Black Walnut
Black walnut (Juglans nigra) is a premium North American hardwood highly prized for its deep chocolate-brown color, workability, and stability. It is a top choice for fine furniture, cabinetry, flooring, and custom trim with a 1,010 on the Janka scale. Fortunately for me it grows in my neighborhood and have sustainably been milling it as new houses are built.
Black Cherry
Black cherry lumber also a highly prized North American hardwood renowned for its rich red-brown color, fine satiny texture, and superior workability. It features a Janka hardness rating of 950 and ages beautifully, deepening in color upon exposure to light. Along the black walnut, it also seems to be a staple of the wooded area near me that I am able to have access to and mill up.
Ash
Ash wood lumber is a highly durable, shock-resistant hardwood known as the "poor man's oak". With a pale cream sapwood and light brown heartwood, it features a pronounced open grain that stains beautifully. It is widely prized for furniture, tool handles, flooring, and sporting goods like baseball bats. Rates as 1,320 on the Janka hardness scale. The emerald ash borer unfortunately has devastated the majority of Ash trees in my area and finding and milling logs is less difficult than other species.
Maple
Hard maple lumber is a dense, highly durable hardwood ideal for heavy-wear projects like workbenches, flooring, and cutting boards. Soft maple, while still a dense hardwood, is easier to machine and stain, making it the preferred choice for cabinetry, furniture, and painted projects. I had not had any maple dry enough to use until 2026 and it has been enjoyable to work with so far. I have found some slabs with the “pillowed/quilting” pattern and made a few bookmatched guitar bodies with it.
Spalted Maple
Spalted maple lumber is regular maple wood featuring dark, intricate lines and patterns created by natural fungal activity during early decay. Highly prized by woodworkers for its unique appearance, this captivating hardwood can be sourced in various forms, from turning blanks to large live-edge slabs. I personally have built several projects with this lumber and enjoy its unique patterns and colors. My Dad had several maples delivered to him for firewood and they sat outside a few years before milling to develop.
Hickory
Hickory is one of the hardest and most resilient hardwoods native to North America. Known for its high shock resistance, distinct color variation, and rustic charm, it is heavily utilized for durable furniture, cabinetry, flooring, and tool handles. With a Janka hardness of 1,880 I plan on using some of it to replace some flooring in my house when it is dried enough. Unfortunately it wont be available for use (dried) until 2027 but it is still available for sale if you have means of drying or plan on waiting For that special project and don’t want to lose out on it.
Locust
Locust is a tough, durable North American hardwood. Prized for its warm amber-to-reddish-brown heartwood and prominent grain patterns, it is frequently compared to Red Oak. It is highly valued for custom furniture, cabinetry, woodturning, and rustic woodworking projects. I just started working with locust in 2026 making outdoor benches because of its resistance to rot and decay. Two things I have noticed are its density when drilling or chiseling and weight even after drying. Properly finished locust can last outside more than a lifetime.
Oak (Red & White)
Red oak and white oak are both popular, highly durable hardwoods, but they have distinct differences in appearance, structural density, and ideal applications. White oak is slightly harder and highly water-resistant, making it superior for outdoor projects, while red oak is favored for indoor furniture and trim. The white oak I have available is milled at 4/4 thick, the tree came down in a tornado. The minimal red oak I have are very flat 4/4 18”x7’ slabs. That tree came down with a chainsaw to build a house lol.
Common Hackberry
Common hackberry is an affordable, versatile North American hardwood often sold interchangeably with sugarberry. Prized for its pale-yellow to light-brown coloring and excellent shock resistance, it is frequently used as a budget-friendly substitute for ash in furniture, millwork, and steam-bent projects. I honestly had a few of these logs brought to me with other logs so I decided to mill them and try them out. What I have available is still drying and won’t be dry for use until 2028 but available for sale.
Birch
Birch lumber is a versatile, budget-friendly hardwood known for its smooth grain and pale, creamy-white to light-reddish brown coloring. It is dense, strong, and highly prized for cabinetry, custom furniture, interior trim, and high-grade plywood. Currently I only have 1 log available. It is difficult finding birch of substantial size for milling.
Norway Spruce/ Pine
Spruce lumber is a highly versatile, lightweight softwood recognized for its excellent strength-to-weight ratio, straight grain, and light, creamy-white appearance. It is primarily used for structural framing (often mixed with Pine and Fir as SPF) and DIY projects, though premium grades are prized for acoustic instruments and boatbuilding. I have several random 4/4 live edge cutoffs from milling larger beams some of which I planted as a kid.
Eastern Red Cedar
Eastern Red Cedar (\(Juniperus\ virginiana\)) is a highly aromatic, durable, and lightweight softwood often used for clothing storage, small furniture, and rustic crafts due to its distinct red-purple heartwood and creamy white sapwood. It is often sold as kiln-dried, knotty lumber, with common uses including cedar chests, closets, fence posts, and outdoor furniture because of its natural rot and insect resistance. Unfortunately I only have one log available milled into 10/4 x 12” wide slabs.
Mulberry
This particular log was kind of funny. In the process of learning all the species of trees I had mistaken this trees bark to be Maple and milled it and dried it. After working with it on an art project for my house I discovered it to be Mulberry haha. The project turned out great but would rather this log not take up valuable storage space.