Wood Species Guide: Hardwoods, Exotic Woods, Plywood & Project Ideas
Choosing the right wood species can make a huge difference in how your project looks, works, finishes, and lasts. This wood species guide compares popular domestic hardwoods, colourful exotic woods, figured woods, live edge project woods, and Baltic Birch plywood so you can choose the best material for cutting boards, charcuterie boards, furniture, shelves, epoxy projects, CNC work, signs, templates, and DIY woodworking.
Use this guide to compare wood colour, grain, hardness, workability, finishing options, project suitability, and buying tips. Each species below links to a full guide with more detail on uses, appearance, Janka hardness, finishing, epoxy compatibility, common mistakes, and project ideas.
Shop Dimensional Lumber | Read the Wood for Epoxy Projects Guide | Use the Board Foot Guide
Add a high-quality group image here showing multiple wood species together. Ideal image: a flat lay or shelf photo with walnut, white oak, maple, cherry, Purpleheart, Padauk, Zebrawood, Wenge, Olive Wood, and other Jeff Mack Supply boards.
Suggested alt text: Wood species comparison showing domestic hardwoods exotic woods and project lumber from Jeff Mack Supply.
Browse Wood Species Guides
Start with the species below. Each page explains what the wood is, what it looks like, how hard it is, what it is best used for, how to finish it, and what to watch out for before starting your project.
Walnut Wood
Dark brown premium hardwood for furniture, shelves, cutting boards, charcuterie boards, epoxy projects, and high-end woodworking.
White Oak Wood
Strong, durable, premium hardwood with light brown colour, bold grain, ray fleck, and excellent furniture and shelving appeal.
Red Oak Wood
Classic reddish-brown hardwood with bold open grain for furniture, shelves, benches, trim, cabinetry, and DIY projects.
Maple Wood
Light, hard, clean-looking hardwood commonly used for cutting boards, furniture, shelves, butcher block, and contrast projects.
Cherry Wood
Warm reddish-brown hardwood that darkens beautifully over time and works well for furniture, boxes, boards, and fine woodworking.
Ash Wood
Strong, light-coloured hardwood with bold grain, good workability, and strong appeal for furniture, boards, and contrast projects.
Curly Maple Wood
Figured maple with tiger-like curl, shimmer, and movement for cutting board accents, furniture details, boxes, and decorative projects.
Ambrosia Maple Wood
Character maple with natural grey, brown, and beetle-streaked figure for boards, dowels, epoxy projects, and rustic-modern builds.
Purpleheart Wood
Dense exotic hardwood known for its natural purple colour, high hardness, and bold contrast in cutting boards and decorative projects.
Padauk Wood
Bright orange-red exotic hardwood used for cutting board accents, charcuterie boards, inlays, epoxy projects, and colourful contrast.
Zebrawood
High-contrast exotic hardwood with bold dark striping for furniture accents, serving boards, panels, boxes, and decorative projects.
Wenge Wood
Dark exotic hardwood with bold linear grain, coarse texture, and strong modern contrast for accents, inlays, and decorative details.
Canarywood
Warm yellow, orange, and reddish exotic hardwood with natural streaking for boards, epoxy projects, shelves, and accents.
Black Limba Wood
Light golden hardwood with dark grey and black streaking for drawer fronts, furniture panels, serving boards, and epoxy projects.
Olive Wood
Dense, dramatic, streaked hardwood for epoxy projects, charcuterie boards, serving boards, wall art, and one-of-a-kind pieces.
Leopardwood
Hard reddish-brown exotic hardwood with spotted ray fleck figure for cutting board accents, boxes, serving boards, and inlays.
Tigerwood
Dense reddish-brown hardwood with dark tiger-like streaks for boards, furniture accents, epoxy projects, and decorative woodworking.
Bolivian Rosewood
Also called Morado, Santos Rosewood, or Pau Ferro, this dense rosewood-like hardwood is ideal for premium accents and small projects.
Baltic Birch Plywood
Stable multi-ply plywood for CNC projects, laser work, templates, jigs, drawer boxes, cabinet parts, signs, and shop fixtures.
