Good Morning Friends,

In house framing the use of pine, fir and spruce is mostly used for the building of a house, but what are the most woods that are used to make furniture that is native to our locations?

Edited October 27, 20169 yr by Ralph Allen Jones

Oak has to be the most prevalent.

 

In the formative years through Indiana, native species for furniture building besides Red & white oak, were; Yellow Poplar, Cherry, Sugar Maple as well as Hard Maple, Walnut, Hickory, Chestnut, Ash, and of course Sycamore and Cottonwood.

Today there seems to be readily available supplies of Poplar, R & W Oak, Maple, Cherry, Walnut, Hickory and Cottonwood. Not far from where I live are 3 former farm fields converted to Black Walnut farms presumably for veneer. They've been in place for 10-12 years and consists of ~125 acres +/-.

Around here, in Arizona, the only hardwood that grows abundantly is Mesquite. And, it's quite expensive. Conifers are plentiful, however. To my knowledge, there are no large scale wood furniture manufacturers in the state. The small furniture builders must import their materials. 

Southwestern style is mostly pine or fir. But, even that comes from the forests of WA, OR and northern CA. 

Around here it's mostly red oak unless you buy at the furniture store then it's the stuff that grows in North Carolina.

Almost any type of wood could be used to build furniture, but some woods have always been favored for their beauty, durability, and workability. Before 1900, most furniture was made with these woods: walnut, oak, mahogany, rosewood, fruitwoods, and rare wood veneers and inlays were in common use. American Colonial furniture, dependent on local availability, was made with maple, oak, walnut, birch, and cherry, as well as pine. The preferred furniture woods were readily available, so less attractive or durable woods were used only for hidden parts inside a piece.

As these preferred woods have become scarcer and more expensive, furniture has been made with more abundant woods; the traditional favorites have become rare.

Today, most furniture is made with ash, pine, gum, and poplar; pine, fir, and other inexpensive woods are used for hidden parts. The rare woods are used only for very good furniture, and they're often used in combination with the less expensive woods.

Some of the other woods used for furniture are alder, apple, aspen, chestnut, cottonwood, cypress, fir, hackberry, hemlock, holly, koa, laurel, locust, magnolia, pear-wood, spruce, tupelo, and willow.

The stuff out of SE Asia and China are another whole ball game...

 

Common Furniture Woods.pdf

Edited October 27, 20169 yr by Stick486

Tremendous replies from all of you and I truly like the manner in which you all answered. I can remember though, my Grandfather stating that you can use most any lumber that was native to certain areas of the country as stated by Gene Howe above. Many parts of the country just don't have any type of wood to speak of for furniture.

Thank you all for your input.

1 minute ago, Ralph Allen Jones said:

Tremendous replies from all of you and I truly like the manner in which you all answered. I can remember though, my Grandfather stating that you can use most any lumber that was native to certain areas of the country as stated by Gene Howe above. Many parts of the country just don't have any type of wood to speak of for furniture.

Thank you all for your input.

Sadly, that's where you get IKEA or this Ralph. Thanks for the thread...interesting & informative.

DAVE!!! You could be in big trouble. That's pieces of a protected species your holding. The newly discovered and very rare ligna crapola emdieffus.

Look out for black helicopters with EPA logos

1 minute ago, Gene Howe said:

DAVE!!! You could be in big trouble. That's pieces of a protected species your holding. The newly discovered and very rare ligna crapola emdieffus.

Look out for black helicopters with EPA logos

 EPA is too busy scooping up all the political waste right now to mess with country hick like me. Besides, I grew that hybrid tree and had it specially milled right here on the farm...

 

 

I think I've seen a lot of that species Dave, especially in rotted sub flooring .

The house I live is mostly the kind you get at IKEA or waferborad.  I doubt there is any quality wood in it. Even the siding looks like pressed paper.