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Ash:
a tree with silver-gray bark and compound leaves. The ash is widely
distributed throughout north temperate regions where it can form forests.
The principal use of ash is in furniture, interior parts of upholstered furniture,
kitchen cabinets, and architectural trim and cabinetry. Ash is straight,
grained, stiff, strong, and hard. Ash also has good bending properties, high
shock resistance, and it wears smooth in use. White ash shrinks moderately
but can be kiln dried rapidly and satisfactorily.
Maple:
Commercial maples grow throughout the eastern U.S. and
southeastern Canada, with the exception of bigleaf maple, which grows
on the West Coast. Maple is consistently popular wood for furniture and
cabinetry. As much as 90 percent of the maple lumber produced is further
manufactured into a variety of products such as furniture, kitchen cabinets
and flooring.
Birch:
a slender, fast growing tree that has thin bark and bears catkins. Birch
trees grow chiefly in north temperate regions, some reaching the northern
limit of tree growth. Birch wood is relatively heavy, hard, and strong and has
high shock resistance. Although the wood is difficult to work with handtools,
it can be readily shaped by machine and ranks high in nail-withdrawal
resistance.
Alder:
a widely distributed tree of the birch family that has toothed leaves
and bears male catkins and woody female cones. The wood of alder is
moderately light and soft. In fact, Alder wood is one of the softest of all
hardwoods, ranking just above pine and poplar.
Cherry:
Cherry wood is reddish and takes a lustrous finish. It’s a prized
furniture wood and brings high prices in veneer log form. Typically found in
the Eastern regions of the USA, Cherry trees reach heights of up to 100 feet,
about 80 feet average, with a tall trunk of about 24” in diameter.