Choosing the right wood for your project is about matching the material to the purpose. A carving wood needs to be different from a turning wood, which needs to be different from a guitar tonewood. This guide covers over twenty commonly used species, grouped by how makers typically use them, with practical notes on workability, finishing and sourcing.
Guitar tonewoods
Alder: The classic Fender body wood. Medium weight, close-grained, easy to machine and finish. Alder produces a balanced, full-range tone with good clarity. It accepts paint and lacquer beautifully and does not require grain filling. The grain pattern is subtle — most alder guitars are painted in solid colours rather than left natural.
Ash (swamp ash): The other classic Fender choice, particularly for the early Telecasters and Stratocasters. Swamp ash is lighter than northern ash, with a pronounced open grain that looks striking under a translucent finish. The tone is bright and snappy with good sustain. Ash requires grain filling before a smooth finish can be achieved — the pores are large and deep.
Mahogany: The Gibson body and neck wood. Dense, warm and resonant, with a rich midrange character. The grain is open (requiring grain filler for smooth finishes) but the figure is typically straight and even. Mahogany carves and machines well. It looks stunning under a cherry-red dye or a natural oil finish.
Maple: The premier neck and fretboard wood. Hard, stable, bright and responsive. Quartersawn maple is preferred for necks because it resists warping. Figured maple (flame, quilted, birdseye, spalted) is prized for guitar tops — the chatoyance under a clear or tinted finish is spectacular. Maple finishes well but needs to be sealed carefully as it can blotch with oil-based finishes and dyes.
Rosewood: The traditional fretboard wood (with ebony). Dense, oily and smooth to the touch. Rosewood has a warm, dark tone that balances maple's brightness. The natural oils mean it does not need (and generally should not receive) a surface finish — most rosewood fretboards are left raw or oiled lightly. Indian rosewood has largely replaced the now-restricted Brazilian rosewood for guitar use.
Ebony: The densest and smoothest of the common fretboard woods. Ebony is nearly black, extremely hard, and gives a fast, articulate playing feel. It is also used for nuts, saddles, tailpieces and bridge pins. Ebony is expensive and increasingly scarce — ensure your source is sustainable.
Carving woods
Lime (Linden/Basswood): The premier carving wood across Europe and North America. It is soft, fine-grained, pale and almost textureless, which means it holds detail extraordinarily well and does not fight the tools. Lime is the standard choice for chip carving, relief carving and figure carving. It is available in carving-ready blocks from our carving supplies range.
Butternut: Slightly harder than lime with a warmer, honey-coloured tone. Butternut carves cleanly and has an attractive grain pattern that adds visual interest to larger carvings. It is a good step up from lime when you want more character in the finished piece.
Jelutong: An extremely soft, fine-grained tropical wood that is almost as easy to carve as modelling clay. Jelutong is popular for pattern making, maquettes and practice pieces. It does not have an attractive grain, so it is usually painted rather than given a natural finish.
English oak: Much harder than the carving woods above, oak is used for architectural carving, church furniture, and pieces where strength matters as much as appearance. It requires sharp tools and more effort but produces carvings with real presence and weight. The open grain gives a distinctive textured surface.
Turning woods
Olive: One of the most visually striking turning woods. The wild, irregular grain with dark streaks against a creamy background makes every piece unique. Olive is moderately hard and turns well, but the interlocked grain can tear if tools are not sharp. It finishes beautifully with oil or wax.
Cocobolo: A dense, oily tropical hardwood with stunning colour — deep orange to purplish-brown with dark striping. It turns to a mirror finish straight from the tool and is highly prized for pen blanks, knife handles and decorative turnings. The dust can cause allergic reactions — always wear a good dust mask and use extraction when turning cocobolo.
Box elder (maple burl): Prized for its vivid red and pink streaking (caused by a fungal colonisation). Box elder burl turns well and produces highly decorative bowls and hollow forms. The colour fades somewhat with UV exposure — a UV-protective finish helps preserve it.
Spalted beech/birch/maple: Spalting is the early stage of fungal decay that creates dramatic black zone lines, white pockets and colour variations in the wood. Spalted blanks make stunning turnings but require care — the softer, more decayed areas can crumble or tear on the lathe. Stabilising (impregnating with resin) makes spalted wood much easier to turn and finish.
Furniture and joinery woods
European oak: The backbone of traditional furniture making. Strong, durable, beautifully grained and available in wide boards. Quarter-sawn oak shows the distinctive medullary ray figure (tiger stripe) that has been prized for centuries. Oak works well with hand and machine tools, accepts stain and dye readily, and ages gracefully under any finish type. It is an open-grained wood that benefits from grain filling for the smoothest finishes.
American black walnut: Rich dark brown with a straight, open grain and a luxurious appearance. Walnut is the go-to choice for contemporary furniture — it is easy to work, finishes superbly (especially under oil), and its dark colour requires no staining. It is softer than oak but more than adequate for furniture. Walnut dust can cause irritation, so wear a mask when machining.
Cherry (American): A beautiful furniture wood that starts as a warm pink and darkens significantly with light exposure to a rich reddish-brown. The grain is fine and even, and cherry accepts a smooth finish with minimal effort. It is one of the best woods for hand-tool work and is particularly suited to pieces finished with oil, wax or shellac.
Ash: Strong, flexible and shock-resistant with a bold, open grain. Ash is the traditional choice for tool handles, chair legs and bentwood furniture. It steam-bends better than almost any other common species. The light colour and strong grain pattern look handsome under a clear finish.
Beech: Hard, even-textured and inexpensive. Beech is the standard timber for workbenches, tool handles and utilitarian furniture. It is not as visually exciting as oak or walnut, but it is reliable, consistent and machines beautifully. Steamed beech has a warm pinkish tone that is more attractive than the raw pale cream.
Exotic and specialty woods
Padauk: Vivid orange-red when freshly cut, darkening to a rich brown over time. Padauk is used for decorative accents, inlays, pen blanks and turning. The initial colour is so intense it can stain clothing and hands.
Purpleheart: Brown when freshly cut, turning a vivid purple with light exposure (and eventually darkening to brown again over many years). UV-protective finishes slow the colour change. Purpleheart is hard and dense, popular for accents, inlays and tool handles.
Wenge: Very dark brown with a coarse, dramatic grain. Wenge is hard and heavy, used for guitar necks, decorative panels and contemporary furniture. The coarse grain can be difficult to finish smoothly and the splinters are particularly unpleasant — wear gloves when handling rough wenge.
Yew: Britain's most prized native timber for turning and small woodwork. The rich orange-red heartwood contrasted with pale sapwood makes for dramatic pieces. Yew is hard, elastic and long-lasting, with a beautiful figure when quarter-sawn. Historically used for longbows and Windsor chair arms.
For more on choosing between hardwoods and softwoods for turning, see our hardwood vs softwood turning guide.
