Assign materiality. Choose from

four popular domestic wood species.

The choice of wood species for a table is a relatively important decision.  In general, you want the overall appearance to match the existing space.

Other than basic aesthetics, the type of wood you choose should match the way you will use the table.  If the surface will see some action, choose

something harder and more durable, such as maple or oak.  If a rich, natural color is what your after, maybe go with cherry or walnut.

Hardwood vs. softwood.

 

There are tens of thousands of species of trees, many of which are commonly used for different purposes.  In the United States, especially the

Northeastern US, we live amongst many beautiful hardwood species.  The terms hardwood + softwood have not to do with the actual hardness

of the wood itself, but rather with the reproductive system + process of the tree.  For the most part, hardwood species are deciduous, meaning they shed

their leaves in the fall, while softwood species are evergreen.  Coincidentally, however, most domestic hardwoods are actually harder than most domestic softwoods.

 

Sapwood vs. heartwood.

The living portion of the tree responsible for the sap conduction upwards is know as the sapwood.   As the tree develops, all of the available wood cells

are no longer necessary to satisfy the leaves’ requirement for nutrients.  This sapwood is then transformed into heartwood, which is the inner portion of the

trunk.  During this transformation, a material called “extractives” is formed in the cell walls of the heartwood.  The presence of extractives is responsible for the distinct,

rich colors that we associate with most well known wood species; such as the rich pink tones of cherry, and the warm, vibrant browns of black walnut.

When a log is cut for lumber, many of the boards will have both hardwood and sapwood, especially if the tree was not very old.  Depending on the

species, the sapwood will have a different appearance, but it is usually a much lighter, more pale tone of the heartwood.  In some species, such as oak,

there is not always a distinct difference between the heartwood and sapwood.  With a species such as black walnut on the other hand,

where the heartwood is a rich dark brown and the sapwood is a pale yellow-gray tone, the transition is much more apparent.

Completely cutting out of the sapwood would be ideal to create the most consistent color possible, however this approach is extremely wasteful.  Especially

when you take into consideration the fact that although the structural statistics are different from that of the heartwood, when it comes to something like a table,

it will not make a difference.  It comes down to personal preference.   While we do our best to minimize the visibility of sapwood, such as arranging boards

in specific ways to hide it, we do not completely exclude it.  Many find the presence of some sapwood aesthetically pleasing.

 

The details of the material.

The ideal wood species for a tabletop, in our opinion, is something hard and durable, with a beautiful, natural color.  All four of the domestic species that we offer

fit that description.  For a typical four leg and apron table, you don’t really need to be concerned with the elasticity and bending strength of the wood;  more so, you should be

concerned with its harness, texture, grain appearance, color, tone, and overall weight.  The table base does a very good job supporting the tabletop, and no bending should really occur.

 Maple is a very hard, durable, tight grained wood.  It’s color can range from very light brown to an off-white cream color, to almost totally white. This depends on

the individual tree, and even the part  of the tree that the board was cut from.  Over the years, it may darken a bit.  Maple usually has a very fine, yet elegant grain appearance, and its

density makes it very smooth to the touch.  Maple boards are often figured to some degree, meaning the wood cells are structured  in such a way that they create an interesting

depth and pattern when cut in certain orientations, rather than being straight and flat and reflecting light uniformly across the surface.   Figured

grain tends to appear to have a depth and radiance to it, not unlike the appearance of color on a butterfly’s wings.

Common Name(s): Hard Maple, Sugar Maple, Rock Maple

Scientific Name: Acer saccharum

Distribution: Northeastern North America

Tree Size: 80-115 ft (25-35 m) tall, 2-3 ft (.6-1.0 m) trunk diameter

Average Dried Weight: 44 lbs/ft³ (705 kg/m³)

Specific Gravity (Basic, 12% MC): .56, .71

Janka Hardness: 1,450 lb_f (6,450 N)

Modulus of Rupture: 15,800 lb_f/in² (109.0 MPa)

Elastic Modulus: 1,830,000 lb_f/in² (12.62 GPa)

Crushing Strength: 7,830 lb_f/in² (54.0 MPa)

Shrinkage: Radial: 4.8%, Tangential: 9.9%, Volumetric: 14.7%, T/R Ratio: 2.1

 

Red Oak  is a hard, durable, “coarse” grained wood.   While it is not difficult to sand smooth, the surface appearance is somewhat textured  because of

the actual size of the wood cells.  Where as hardwoods such as maple and cherry have small, dense cells, oak has large, evenly distributed  cells along the growth rings.

As an analogy, imagine a bundle ofstraws.  If you cut through the bundle on a very steep angle, some of the straws (cells) would be sliced open lengthwise, and you would be

able to feel the textural difference between them.   Another common quality of oak, especially red oak, is the visibility of “ray” cells.  Rays are bundles of

cells oriented  perpendicular to the trunk, which serve to transport nutrients across the grain.  Rays appear as bright linear streaks, and are

very common in red oak.  The color of red oak can range from a light to a medium brown, very often with a distinct reddish cast to it.  

