Wood Species Guide
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Walnut
White Oak
Hickory
Red Oak
Hard Maple
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Which one do you think looks the best?!
While there are many interesting differences between various wood species, the reality is that all of the species we offer allow us to construct a strong, durable table, so it really comes down to which one you find most attractive.
To figure that out, here are three tips:
Our online gallery is organized by wood species.
We have lots of wood samples available for viewing at the shop.
Lighting affects appearance! For this reason, we always encourage folks to borrow samples from the shop to view at home.
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Yes and no.
First, as mentioned above, all species we offer will provide a strong, durable table that will last generations to come.
That said, there is indeed some variation among the available wood species when it comes to resistance to dents/dings. To that end, the following “ding-resistance-scores” may be helpful:
Walnut: 8/10
White Oak: 9/10
Hickory: 10/10
Red Oak: 8.75/10
Hard Maple: 9.25/10
(For a more scientific explanation google “Wood Janka Hardness”.)
Keep in mind that ding-resistance—while by no means unimportant—is different from the table’s overall strength/longevity. If your goal is simply to have a table that is strong and will last a long time, don’t worry, you’re in good hands.
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Yes:
Tier 1: Red Oak
Tier 2: White Oak, Hickory
Tier 3: Walnut, Hard Maple
For more information, visit the catalog.
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Walnut tends to be our most popular wood species, probably because of its naturally dark and rich color. No other domestics are nearly as dark.
Lucky for us, Missouri has lots of Walnut trees; the state is in fact a major exporter of the species.
Walnut is a tighter-grained wood species, meaning the pores in the wood relatively small. This gives the wood a more refined appearance. (Oaks, by contrast, are more open-grained and therefore more rustic.)
Character? Absolutely. Walnut frequently features pin-knots, around which the grain swirls. Walnut can also be curly meaning it possesses wavy grain patterns.
Finally, Walnut sometimes features a noticeable contrast between the dark-heartwood and the lighter-colored sapwood. Some folks love this sharp contrast. Others prefer to limit the sapwood. We can usually accommodate either request.
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White Oak is a beautiful and classic wood species. Many folks are surprised to learn that it tends to be slightly darker than Red Oak.
When finished with an oil-based varnish, White Oak is amber/honey colored. When finished with a water-based varnish, it is slightly lighter/more natural/more calm. In either scenario, it lacks the pink-undertone found in Red Oak. That’s one of the main differences between Red Oak and White Oak.
The other difference is grain-tightness. Both Red Oak and White Oak are considered open-grained species, but White Oak’s grain is slightly tighter, primarily because it grows more slowly than Red Oak. When comparing the two, White Oak can therefore described as more refined, whereas Red Oak is more rustic.
Fun fact: White Oak is naturally water-resistant and doesn’t rot as easily as other species. This is one reason why many antiques are made of White Oak. Same thing for wooden ships and wine barrels.
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If you want a bullet-proof table look no further. Hickory is one of the hardest and toughest domestic tree species, and it is therefore very resistant to dents and dings.
More good news: it’s beautiful! As far as appearance goes, Hickory is all about the variety. The heartwood is primarily rich-brown in color, but this is often accented by darker-colored streaks.
Another noteworthy feature of Hickory is that it features a pronounced heartwood/sapwood contrast. If you like this contrast—and many do—we can construct a Hickory tabletop in such a way that accentuates this; the result is a tabletop with fun/flowing “rivers” running down it.
On the other hand if you’d rather limit the amount of sapwood in your table, don’t worry, we can do that too.
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Red Oak happens to be the most affordable species we offer, but don’t let that fool you into thinking it isn’t a quality wood. It’s affordable only because Red Oak trees are very popular in the area; there’s a good chance you can see one outside the nearest window.
Most folks are familiar with the open grain pattern presented by Red Oak. This is visible both in the texture of the wood itself, as well as the darker color of the porous earlywood.
An interesting feature common to both oaks are the medullary ray flecks (“rays”) that are visible along quartersawn surfaces. These appear as holographic streaks that flash/dance in the light.
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Whereas Walnut is the darkest species we offer, Hard Maple is the lightest. Immediately recognizable by its light/natural/clean appearance, this species is a great choice for folks wanting to brighten up a room.
It’s a tight-grained species—the tightest we offer—which further enhances its refined appearance.
Given Hard Maple’s naturally light appearance, it’s most commonly finished with a water-based topcoat, which brings out the wood’s natural beauty without imparting additional amber/brown/gold color.
That said, there’s nothing wrong with utilizing a finish that does impart a little color. In this case, there are some Rubio colors that work beautifully with Maple.
Special note on Hard Maple: unlike the other species we offer, Hard Maple is generally thought of as a northern species. As you may know, Maple trees from Wisconsin, Michigan and New York grow larger than they do here. Size matters to the woodworker in that large trees tend to produce the cleanest lumber. For this reason, Saint Louis Tables customers choosing Hard Maple have the option between lumber sourced locally—which tends to have more character—or from further north—which tends to be cleaner.