Wood Species Comparison Chart
Use this chart as a quick starting point. Hardness is helpful, but it is only one factor. Colour, grain, project type, workability, finish, food use, size availability, and design style are just as important.
| Wood Species | General Colour | Approx. Janka Hardness | Best For | Full Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walnut | Dark brown to chocolate brown | 1,010 lbf | Furniture, shelves, cutting boards, charcuterie boards, epoxy projects, premium woodworking | Walnut Guide |
| White Oak | Light to medium brown, often olive or tan | 1,350 lbf | Furniture, shelves, tables, cabinets, modern builds, durable projects | White Oak Guide |
| Red Oak | Light to medium brown with reddish cast | 1,220 lbf | Furniture, shelves, benches, trim, cabinetry, stain-grade projects | Red Oak Guide |
| Maple | Cream, pale tan, light brown | 1,450 lbf for hard maple | Cutting boards, butcher block, clean light projects, furniture, contrast strips | Maple Guide |
| Cherry | Pinkish brown to warm reddish brown | 950 lbf | Furniture, boxes, charcuterie boards, warm classic projects, fine woodworking | Cherry Guide |
| Ash | Light beige to medium brown | 1,320 lbf | Furniture, boards, bold-grain projects, lighter wood accents, epoxy projects | Ash Guide |
| Curly Maple | Light maple colour with curly figure | Varies by maple species | Decorative accents, boxes, furniture details, cutting board accents, figured projects | Curly Maple Guide |
| Ambrosia Maple | Light maple with grey, brown, and beetle streaks | Varies by maple species | Rustic boards, dowels, furniture accents, charcuterie boards, epoxy projects | Ambrosia Maple Guide |
| Purpleheart | Purple to violet brown | 2,520 lbf | Colour accents, cutting board strips, inlays, decorative projects, epoxy projects | Purpleheart Guide |
| Padauk | Bright orange-red to reddish brown | 1,710 lbf | Cutting board accents, charcuterie boards, colourful contrast, epoxy projects | Padauk Guide |
| Zebrawood | Light brown or cream with dark stripes | 1,830 lbf | Striped accents, furniture details, drawer fronts, boxes, serving boards | Zebrawood Guide |
| Wenge | Dark brown to nearly black | 1,930 lbf | Dark accents, inlays, modern contrast, boxes, serving board details | Wenge Guide |
| Canarywood | Yellow, orange, tan, reddish brown streaks | 1,520 lbf | Warm colourful boards, epoxy projects, shelves, boxes, accents | Canarywood Guide |
| Black Limba | Golden brown with grey or black streaks | 670 lbf | Drawer fronts, furniture panels, epoxy projects, serving boards, decorative pieces | Black Limba Guide |
| Olive Wood | Cream, yellow, brown, black streaks | 2,710 lbf | Epoxy projects, charcuterie boards, serving boards, wall art, one-of-a-kind pieces | Olive Wood Guide |
| Leopardwood | Reddish brown with spotted flecking | 2,150 lbf | Cutting board accents, charcuterie boards, boxes, inlays, decorative projects | Leopardwood Guide |
| Tigerwood | Reddish brown with dark streaks | 2,170 lbf | Cutting board accents, serving boards, furniture details, decorative projects | Tigerwood Guide |
| Bolivian Rosewood | Reddish brown, violet brown, dark streaks | 1,960 lbf | Premium accents, cutting board strips, drawer fronts, boxes, epoxy projects | Bolivian Rosewood Guide |
| Baltic Birch Plywood | Pale birch face with layered plywood edge | Not measured like solid wood | CNC projects, laser projects, templates, jigs, drawer boxes, cabinet parts, signs | Baltic Birch Guide |
Best Wood by Project Type
The best wood depends on the project. A daily-use cutting board needs different qualities than a shelf, epoxy serving board, drawer front, CNC template, or wall art piece.
| Project | Best Wood Choices | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Cutting Boards | Maple, Walnut, Cherry, White Oak, Purpleheart, Padauk, Leopardwood, Tigerwood, Bolivian Rosewood | Use stable, properly dried hardwoods. Dense colourful species often work best as accents or contrast strips. |
| Charcuterie Boards and Serving Boards | Walnut, Cherry, Maple, Olive Wood, Canarywood, Black Limba, Leopardwood, Tigerwood, Padauk, Bolivian Rosewood | Serving boards can focus more on colour, grain, figure, and presentation than heavy chopping durability. |
| Furniture | Walnut, White Oak, Cherry, Maple, Ash, Red Oak, Black Limba | These woods offer strong visual appeal, good workability, and practical furniture performance. |
| Shelves | White Oak, Walnut, Red Oak, Maple, Ash, Canarywood, Black Limba | Shelves benefit from strength, straight grain, attractive colour, and stable board selection. |
| Epoxy Projects | Olive Wood, Walnut, White Oak, Cherry, Black Limba, Canarywood, Purpleheart, Padauk, Wenge, Zebrawood | Epoxy projects look best when the wood has strong shape, grain, contrast, voids, colour, or natural edge character. |
| CNC Projects | Baltic Birch Plywood, Maple, Walnut, Cherry, White Oak, Ash | CNC projects need stable, predictable material that cuts cleanly and holds detail well. |
| Drawer Fronts and Decorative Panels | Walnut, White Oak, Black Limba, Zebrawood, Wenge, Bolivian Rosewood, Tigerwood, Leopardwood | Front-facing parts benefit from colour, figure, grain movement, and premium appearance. |
| Beginner Woodworking Projects | Walnut, Cherry, Maple, Ash, Red Oak, Baltic Birch Plywood | These materials are more predictable than many dense exotic woods and are easier to machine, sand, and finish. |
How to Choose the Right Wood Species
A good wood choice starts with the project, not just the colour. Think about how the piece will be used, how much wear it will see, whether it needs to be food-safe, whether the grain should be subtle or dramatic, and how comfortable you are working with harder or more expensive material.
