also sycamore, also hard to work will and can turn a u in a moments notice. you can dye it up pretty nice though. otherwise it can be pretty ugly.

Cherry is my favorite hands down,I like the way it looks .

-- Bill in Mich

I like oak and cherry and walnut.

-- jeanmarc manosque france

I love working with Walnut. But I will take anything that I get for free! I am always amazed at what companies throw out the door.

Well now, it all depends on what you are trying to accomplish. Recently I have found a wood that is ideal for building model ships and wooden toys. It is Aspen which is a light creamy white, is relatively soft for a hardwood, has absolutely no grain similar to boxwood, and is easy to carve and takes fine detail. Its negative is it doesn’t take stain very well. Another positive is I found it at my local Lowe’s store and its cheap.

Rufus

-- Always remember half of the people in this country are below average.

Cherry, then Walnut, then Maple. But it really depends on the project. And I try and find a use for Spanish Cedar in all the boxes I make – ‘cause I love that smell.

Joe-Trifern’s Orange agate looks great, but I can’t find any.

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

I have lots of cherry, so thats my choice. White oak is a very close second.
I have a little of everything in my woodshed. Can’t wait to get to the hickory.

Worst wood, Padauk. Never again.
Black ash is the second worst. I have about 700 bf left to make garden row markers with. ;-)

-- Got Wood?

really i like all the woods i’ve tried. some more than others. cherry hand planes and works beautifully and is beautiful. but i guess that i just like wood!

I like WHITE Oak, not red <g>, and figured maple.

-- - Real men read directions

I like white oak, walnut and cherry.
I work with pine quite a bit since it’s inexpensive and usually easy to work with. my biggest complaint is that you can ding it simply by looking at it!

-- ~ www.darrylmasterson.com ~ www.woodworkingdungeon.blogspot.com ~

At work I have the opportunity to play with Red Oak, QSWO, Cherry, Maple, Hickory, Lyptus, and Alder. I recently had the Head of Purchasing order me 28 bf of Walnut. (Not a bad deal at 100.56$) Of all these woods, Cherry is probably the nicest to work with and smells soooo good. Walnut looks the best. Alder is way too soft. But I find myself drawn to Hickory. The hardness, the smell, the look.. I don’t know. I recently had the opportunity to work with some osage orange and WOW it was real easy on the plane blades and the sander. All in all though, I will work any wood I can… Just love the wood.

-- I came, I saw, I pondered...

Walnut, Mahogany, Maple and Cherry. Just started working with Coca bola and Brazilian Cherry I a recent project, these are very nice so far just started.

-- Ron Central, CA

For turning, it’s got to be Myrtle.

For joinery, It has to be Yellow Heart. It creates crisp edges and love that smell. It’s a little bright though.

-- ??? My mistakes heat the house. It's very warm in here. ???

ya yellow heart looks nice! haven’t had the chance to work with it yet.

Claro Walnut…. amazing color. and fairly easy to work as well. Second, I have always loved the smell of Oak. Don’t know why exactly, just do.

-- Chris

Mann thats a hard question!!

Defiantly free is the best but, cherry, walnut, and paduak are my top three…

fun topic thanks… Dug

-- Wood and Glass they kick (well you know) Have a great day all Dug

It’s easier if I tell what I DON’T like to work with.

Pine that won’t be painted or finished with a simple ambering clear coat… <g>

Everything else, I like! Even pine, if I get to choose the finish.

-- - Real men read directions

I’m a sucker for figured maple, and mahogany together. Walnut and cherry together is another on my favorites.

-- Julian, Park Forest, IL

I like walnut. It looks really nice, especially when its’ quarter sawn.
Its’ also easy to work with and really durable.