# Which wood smells the best?



## ErikF (Apr 3, 2012)

My shop time today consisted of milling a number of 5/4 santos mahogany boards to my desired dimensions. This stuff is pretty rough on the lungs so I am careful to wear my mask when cutting it…but it smells great! It is similar to vanilla but with a little pepperness. Hickory comes in as my second favorite. Oak…I really don't like the way it smells.

What about all you fellow woodworkers? Favorite and least favorite.


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## Alexandre (May 26, 2012)

CEDAR.


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## ShaneA (Apr 15, 2011)

Purpleheart, and Paduak are pretty nice.


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## mark88 (Jun 8, 2009)

any coniferous/softwoods smell he best to me especially cedar, then pine. out of hardwoods, for some odd reason, I like walnut


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## NiteWalker (May 7, 2011)

Cherry is nice.


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## semi75 (Jun 17, 2010)

I love walnut also but I do have to be careful or I will be sneezing. The smell reminds me of when I was a little collecting and shucking black walnuts. I like the sweet smell of cherry also.


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## rance (Sep 30, 2009)

Pine(it reminds me of my dad when I was young), and FREE wood.


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## RjGall (Jun 16, 2008)

Camphor has a very fragrant aroma.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

mesquite smells great to me


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## mojapitt (Dec 31, 2011)

Aromatic Red Cedar is great. I would like to cut some daily. Russian Olive is the worst. Smells like a chain smoker with bad gas.


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## knotscott (Feb 27, 2009)

Cedar, sassafras, blue spruce

Monte Pittman said - "*Smells like a chain smoker with bad gas.*" 
LOL…there's a winning combination!


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## Kreegan (Jul 10, 2012)

I will likely be in the minority here, but I like the way cypress smells. Walnut is good too.

Rich


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## RetiredCoastie (Sep 7, 2009)

Olive smells the best! When turning it smells awesome.


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## shampeon (Jun 3, 2012)

Port Orford Cedar, in a walk.


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## olivine (Jan 16, 2011)

I love the smell of padauk and cocobolo, both remind me of cinnamon and cloves. And oak has a nice smell when it burns a little. I have to completely disagree with hickory though reminds me of raw sewage.


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## Dusty56 (Apr 20, 2008)

Birch , Cherry , Mahogany , Aromatic Cedar : )


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## TedW (May 6, 2012)

I like the smell of Pine when I cut through a large, sappy knot. Smells like Pine-Sol

Zebra is the worst smelling that I've encountered so far.

Padauk nearly chokes me to death.


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## stan3443 (Mar 3, 2012)

i like cherry and walnut


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

Yellow Cedar (Alaska cedar) A real West coast boat builder's answer.


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## lunn (Jan 30, 2012)

My smeller isn't working good anymore. To much sawdust and i guess i've got used to the smell of red cedar, walnut ect. but i can still smell pine.


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## Bonka (Apr 13, 2012)

I like pussy willow the best.


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## IsaacH (Aug 29, 2012)

My vote is for green sassafras, next would be cherry then cedar.


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

Padauk and Cedar, yeah buddy.


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## ErikF (Apr 3, 2012)

Pussy willow…he he he.


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## Wdwerker (Apr 14, 2012)

Ipe has a nice rich sweet smell.


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## wunderaa (May 15, 2012)

Maple brings back memories, Mahogany smells wonderful, Walnut smells great until I start sneezing.

On the other end of the spectrum: oak.


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## NewEnglandsWoodWorks (Apr 12, 2011)

Cherry.


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## deparrott (Aug 19, 2012)

Black Walnut is my favorite with aromatic Red Cedar right behind it.


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## Dusty56 (Apr 20, 2008)

*Pussy willow…he he he.* LMAO : )


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

Padauk. Love the smell, hate the cleanup after sanding.
Bill


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## blackcherry (Dec 7, 2007)

Hand down Spanish Cedar!!!!!!!!


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## Cosmicsniper (Oct 2, 2009)

Cedar and pine, always.

Funny, I sliced off some end-grain of black palm the other day, which is technically a grass like bamboo. I was curious as to what smell that would impart, but I was too busy dodging all the splinters flying off the board to notice the smell!

Wicked "wood."


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## Cosmicsniper (Oct 2, 2009)

Guys, this is a family forum. Quit using the word "willow" so freely.


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## Dusty56 (Apr 20, 2008)

Quit using the word "willow" so freely.
LMAO : )


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## LukieB (Jan 8, 2012)

Love Maple, Cherry and Pine. Hate Oak

Ohh and love Mahogany and Cedar


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## Manitario (Jul 4, 2010)

Walnut!


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## TedW (May 6, 2012)

Oak smells like cat willow.


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

Another vote for padauk.


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## keiraroth (Oct 16, 2012)

I have always loved the smell of Mahogany and Pine Trees…


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## scottv11 (May 20, 2011)

I always loved the smell of Lignum Vitae.


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## mark88 (Jun 8, 2009)

the smell of sap from a spruce tree or pine tree smells amazing! i love sap


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## grfrazee (Jul 17, 2012)

Second to lignum vitae. Smells wonderfully sweet while turning, not to mention it machines like a champ.

And, of course, aromatic cedar.


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## PRGDesigns (Jan 25, 2012)

Padauk smells like candy to me. Zebrawood smells like the zoo. Cedar is cedar, but yellow pine reminds me of being a kid working with my Dad, MR. PRG.


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## IsaacH (Aug 29, 2012)

Sassafras reminds me of my great-grandmothers sassafras tea…..oh the memories….


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## kizerpea (Dec 2, 2011)

I plained some douglas fir that came out of a old winery…the vat…almost got drunk…not mention the yellow jackets that were buzzing around…whoa!


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## Finn (May 26, 2010)

90% of the time I use ….cedar and I am sick of the smell.


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## Dusty56 (Apr 20, 2008)

*Jim Finn* , Aromatic Cedar or "Pencil-wood" Cedar ?


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## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

My favorite *BY FAR* is Lignum Vitae. It keeps the shop smelling nice for days. Bocote and Tulip smell really nice too. Katalox has a nice "coffee" aroma but it is very faint.


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## skeemer (Dec 5, 2011)

My experience is limited so far but my favorite smell to date has been some Honduran Rosewood. Spicy and sweet at the same time.


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

I like Alaskan White cedar, I hate walnut.


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## EPJartisan (Nov 4, 2009)

Bloodwood… yep hands down.. like a savory honey flower scent… makes me a little hungry.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

not one for doug fir ? ... it brings me back to working at the local lumberyard. I also like the smell of oak but im kinda weird so ignore my comments


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## Gshepherd (May 16, 2012)

Free wood smells the best….. Followed by the Mahoganys,cherry,walnut…..


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## ChuckC (May 13, 2010)

+1 for Paduak. Yellowheart is nice too.


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## SASmith (Mar 22, 2010)

+1 for sassafras
I dried 200bf in the shop one time. The odor was almost too strong.


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## AJswoodshop (Mar 2, 2012)

I love to smell Cedar, I also like the smell of walnut. Ash smells really nice too, never smelled paduak before, sounds like it's a nice smell though!


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## Dark_Lightning (Nov 20, 2009)

Spanish cedar! Yum. I have a board that I plane curlicues off of and put in a box underneath the seat of my car as air freshener. I probably should rotate it with cherry and maple, just to keep the carpool buddies confused.


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