1. Start With the Project
A shelf, cutting board, epoxy board, drawer front, table, and CNC template all need different wood properties. Choose the material based on the job first.
2. Consider Colour and Grain
Walnut gives dark contrast, maple gives clean light colour, white oak gives modern grain, and exotics like Padauk, Purpleheart, Zebrawood, and Wenge create strong visual impact.
3. Check Hardness
Harder woods can resist dents better, but they can also be more difficult to machine, drill, sand, and finish.
4. Think About Workability
Cherry, walnut, maple, ash, and red oak are generally more forgiving than dense exotic woods like Wenge, Purpleheart, Tigerwood, Leopardwood, and Olive Wood.
5. Match the Finish to the Wood
Clear finishes highlight natural colour and grain. Stain works well on some woods but can muddy the look of colourful or highly figured species.
6. Buy the Right Size
Choose boards that fit your project layout. For epoxy projects, board shape and live edge character can matter as much as species.
Wood Colour Guide
Colour is one of the biggest reasons customers choose one species over another. Use this quick guide to narrow your options by appearance.
| Colour Goal | Good Wood Choices | Best Uses |
|---|---|---|
| Dark Brown | Walnut, Wenge, Bolivian Rosewood | Furniture, premium accents, cutting board contrast, drawer fronts, modern designs |
| Light and Clean | Maple, Ash, White Oak, Baltic Birch Plywood | Cutting boards, shelves, CNC projects, modern furniture, clean contrast layouts |
| Warm Red or Brown | Cherry, Red Oak, Tigerwood, Leopardwood, Bolivian Rosewood | Furniture, boards, boxes, accents, decorative woodworking |
| Bright Colour | Padauk, Purpleheart, Canarywood | Cutting board accents, inlays, colourful contrast, epoxy projects, small decorative pieces |
| Bold Stripes or Figure | Zebrawood, Black Limba, Leopardwood, Tigerwood, Olive Wood, Curly Maple, Ambrosia Maple | Drawer fronts, serving boards, epoxy projects, wall art, boxes, accent panels |
Wood Hardness: What Janka Hardness Means
Janka hardness measures how resistant a wood is to denting. A higher number usually means a harder wood, but harder is not always better. Very hard woods can be more durable, but they can also be more difficult to cut, plane, route, drill, sand, and glue.
For cutting boards, hardness matters, but so do grain structure, stability, food-safe finishing, and surface quality. For furniture, hardness matters, but so do workability, colour, board size, movement, and finish choice. For epoxy projects, shape, dryness, cracks, voids, and edge character can be just as important as hardness.
Best Woods for Epoxy Projects
Epoxy projects often look best when the wood has natural shape, grain movement, voids, cracks, live edges, colour contrast, or dramatic figure. The wood should be dry, clean, stable, and properly prepared before pouring resin.
Best for River Boards
Walnut, White Oak, Cherry, Olive Wood, Black Limba, and Canarywood are strong options for epoxy river-style boards and serving pieces.
Best for Colour Contrast
Purpleheart, Padauk, Wenge, Zebrawood, Tigerwood, Leopardwood, and Bolivian Rosewood create bold contrast with clear, black, white, gold, bronze, pearl, blue, and smoky grey epoxy.
Best for One-of-a-Kind Pieces
Olive Wood, Black Limba, Ambrosia Maple, Canarywood, and live edge hardwood pieces are ideal when every project should look different.
Best for Beginners
Start with dry, stable, project-ready pieces that fit your mold. Avoid soft, loose, punky, or unstable material until you are comfortable with epoxy prep.