White oak on the other hand has  more of an olive type of cast to it.  Oak is easy to work and makes an excellent tabletop. 

Common Name(s): Red Oak

Scientific Name: Quercus rubra

Distribution: Northeastern United States and Southeastern Canada

Tree Size: 80-115 ft (25-35 m) tall, 3-6 ft (1-2 m) trunk diameter

Average Dried Weight: 44 lbs/ft³ (700 kg/m³)

Specific Gravity (Basic, 12% MC): .56, .70

Janka Hardness: 1,220 lb_f (5,430 N)

Modulus of Rupture: 14,380 lb_f/in² (99.2 MPa)

Elastic Modulus: 1,761,000 lb_f/in² (12.14 GPa)

Crushing Strength: 6,780 lb_f/in² (46.8 MPa)

Shrinkage: Radial: 4.0%, Tangential: 8.6%, Volumetric: 13.7%, T/R Ratio: 2.2

Black cherry, or simply cherry, is a smooth, tight grained wood, with a relatively average hardness and weight.  It is hard enough to serve as a tabletop, yet significantly

softer than hard maple.  The heartwood color is a light pinkish brown, darkening to a reddish, golden brown with age.  The natural color emanating from a finished piece of cherry has a

brilliance to it, and really is something to behold.  Because of this, along with its wonderful working properties + even it’s floral scent, cherry is considered one of the highest quality  domestic

hardwoods, along with black walnut.  Cherry is commonly used to construct some of the highest quality fine furniture, and owning a piece of solid cherry furniture is a very nice investment.

Common Name(s): Black Cherry, Cherry, American Cherry

Scientific Name: Prunus serotina

Distribution: Eastern North America

Tree Size: 50-100 ft (15-30 m) tall, 3-5 ft (1-1.5 m) trunk diameter

Average Dried Weight: 35 lbs/ft³ (560 kg/m³)

Specific Gravity (Basic, 12% MC): .47, .56

Janka Hardness: 950 lb_f (4,230 N)

Modulus of Rupture: 12,300 lb_f/in² (84.8 MPa)

Elastic Modulus: 1,490,000 lb_f/in² (10.30 GPa)

Crushing Strength: 7,110 lb_f/in² (49.0 MPa)

Shrinkage:Radial: 3.7%, Tangential: 7.1%, Volumetric: 11.5%, T/R Ratio: 1.9

Black walnut, or simply walnut, is a medium dense, medium textured wood, again with a relatively average hardness.  Because of these qualities,

along with its incredible color and tones, it also creates a very nice surface to serve as a tabletop.  The heartwood can range from a light brown to a dark, chocolate

tone brown.  High quality boards commonly have a very warm resonance, ranging to even a purple cast.  Walnut is widely considered to be one the highest quality domestic

hardwoods.  Because of this, over-harvesting has occurred, and the price is black walnut is on the high end.  When we choose to work with black walnut, we take extra

care to acquire our lumber from responsible sources, and put a serious emphasis on creating only the most beautiful work will will last for decades to come.

Common Name(s): Black Walnut

Scientific Name: Juglans nigra

Distribution: Eastern United States

Tree Size: 100-120 ft (30-37 m) tall, 2-3 ft (.6-1 m) trunk diameter

Average Dried Weight: 38 lbs/ft³ (610 kg/m³)

Specific Gravity (Basic, 12% MC): .51, .61

Janka Hardness: 1,010 lb_f (4,490 N)

Modulus of Rupture: 14,600 lb_f/in² (100.7 MPa)

Elastic Modulus: 1,680,000 lb_f/in² (11.59 GPa)

Crushing Strength: 7,580 lb_f/in² (52.3 MPa)

Shrinkage: Radial: 5.5%, Tangential: 7.8%, Volumetric: 12.8%, T/R Ratio: 1.4

Other considerations.

It’s important to understand that wood is a natural product.  We do our absolute best to only work with the best quality hardwood lumber; however,

even good quality boards occasionally have some “defects”; small knots, small cracks, splits, + checks, ingrown bark, etc.  This is just the nature of working with wood

as a material.  While we work hard to conceal + repair these “defects” when necessary, they can still be present.  Our descriptions of the wood species we work with are very

accurate, however wood color can vary dramatically.  Again, we work to match boards appropriately and create the most natural appearance for our customers.

Wood can engage it’s environment sometimes in unpredictable ways.  Over time, after the furniture experiences many years of seasonal changes + moisture

exchanges, it is possible for small cracks and splits to develop.  By purchasing our solid wood furniture, you are accepting this as a possible risk.  If you take care of your

furniture and keep it in a sheltered environment, free of extreme temperature + humidity changes, the wood should remain in good condition for much longer than you will.