Temperate hardwoods

The home-grown and European hardwoods: oak, ash, beech, walnut, and the rest.

• OakA hardwood traditionally led by English, Baltic and American white oak, known for its silver grain figure.
• MapleA hardwood from the maple family, ranging from a plain timber for ordinary carpentry to a prized decorative wood with wavy or speckled figure.
• BeechA hard, heavy hardwood used for furniture, flooring and handles where strength and shock resistance are needed.
• ElmA tough hardwood with an irregular, wavy grain, valued less for looks than for resisting rot that ruins other timbers.
• WalnutA rich brown hardwood, chiefly American black walnut and European walnut, prized for cabinetwork, gunstocks and fine carving.
• AshA hardwood prized for strength paired with spring, taking sudden knocks without splintering, pale and almost white in its European form.
• BirchA tough, stringy pale hardwood better known for its durable bark, once used for roof tiles, footwear and boats.
• LimeA pale, close-grained hardwood prized above almost any other for how cleanly it carves.
• CherryA smooth, close-grained hardwood used for furniture, veneer panels and fine interior joinery.
• ChestnutSweet chestnut, a moderately light hardwood once common in everyday framing, now hard to find, not to be confused with horse chestnut.
• PoplarA trade name for several light, soft woods used for carving, lathe turning and temporary workshop parts.
• SycamoreThe English name for a pale European hardwood related to the maple, distinct from the unrelated tree called sycamore in America.
• HickoryA hard, shock-resistant timber chosen chiefly for tool handles and other parts that must absorb sudden impact.
• BoxwoodA pale, very fine-grained, dense hardwood chosen wherever a crisp edge or sharp line matters more than bulk or strength.
• YewA springy, durable timber used for longbows, bent furniture parts and light rustic work.
• HollyA fine-grained hardwood prized for being plain and, at its best, pure white, useful for inlay and cabinet work.
• HornbeamA hard-wearing timber used for making planes, for lathe turning and sometimes for wooden screws.
• LaburnumA dark greenish-brown timber used for ornamental cabinet work and marquetry.