Helpful Epoxy Resources
Best Woods for Cutting Boards and Charcuterie Boards
Cutting boards and charcuterie boards are not always the same. A heavy-use cutting board should prioritize stability, surface quality, food-safe finishing, and practical maintenance. A charcuterie board or serving board can focus more on figure, colour, presentation, and gift appeal.
| Board Type | Recommended Woods | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Daily Cutting Boards | Maple, Walnut, Cherry, White Oak | These are practical, attractive, and common choices for working cutting boards. |
| Colour Accent Cutting Boards | Padauk, Purpleheart, Leopardwood, Tigerwood, Bolivian Rosewood, Wenge | Use colourful or dense exotic woods strategically as accents or contrast strips. |
| Charcuterie Boards | Walnut, Cherry, Olive Wood, Black Limba, Canarywood, Leopardwood, Tigerwood, Padauk | Serving boards can highlight grain, figure, live edge character, and colour variation. |
| Epoxy Serving Boards | Olive Wood, Walnut, White Oak, Cherry, Black Limba, Canarywood, Ambrosia Maple | Choose dry, stable pieces that fit your mold and have interesting shape or grain. |
Finishing Wood Species
The best finish depends on the wood species and the project. Food-contact boards need food-safe board oils or waxes. Furniture may need hardwax oil, clear oil, lacquer, polyurethane, water-based finish, or another durable topcoat. Epoxy projects need a finish that works with both the wood and resin surface.
Shop Wood for Your Next Project
Jeff Mack Supply carries project-ready hardwoods, exotic woods, live edge pieces, epoxy-ready wood, Baltic Birch plywood, finishing supplies, resin, pigments, templates, and woodworking accessories for makers, furniture builders, epoxy artists, CNC users, and DIY woodworkers.
Shop Wood Collection → | Shop Dimensional Lumber → | Visit Our Mississauga Store →
Wood Species FAQs
What is the best wood for cutting boards?
Maple, Walnut, Cherry, and White Oak are common choices for cutting boards. Colourful hardwoods like Purpleheart, Padauk, Leopardwood, Tigerwood, Wenge, and Bolivian Rosewood are often used as accent strips or contrast details.
What is the best wood for charcuterie boards?
Walnut, Cherry, Olive Wood, Black Limba, Canarywood, Maple, White Oak, Padauk, Leopardwood, Tigerwood, and other attractive hardwoods can work well for charcuterie boards when properly dried, sanded, and finished with a food-safe board oil or wax.
What is the best wood for epoxy projects?
Walnut, Olive Wood, White Oak, Cherry, Black Limba, Canarywood, Ambrosia Maple, Purpleheart, Padauk, Zebrawood, Wenge, and other character woods can work well for epoxy projects. Choose dry, stable pieces with interesting shape, grain, live edge, cracks, voids, or colour contrast.
What is the easiest hardwood for beginners?
Walnut, Cherry, Maple, Ash, Red Oak, and Baltic Birch plywood are good starting points for many beginner and intermediate projects. Dense exotic woods can be beautiful, but they often require sharper tools, slower machining, and more careful sanding.
What wood species are best for furniture?
Walnut, White Oak, Cherry, Maple, Ash, Red Oak, and Black Limba are strong furniture choices. The best option depends on colour, grain, workability, budget, and whether the project needs a clean, rustic, modern, traditional, or exotic look.
What wood is best for shelves?
White Oak, Walnut, Red Oak, Maple, Ash, Black Limba, and Canarywood can all work for shelves. Choose based on strength, board size, appearance, finish, and how much weight the shelf needs to support.
What is the hardest wood in this guide?
Olive Wood is one of the hardest woods in this guide, followed by Purpleheart, Tigerwood, Leopardwood, Bolivian Rosewood, Wenge, Zebrawood, and Padauk. Hardness is useful, but it should not be the only factor when choosing wood.
What is the best dark wood?
Walnut is one of the best all-around dark hardwoods because it is beautiful, workable, and versatile. Wenge and Bolivian Rosewood are darker exotic options for accents, inlays, drawer fronts, and decorative details.
What is the best light wood?
Maple, Ash, White Oak, and Baltic Birch plywood are good choices when you want a lighter wood. Maple is clean and pale, Ash has bold grain, White Oak has a premium modern look, and Baltic Birch is useful for CNC, laser, jig, and plywood projects.
Where can I buy hardwood in Canada?
You can shop hardwood online at Jeff Mack Supply or visit our store in Mississauga, Ontario. We carry project-ready domestic hardwoods, exotic woods, live edge pieces, epoxy-ready wood, Baltic Birch plywood, resin, pigments, finishes, and woodworking supplies.
